Olympic Speed skating

Brittany Bowe has led the charge for the United States so far in the long-track speedskating at the 2018 Winter Olympics, although the team is still chasing its first medal in the sport in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

On Monday, she earned a fifth-place finish in the 1,500-meters, while she went even closer to a medal in the 1,000-meter event, as 0.38 seconds separated her from Japan's Miho Takagi, who grabbed bronze.

Bowe still has a chance of medalling in the 500-meters and the relay, although there will be an onus on the rest of Team USA to raise their standards to get off the mark in terms of medals in speedskating.

Here's a reminder of what's still to come from the Gangneung Oval and a look at the United States' medal prospects.

      

Long-Track Speedskating Schedule 

Friday, Feb. 16

6 a.m. - Women's 5,000-meter speedskating

                                    

Sunday, Feb. 18

6 a.m. - Men's team pursuit 8 laps quarter-finals

6:56 a.m. - Women's 500-meter speedskating

                               

Monday, Feb. 19

6 a.m. - Women's team pursuit 6 laps quarter-finals

6:53 a.m. - Men's 500-meter speedskating

       

Wednesday, Feb. 21

6 a.m. - Women's team pursuit 6 laps semi-finals

6:22 a.m. - Men's team pursuit 8 laps semi-finals

6:54 a.m. - Women's team pursuit 6 laps finals

7:13 a.m. - Men's team pursuit 8 laps finals

                                              

Friday, Feb. 23

5 a.m. - Men's 1,000-meter speedskating

        

Saturday, Feb. 24

6 a.m. - Women's mass start 16 laps semi-finals

6:45 a.m. - Men's mass start 16 laps semi-finals

7:30 a.m. - Women's mass start 16 laps final

8 a.m. - Women's mass start 16 laps final

                               

All times are in Eastern time. The full schedule is courtesy of the Canadian team's official website.

       

Time Running Out for United States

The United States is still on the hunt for its first speedskating medal since the Vancouver Games in 2010, as the competitors have toiled so far in South Korea.

The biggest disappointment so far for Team USA has been Heather Bergsma, as the defending 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter world champion was unable to carry any sort of form into the Olympics. 

She failed to match up to the pace being set by the leaders in the 1,500-meters, and on Wednesday the American was blown away by the likes of Jorien ter Mors, Nao Kodaira and Takagi in the 1,000-meters. Bergsma finished eighth in both events.

"This was definitely my best shot," Bergsma said after the second race, per Nick Zaccardi of NBC Olympics. "I don't feel quite as good as I did last year. I think it shows throughout the season."

Zaccardi posted following the 1,500-meters, suggesting Bergsma must be frustrated at her inability to find her best given the winning times:

Heather Bergsma, the 1500m world-record holder and world champion, finishes 8th, skating the last lap with a piano on her back. If she matched her 2017 Worlds time (at the same venue), she would have won gold over Wüst.

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) February 12, 2018

Bowe's performances have been the main positive for the United States so far, although she'll be devastated not to have grabbed a bronze in the 1,000-meters after a brilliant skate. 

As noted by the U.S. Olympic Team Twitter account, Bowe had made a big statement at the Games with her performance in the 1,500-meters:

.@BrittanyBowe came in 5️⃣th, the best performance for long track @USSpeedskating in 8️⃣ years! https://t.co/H1A68oBxK3 pic.twitter.com/wBCmTeImZP

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 12, 2018

Bowe will go again in the relay and the 500-meters, while Bergsma will hope to rediscover some spark in the same events; the latter is also set to compete in the unpredictable mass start competition.

Bowe's brilliant recent form is all the more impressive given the injury issues she's had to overcome in preparation for the Games, as a concussion picked up in 2016 kept her out of action for around 18 months.

Former Olympic speedskating champion Dan Jansen paid tribute to the resolve that's been showcased by Bowe in getting to the Games:

Congrats @BrittanyBowe on a great 1500m race! Took lots of courage to get back to where you are! Keep it going!

— Dan Jansen (@danjansen94) February 12, 2018

Meanwhile, the biggest chance of a medal in the men's events will be Joey Mantia, who will go off as one of the main contenders for gold in the mass start.

The 32-year-old produced an excellent performance at the 2017 World Championships to win this race and has already had an eighth-place finish in South Korea in the 1,500-meters. 

