MILAN, Italy — Dutchman Jens van ‘t Wout struck gold in the men’s 1500 meters short track on Saturday, his second individual title, as the Netherlands continued their strong showing at the Milan Cortina Games.
South Korean reigning champion Hwang Dae-heon came second, while Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs won the bronze.
“This race with nine people was like a table of roulette in the casino. And the fact that I can win like this, really fight well. It’s insane,” Van ‘t Wout said.
There were extra skaters in the finals because of reinstatements after crashes in the semi-finals.
Van ‘t Wout said that he had been shown a video of the 2022 final in Beijing, which featured 10 skaters, just before the race to get his tactics right.
“I thought, let’s see what the winner did then. And that was to sit at the front of the race. So that’s what I tried to do,” he added.
The victories are a vindication for the 24-year-old who has a visible scar on his cheek after a skating accident in 2019 that almost caused him to quit the sport.
In the women’s events, Arianna Fontana maintained her quest for an Italian record 14th Olympic medal when she qualified for the quarterfinals of the 1000 meters and made it to the final of the 3000 meters relay with her national team.
“Today it was mission accomplished,” she told reporters.
THIRD GOLD FOR THE NETHERLANDS IN SHORT TRACK
Van ‘t Wout and compatriot Xandra Velzeboer had doubled up on Thursday as she took the women’s 500 meters gold, while he won the men’s 1000 meters crown.
The Dutch skater took the lead with four laps to go on Saturday in the Milan Ice Skating Arena and never gave it up. He skated around the ice draped in the red, white and blue Dutch flag to celebrate after his victory.
After the medal ceremony, he greeted his parents in the crowd.
“Every time I look at my dad, he’s like: how are you doing this? And I’m like: I have no idea,” he said.
The victory by the Dutch skater ended South Korea’s winning streak in Beijing and Pyeongchang.
KRUZBERGS HOPES BRONZE MAKES SHORT TRACK POPULAR IN LATVIA
Latvia’s Kruzbergs, who had not been considered among the favorites, said he was very happy with his bronze medal.
“Hopefully this brings some recognition to the sport itself in Latvia. And this is an incredible achievement. I’m just super happy that the medal is here, you know. I’m extremely, extremely happy that with a knee injury I’m able to get it,” he said.
China’s Sun Long, who won silver in the 1000 meters on Thursday, suffered an injury just below the knee following a collision during the final, and members of his delegation had to help him exit the rink.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
