12 Facts About Keiichiro Nagashima

Keiichiro Nagashima is a Japanese long track speed skater specialising in the sprint distances 500 and 1000 metres.

Keiichiro Nagashima spent three years competing in domestic Japanese races before getting selected for the World Cup sprint event in Nagano in December 2004.

The Nagano races were the first sprint races of the season, and in his debut race Keiichiro Nagashima finished third, 0.05 seconds behind joint winners Shimizu and Jeremy Wotherspoon.

Keiichiro Nagashima finished seventh in the 100 metre World Cup after taking fifth place in Heerenveen.

Once more Keiichiro Nagashima was selected for the World Cup circuit, finishing in the top ten four times.

Keiichiro Nagashima went home in December, forgoing the sprint World Cup race in Inzell like many of his compatriots, to win the Japanese sprint championships held in the last weekend of December 2005, tallying 141.985 points to finish just over 0.05 points ahead of silver medallist Yusuke Imai.

However, at the World Sprint Championships in Heerenveen a month later, Imai was well ahead of Keiichiro Nagashima; Keiichiro Nagashima finished 22nd in the overall classification and was not in the top ten on any distance.

Keiichiro Nagashima finished the season by placing 18th in the final World Cup race, thus ending 14th in the overall 500 metre World Cup standings despite not turning up for the Inzell and Collalbo sprints.

The 2007 season started well for Keiichiro Nagashima, who won four important races.

Keiichiro Nagashima won both 500 metre races, thus leading the World Cup overall standings, though his times were well behind the track record at the time.

Keiichiro Nagashima achieved his best placing on the 1000 metres, with 12th in the first race.

Keiichiro Nagashima represented Japan at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and he won silver at the men's 500 metres.