If he was to beat the likes of Alexis Contin and Olivier Jean again here, then it would be a historic triumph for the American for a number of reasons. Not only would it be the first Olympic medal of his career, it's the first time the mass start has ever been included on the schedule at the Games.

Ted-Jan Bloemen claimed gold for Canada as he triumphed in the 10,000 metres men's speedskating at Pyeongchang 2018 on Thursday.

He set a new Olympic record of 12 minutes, 39.77 seconds in a brilliant run to deny the Netherlands a sixth gold medal from six speedskating events in South Korea.

The Dutch took the silver medal as defending champion Jorrit Bergsma finished in second, but the much-fancied Sven Kramer could only finish sixth.

Italy's Nicola Tumolero completed the podium positions as he came home in 12:54.32 to claim bronze.

The full result can be found at Pyeongchang2018.com.

Here is the updated medal table following the action at the Gangneung Oval:

Jordan Belchos produced a fine performance in the second of six pairings to set a benchmark time of 12:59.51 before South Korea's Seung-Hoon Lee took almost four seconds out of the Canadian with a brilliant final 10 laps in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Both were blown out of the water by Bergsma who bettered his own Olympic record from Sochi 2014 to top the standings by over 13 seconds with a time of 12:41.98. 

The 32-year-old's pair-four opponent Davide Ghiotto of Italy had to move out of the way to be lapped as Bergsma stormed home with consecutive sub-30-second laps. 

It was a daunting mark to attack, but Bloemen was equal to the task and had a three-second cushion in pair five with seven laps to go.

The 31-year-old began to lose time but eventually topped Bergsma by over two seconds, producing three laps in the last four of under 30 seconds to deny the Dutchman a second consecutive Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres.

It was far from over, though, with the indomitable Kramer going in the final pair. He was almost three seconds down at the midway point but still very much in contention given his reputation for finishing fast.

This time it was not to be, though, as Kramer lost time in the closing stages, eventually finishing 21 seconds down on champion Bloemen. 

It has been eight years since the United States won an Olympic medal in speedskating.

At the 2010 Games in Vancouver, the U.S. team returned home with an impressive four-medal haul, comprising one gold, two silvers and a bronze.

Four years previously in Turin, it topped the speedskating medal table after winning three golds, three silvers and a bronze.

However, at Sochi 2014, Team USA finished the Games empty handed, and it will be desperate to get back on the board at Pyeongchang 2018.

The Dutch have dominated proceedings so far in South Korea, but there are still plenty of speedskating events remaining.

Here is the updated schedule:

        

Thursday, February 15

Men's 10,000-meters (6 a.m. ET) 

    

Friday, February 16 

Women's 5,000-meters (6 a.m. ET)

    

Sunday, February 18

Men's pursuit quarterfinals (6 a.m. ET) 

Women's 500-meters (6:56 a.m. ET)

    

Monday, February 19

Women's pursuit quarterfinals (6 a.m. ET)

Men's 500-meters (6:53 a.m. ET)

    

Wednesday, February 21

Men's and women's team pursuit (6 a.m. ET; women's final at 7:58 a.m. ET, men's final at 8:17 a.m. ET)

     

Friday, February 23

Men's 1,000-meters (5 a.m. ET)

    

Saturday, February 24

Men's and women's mass start (6 a.m. ET; women's final at 7:30 a.m. ET, men's final at 8 a.m. ET)

         

The women's 500-meters event on Sunday is arguably the United States' best remaining opportunity for an individual medal in the speedskating.

Both Brittany Bowe and Heather Bergsma should be confident of a podium place, although Japan's Nao Kodaira and South Korea's two-time defending champion Lee Sang-hwa will both be tough to top.

It could come down to a battle between Bowe, 29, and the 28-year-old Bergsma for the bronze medal, and the former has shown better form so far at Pyeongchang 2018.

In Wednesday's 1,000-meters, Bowe was just pushed out of the medals, finishing fourth with a time of one minute, 14.36 seconds behind Jorien ter Mors, Kodaira and Japan's Miho Takagi. A run of 1:15.15 saw Bergsma finish eighth. 

Meanwhile, in the 1,500-meters, Bowe finished fifth ahead of eighth-placed Bergsma.

Both have the quality to push for a medal in the 500-meters, and it would be a brilliant result were both to end up on the podium. However, that may depend on a mistake or two from the favorites.

