South Korean speedskater Jeong Jae-won used the men’s 1,500 meters as a tune-up ahead of his main event, the mass start.
Jeong, 25, finished 14th in 1 minute, 45.80 seconds on Thursday (Korea time) at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
He had planned to skate only the mass start on Friday, but entered the 1,500 to sharpen his race feel and check the ice. Starting from the inside lane, Jeong went through 300 meters in 24.45 seconds and increased his speed in the second half to finish steadily.
“It’s been a while since I raced the 1,500 on the international stage, so it felt a bit unfamiliar, but the time wasn’t bad,” Jeong said. “I’m satisfied because it feels like my preparation for the mass start is going well.”
He added, “At this Olympics, I feel a strong sense of mission and responsibility,” and said he would prepare “with the determination to stand at the very top.”
China’s Ning Zhongyan won gold with an Olympic-record 1:41.98. American Jordan Stolz, who had been aiming for three gold medals at these Games, took silver in 1:42.75, 0.77 seconds behind Ning. Dutch veteran Kjeld Nuis won bronze.
Kim Min-seok, competing at these Olympics after switching nationality to Hungary, placed seventh in 1:45.13.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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