A golden day on the ice for China
Print Edition
In the slippery world of short track, China kept its grip solidly on the Olympic gold medal.
Li Jianrou extended her country’s dominance in the women’s 500 meters yesterday, winning its fourth consecutive title after she was the only skater who didn’t fall in the wild final in Sochi.
China claimed its second gold of the day when Zhang Hong won the women’s 1,000 meters speed skating title.
Zhang clocked one minute, 14.02 seconds for her two-and-a-half laps. Ireen Wust of Netherlands claimed silver and compatriot Margot Boer took bronze.
In short track, three-time defending champion Wang Meng of China missed the Olympics after breaking her ankle last month. Li had little experience in the wild and woolly sprint, where getting off to a quick start is important. But she kept her cool while everyone else was falling around her.
“I feel very lucky,” Li said through a translator.
She and one of her coaches cried tears of joy after China joined South Korea as the only countries to win the same short track event four Olympics in a row. The Koreans won the 3,000 relay in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006.
“I cried because I was so excited,” Li said. “My coach told me this medal is for Wang Meng as well, so I felt very moved.”
Li’s victory made up for the surprising fall of teammate Fan Kexin in the semifinals.
Arianna Fontana of Italy took the silver and Park Seung-hi of South Korea earned the bronze.
Elise Christie of Britain caused the crash in the second turn of the opening lap when she veered into Fontana and sent both skaters spinning into the pads.
“I saw Elise come in and thought I’d stop her, but she kept going,” Fontana said. “This is short track, so that’s what happens. When I was falling I was so sad, then I saw the Korean girl fell and I thought I could still get something so I got up as quickly as I could. I got my silver medal, but for me it’s gold.”
Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk ignored the pain in her injured foot and the warm weather beating down on the women’s cross-country skiers yesterday to win Olympic gold in the 10-kilometer classical-style race.
As her rivals tired in the heat, Kowalczyk showed exactly why this is her signature event, powering forward relentlessly toward the finish line to finish in 28 minutes, 17.8 seconds. Silver medalist Charlotte Kalla of Sweden was 18.4 seconds back, while Therese Johaug of Norway took bronze, 28.3 seconds behind.
“It’s something big for me because I broke my foot two weeks ago,” said Kowalczyk, who wept during the flower ceremony.
“It was only tears of joy,” she said. “I think it was the hardest 10K of my life, especially the last big uphill. I was fighting with my body. In the last 30 meters I was almost walking. I was so tired.”
This was always supposed the best chance for gold for Kowalczyk, a four-time overall World Cup winner who specializes in classical-style skiing. But then she injured her left foot in January, and suddenly it was unclear whether she’d be able to live up to her status as favorite.
Kowalczyk said she took a strong pain killer before the race that numbs the foot for three hours.
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