The best result so far for the American men in the speedskating was Joey Mantia's eighth-place finish in the 1,500-meters.

It was a 14-place improvement for the 32-year-old from his 22nd in the same event at Sochi 2014, and he will have another chance to win a medal in the 1,000-meters on Friday, Feb. 23.

Mantia finished 15th in the 1,000-meters four years ago in Russia, so he will be looking for a similar improvement if he is to medal, while veteran champion Shani Davis will also be in action for the U.S.  

Sven Kramer will try to paint the speedskating medal podium orange once again on Thursday in the men's 10,000 meters.

The three-time champion in the men's 5,000 meters is attempting to add to his collection of Olympic medals with a gold in the longest event of the Olympic program.

Kramer isn't the only Dutchman expected to be in contention for gold, as Jorrit Bergsma is seen as one of the other favorites.

Canada's Ted-Jan Bloemen, who is the current world record holder in the event, is also expected to have a say in who steps on the podium following the conclusion of Thursday's competition in Pyeongchang.

Date: Thursday, February 15

Time: 6 a.m. ET

TV: NBCSN (Shown on delay during broadcast window starting at 9:30 a.m. ET)

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

       

Kramer Hungry for Gold in Distance Event

Kramer is one of the most decorated Winter Olympians of all time, but there is one medal that has eluded him throughout his career.

The eight-time Olympic medalist came up short in his quest for the gold in the 10,000 meters in Sochi and faces stiff competition to record his fifth career speedskating win at the Olympics.

The 31-year-old is going up against the world record holder in Bloemen and the current Olympic record holder in Bergsma.

Kramer told Reuters' Simon Jennings that his chase for glory in the 10,000 meters hasn't been easy and that the victory would mean a lot to him.

"I think it's not a secret that it's really important to me," Kramer said. "It's really, really difficult. I've won a lot at the Olympics but I've lost a lot as well."

The dominant Dutchman enters Thursday as the two-time defending world champion in the 10,000 meters, but he has a checkered history in the event on the sport's biggest stage with a second-place finish in Sochi, a seventh-place mark in Turin and a disqualification from Vancouver.

If he wins the coveted gold in the 10,000 meters, Kramer would become the sixth event champion from the Netherlands in speedskating in South Korea and the eighth Dutch athlete to earn a medal in the sport.

      

Bloemen Trying to End Dutch Dominance

Bloemen is the athlete with the best chance to become the first non-Dutch athlete to claim speedskating glory in Pyeongchang.

Although the 31-year-old represents Canada, he was born in the Netherlands, but after failing to find his way in the Dutch program, Bloemen became a Canadian citizen.

Bloemen was able to make the switch to Canada because his father was born in New Brunswick.

In his first Olympics, Bloemen is working on bringing Canada into prominence in the sport, and he's already earned the country's first distance speedskating medal since 1932 with a silver in the 5,000 meters on Sunday.

Now with one medal, Bloemen has the opportunity to achieve more Olympic glory. However, success has not come easy for him in the 10,000, as he's placed second, fourth and sixth at the last three World Championships.

At the very least, Bloemen will contend for a medal, but a spot at the top of the podium may be hard to achieve given how well the Dutch have skated in Pyeongchang.

      

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Jorien Ter Mors claimed a fifth gold medal for the Netherlands in as many speedskating events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as she triumphed in the women's 1,000 metres on Wednesday. 

The 28-year-old Dutch skater produced a blistering time of 1 minute, 13.56 seconds to edge out Japanese favourite Nao Kodaira, who could only claim silver.

The bronze medal went to Miho Takagi, Kodaira's compatriot, who set a time of 1:13.98, while 10-time Olympic medallist Ireen Wust had to settle for ninth place. 

Here is the updated medal table following Wednesday's action at the Gangneung Oval:

Wust, 31, went off in the fourth of the 16 pairs and set the early benchmark with her time of 1:15.32.

China's defending champion Zhang Hong looked set to overhaul the legendary Dutch skater in the 11th pair but a stumble on the final lap meant she eventually came home in 1:15.67.

In a sensational battle in the 12th pairing both Ter Mors and America's Brittany Bowe bettered Wust's time, with the Dutchwoman setting a new Olympic record to eventually claim the gold.

