When it comes to short track speed skating, South Korea is the
only superpower in the world.
The Asian country skated to six gold, three silver and one
bronze medals, perching atop the medal standings. It is followed by
China with a 1-1-3 record and the United States 1-0-2.
"We use the strength to skate, which is a traditional way, while
South Korea's performance relies on their skating skill. That's why
they did not show fatigue in the long-distance competition," said
Tong Lixin, the Chinese team leader.
"It showed a new trend in short track speed skating."
South Korea opened the short track competitions with a gold and
a silver in the men's 1,500m, won by Ahn Hyun-soo and his teammate
Lee Ho-suk. Li Jiajun of China took a bronze.
Then in the men's 1,000m, South Korea finished a 1-2 again as
Ahn held off a strong challenge from teammate Lee Ho-suk and
American Apolo Anton Ohno to win his second gold medal with a Games
record.
"When Ahn surpassed me from outside, I felt like there was a jet
plane passing by," Ohno, the bonze winner in the men's 1,000m, said
after the competition.
"At the speed we were going, I was looking for the slightest
mistake, the slightest space, but there was nothing," he added.
Ohno won the men's 500 meters on Saturday, winning his first
title of the Games and spoiling Ahn Hyun-soo's bid to clean sweep
the men's golds.
China won the sole gold from Wang Meng in the women's 500m, who
beat Bulgarian veteran Evgenia Radanova and Canadian Anouk
Leblanc-Boucher.
In the women's 1,500m, 17-year-old Jin Sun-yu, who has dominated
over 1,500m this season, overtook the group a few turns from the
end and pulled away to cross the finish first. Her teammate Choi
Eun-Kyung took the silver.
South Korean Byun Chun-Sa crossed third but was disqualified,
giving the bronze to Wang Meng.
Jin won her second gold on the last day of short track
competitions, using a burst of speed in the final straightaway to
take the women's 1,000m title.
The relay competition is one of the most exciting events in
short track, and South Koreans did not let the two golds slip
away.
In the women's 3,000m relay, South Korea clinched its fourth
gold while its long-time rival China was disqualified for
impeding.
"We won the gold medal because we trained hard for years long.
We have had ups and downs but finally we are on the top," Choi
Eun-Kyung of South Korea said at the press conference.
South Korea made it four golds in a row in the women's short
track relay since the 1994 Games, and China has won the silver
twice in the 1998 and 2002 Games.
Canada overtook China in the last lap for the silver and host
Italy received the bronze, its only medal on short track.
"We did not felt regretful in the women's relay, because South
Koreans are really great. We have already shown our best," Tong
said.
South Korea kept its momentum by battling through the most
exciting men's 5,000 meters relay final for its sixth gold on
Saturday.
(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2006)