Nuis Defends Olympic Title On Ice While Joey Mantina Barely Misses Podium
Feb 8, 2022, 5:13 AM
Joey Mantia of Team United States skates during the Men's 1500m on day four of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Speed Skating Oval on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands has become the first speedskater since 1994 to successfully defend his Olympic title in the men’s 1,500 meters, edging countryman Thomas Krol at the Beijing Games.
Krol, the reigning world champion, broke the 20-year-old Olympic record in his race Tuesday. Nuis went even faster in the very next pair, crossing the line with a blistering time of 1 minute, 43.21 seconds.
There were still three pairs to go, but no one came close to the Dutch duo. Nuis took his country’s third gold in four events at these Games, while Krol’s runner-up finish of 1:43.55 gave the Netherlands a total of six medals in a competition that is shaping up as another rout for the Big Orange Machine.
The bronze went to South Korea’s Kim Minseok, who was more than a second behind the winner in 1:44.24.
Nuis became the first repeat 1,500 champion since Norway’s Johann Olav Koss won his second straight gold at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. The only other back-to-back champions were Clas Thunberg of Finland in 1924 and 1928, and Yevgeny Grishin of the Soviet Union in 1956-1960.
The Americans again came up short of their first individual Olympic speedskating medal since 2010. World Cup leader Joey Mantia got off to a strong start but couldn’t hold his pace through a race that requires both speed and endurance. He wound up sixth in 1:45.26.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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