Takagi went second fastest in the 14th pair, leaving world-record holder Kodaira as the most likely remaining competitor to better Ter Mors.

But, despite an excellent start, the 31-year-old could not keep up the pace in the final lap of the 400-metre track and could only go second, pushing Bowe out of the medals.

The final two competitors, the Netherlands' Marrit Leenstra and Heather Bergsma of the United States, did not trouble the podium and Ter Mors was duly crowned champion.

Canada won its first speedskating medal of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics as Kim Boutin took the bronze medal in the 500-meter short-track event Wednesday morning (North American time).

Italy's Arianna Fontana and South Korea's Minjeong Choi were involved in a photo finish for first place in the event, but judges determined that Choi had impeded Fontana, and the South Korean skater was disqualified.

That ruling put Boutin on the medal stand, because she had crossed the finish line in fourth place, giving Canada the bronze medal.

Yara van Kerkhof of the Netherlands had crossed the finish line in third place, but she was awarded the silver medal.

Canadian Marianne St-Gelais had been one of the favorites in the 500-meter event, but she was disqualified in an earlier heat. She was disappointed by that result.

"I wasn't ready for that call," St-Gelais said after the race, per Pete Evans of CBC Sports. "I don't think I deserved it, but that's short track."

Canadian men made progress in their pursuit of short-track medals, as Charles Hamelin won his heat in the 1,000-meter race in an Olympic-record time of 1 minute, 23.407 seconds. Hamelin advanced to the quarterfinals of the event with his performance, so he still has a long way to go before winning a medal in the event.

Samuel Girard also advanced for Canada, as he finished second in his heat. However, Charle Cournoyer was not able to move on after he finished third in a photo finish in his heat.

Hamelin, Girard and Cournoyer teamed with Pascal Dion in the 5,000-meter relay, and the Canadian team advanced to the finals of that event, which will be held later this week.

While Canadians performed well in short-track speedskating, they did not fare as well on the long track.

Denny Morrison, a four-time Olympian who has had injury and major illness problems in recent years, finished 13th in the 1,500-meter final. While Morrison was not close to getting on the medal stand, he was far better than teammates Vincent de Haitre and Benjamin Donnelly, who finished 21st and 31st, respectively.

Morrison returned after suffering through a life-threatening motorcycle accident in 2015 and a stroke in 2016. 

The United States speedskating team has been shut out of any medals so far in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but there's hope that will change by the end of the competition.

Through four events, the Winter Olympics have been a disappointment for a team that hoped to pick up a few medals.

Team USA was never going to match the output of the Netherlands, but the Americans were expected to put in a few decent performances.

With a pair of men's and women's events in the books at the Gangneung Oval, the best American finish is fifth and they've only earned three top-10 finishes.

       

Results

Women's 1,500 Meters

Brittany Bowe (5th; 1:55.54)

Heather Bergsma (8th; 1:56.74)

Mia Manganello (22nd; 1:59.93)

       

Women's 3,000 Meters

Carlijn Schoutens (22nd; 4:15.60)

       

Men's 1,500 Meters

Joey Mantia (8th; 1:45.86)

Brian Hansen (15th; 1:46.44)

Shani Davis (19th; 1:46.74)

        

Men's 5,000 Meters

Emery Lehman (21st; 6:31.36) 

        

Bowe's 5th-Place Finish the Best in 8 Years

The standard for American speedskating has dropped in the last decade, with the mark Brittany Bowe set in the women's 1,500 meters being an example of that. 

Bowe's fifth-place finish in the second women's event of the competition was the highest American placing in eight years at the Olympics, per Team USA's official Twitter account:

.@BrittanyBowe came in 5️⃣th, the best performance for long track @USSpeedskating in 8️⃣ years! https://t.co/H1A68oBxK3 pic.twitter.com/wBCmTeImZP

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 12, 2018

For a team that was expected to win multiple golds in the past, that fact is disappointing.

The positive spin is that Bowe and Heather Bergsma have a chance to medal in both the 1,000 meters and mass start.

Bergsma is the defending world champion in both events still to be contested.

       

Mantia's Best Shot at Gold Comes in Mass Start

The best remaining opportunity for the United States men to earn their first gold since Shani Davis in 2010 comes in the newest event on the speedskating program.

Mantia is the defending world champion in the mass start, which features a beginning similar to those seen in short-track speedskating.

