Beijing 2022: Top things to know about Kodaira Nao, Team Japan speed skater

Kodaira Nao left Beijing 2022 empty-handed, but told us that's "part of the game."

Not only was she the first Team Japan athlete to stand on an Olympic speed skating individual podium, but at 31 years and 268 days old, Kodaira was the oldest Japanese athlete to win an Olympic Winter Games gold medal when she claimed the title at PyeongChang 2018.

She arrived in China as the defending champion in the 500m and silver medallist over 1000m following her historic success in Korea.

But she did not threaten to get among the medallists, finishing 17th in the 500m and 10th over 1000m, with her focus for the future to be the longer race.

With insight accumulated over years of experience, Kodaira told Olympics.com: “I hesitated in the opener and then lost my pace. I wasn’t able to be my best self today, and it just gradually got away from me.

“Failure is part of me, part of the game, so I would not say there is nothing that I didn’t do well."

Sochi 2014 was a turning point for Kodaira who moved to the Netherlands after she missed the podium with fifth in the 500m and 13th over 1500m.

The European country dominates speed skating and have claimed 10 medals so far in Beijing including two individual golds and women's team pursuit bronze for Irene Schouten.

Kodaira trained with three-time Olympic gold medallist Marianne Timmer and went to the Netherlands with a thirst for knowledge about her chosen sport.

"I went to Holland more than to learn how to skate better technically, but to learn the skating culture," she told Associated Press. "That was more important to me."

She was given the nickname 'Boze Kat' - which means ‘angry cat’ in Dutch - because of her style and emotions while skating.

Kodaira spent two years in Europe and such was