Japanese speedskater Hiroyasu Shimizu has been awarded a world record without hitting the ice as the International Skating Union (ISU) added a combined two-race time of 500 meters to the list of official world records.
According to skating officials, the ISU newly recognized Shimizu's mark of 1 minute, 8.96 seconds he produced at the single-distance world championships in Salt Lake City in March 2001 when he set the current single-race world record of 34.32 in the process.
The two-race format was introduced to the 500 meters in major international competitions in the late 1990s, including the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano where Shimizu won the gold medal. Shimizu added a silver medal four years later at the Salt Lake City Olympics.