Normally the Dutch are a threat to the Americans in speedskating events, but Mantia's biggest challengers will be Alexis Contin of France and Olivier Jean of Canada, both of whom finished below Mantia in the medal positions at the 2017 World Championships at the Gangneung Oval.

Before participating in that new Olympic event, Mantia faces off with the powerful Dutch contingent in the 1,000 meters, and he'll try to help the United States improve on its fifth-place finish from the World Championships in the team pursuit.

          

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Olympic.org and Team USA.

The Netherlands will look to continue their imperious run in the speedskating events at the 2018 Winter Olympics on Wednesday as four of their stars seek gold in the women's 1,000-metre discipline.

Dutchman Sven Kramer added to his Olympic medal tally with a third successive gold in the men's 5,000 metres, while the Netherlands swept the podium in the women's 3,000-metre event on Saturday.

Ireen Wust collected silver in that race and is the only Dutch contender who returns to the Gangneung Oval for the women's 1,000 metres, with four Olympic golds to her name already but none in this event.

China's Zhang Hong will have something to say about any Dutch domination, however, as she seeks to defend the gold she won at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, as will 1,000-metre world-record-holder Nao Kodaira.

Read on for a breakdown of the essential viewing information needed to watch Wednesday's final and a preview of the race.

          

Date: Wednesday, February 14

Time: 5 a.m. ET/10 a.m. GMT

TV Info: NBC Universal (U.S.), BBC and Eurosport (UK)

Live Stream: NBC Olympics (U.S.), BBC iPlayer (UK), Eurosport Player (UK)

                

Preview

It's no secret the Netherlands team will be one to keep an eye on in the women's 1,000 metres, just like any speedskating event, with the country having developed a considerable knack for winning tactics in this sport.

That was exemplified in the women's 3,000 metres, where Wust clinched her fourth Olympic silver medal and ninth Olympic medal overall, with a substantial national record now in sight for the 31-year-old, per Simon Gleave of Gracenote Sports:

Ireen Wüst (#NED) also equalled Bob de Jong's record of medals for the Netherlands at 4 different #OlympicWinterGames when she won 賂yesterday as we had forecast (thanks @MarkoVeenstra for reminding me).

One more medal for Wüst and she is the most successful Dutch Olympian ever pic.twitter.com/Jq4GIjY29H

— Simon Gleave (@SimonGleave) February 11, 2018

She was only 0.67 seconds off Zhang's winning time in Sochi four years ago and was one of four Dutch skaters in the top six finishers of the women's 1,000 metres, albeit missing out on the grand prize.

It will be a stiff task for Zhang—holder of the Chinese records in both the 500- and 1,000-metre events—to repeat her win four years on, but a near-seamless performance in Sochi showed no victory is decided in advance:

South Korean Lee Sang-hwa has won back-to-back gold medals in the women's 500-metre event but has never medalled in this event. Nevertheless, she'll be looked upon as a potential front-runner in front of a home crowd.

She is said to have endured a fractious relationship with Japanese skater Kodaira, who has also been a big figure on the 500-metre circuit in recent years.

However, Kodaira recently played down suggestions of a divide between the two and told the Japan Times: "I give no thought whatsoever to that. Every skater exists in a world where what’s important is pushing yourself further."

Kodaira will feature as part of a four-woman contingent set to take part in Wednesday's 1,000-metre showdown, and Lee also dismissed their rivalry ahead of the midweek meeting, per ISU Speed Skating:

🗣 Lee Sang-Hwa 🇰🇷 on Nao Kodaira🇯🇵: “Last year I couldn’t catch her because I was injured, but now it feels different. I don’t need to do anything special, just concentrate on my own race.”

🔗 https://t.co/H2R14g8hKq

#⃣ #SpeedSkating #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/I1mWAJkbOh

— ISU Speed Skating (@ISU_Speed) February 2, 2018

The Japanese representative broke the world record for this event back in December, when she recorded a time of one minute, 12.09 seconds in Salt Lake City, Utah—two seconds faster than Zhang's winning time in Sochi.

The Netherlands will have their eyes set on gold in a bid to keep up their rampant start to the speedskating events in Pyeongchang, but a capable corps of Asian talents have the potential to rain on their parade.

Kjeld Nuis claimed the gold medal in the men's 1,500-metre speedskating event on Tuesday at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Nuis finished with a time of one minute, 44.01 seconds, putting him 0.85 seconds ahead of Netherlands compatriot Patrick Roest.

Local favourite Kim Min Seok took the bronze with a time of 1:44.93.

Eurosport Nederland shared the end of Nuis' winning run:

. @KjeldNuis verbeterd de tijd van Roest! #OS2018 #PyeongChang2018 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/mcNeCtv3TX

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 13, 2018

Roest had set the early tempo with a 1:44.86:

Patrick Roest finisht met een ongelofelijk snelle tijd! 1:44,86. Is dit goed voor het podium? #OS2018 #PyeongChang2018 @nl_olympics pic.twitter.com/65z9T5l8tJ

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 13, 2018

The Dutchman topped the standings 2.47 seconds ahead of previous leader Alexis Contin, and he remained in the lead past the halfway point until Nuis' run.

Meanwhile, defending champion Zbigniew Brodka missed out on a medal:

Olympic champion Zbigniew Brodka will be dethroned in the 1500m. He set the 4th time after 11 pairs. #PyeongChang2018 #speedskating

— ISU Speed Skating (@ISU_Speed) February 13, 2018

Sochi 2014 silver medallist Koen Verweij didn't have the run he hoped for, either, with his time of 1:46.26 only narrowly placing him above Brodka in 11th.

For the USA, Joey Mantia was the strongest representative, with his 1:45.86 earning him eighth place. Brian Hansen finished 15th, while Shani Davis came 19th.

Italy's Arianna Fontana became an Olympic champion for the first time in her distinguished career on Tuesday, winning the 500-metre short-track speedskating event.

Fontana initially beat Minjeong Choi of South Korea in a photo finish in a time of 42.569 seconds, although the latter was later disqualified. It meant Yara van Kerkhof of the Netherlands was pushed into second and Kim Boutin won bronze.

Great Britain's Elise Christie, who holds the world record in this event, fell during the final and finished fourth.

     

1. Arianna Fontana (ITA)—42.569 

2. Yara van Kerkhof (NED)—43.256

3. Kim Boutin (CAN)—43.881

       

For the result in full visit the Pyeongchang website.

   

Fontana Wins Thrilling Final

There was drama from the off in the first quarter-final of the day, as one of the big favourites for gold, Marianne St-Gelais, was disqualified after a tangle on the first corner.

Then, in the second, Christie was serene in moving through to the semis, as she broke the Olympic record with a time of 42.703.

That mark was lowered again in the semi-final, as Choi raced to victory with a blistering time of 42.422. She progressed into the final as a result, along with Fontana.

Meanwhile, in the second semi, Christie recovered from a slow start to finish behind Yara van Kerkhof and ensure automatic qualification. There was also a reprieve for Boutin in that race, as she was pushed off balance by Qu Chunyu.

Matt Dickinson of The Times was enjoying the chaotic finales and suggested gold might be tough for world champion Christie based on her lane draw:

https://twitter.com/DickinsonTimes/status/963371561083289600

https://twitter.com/DickinsonTimes/status/963381965008203776

Indeed, there were five athletes chasing a medal in the final, meaning the scramble for the first bend was always going to be frantic.

While all five competitors were still standing at the end of the first lap, there was so much close-quarter action.

The conclusion was thrilling, as Christie, in fourth at the time, tried to force herself into the top three and had her hand swept by Boutin. She dropped to the floor and saw her chances of a podium spot effectively end.

As BBC Sport's Dan Roan noted, for Christie it was a case of history repeating itself, as she crashed in Sochi four years ago:

History repeats itself as GB’s Elise Christie crashes out of 500m speed-skating final in Pyeongchang

— Dan Roan (@danroan) February 13, 2018

With Christie out, the battle was down to four, and the scrap for gold appeared to be between Fontana and Choi. As the pair crossed the line, it was impossible to distinguish between the two, although it was later revealed the Italian had got there first.

It was a blow for the home crowd, although things were about to get worse for Choi, as she was given a penalty and subsequently disqualified. Journalist Jaehwan Cho struggled to see where the infraction had come:

Still, it was joy for Fontana, who had won five Olympic medals prior to Tuesday without ever winning the gold. Christie will have the chance to bounce back in the 1,000- and 1,500-metres events.