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U.S. skater in position for gold
U.S. tops first day of men's 500-meter sprint; today's races tell the medal tale
By Jay Evensen
Deseret News Olympic specialist
Canada's hopes for a gold in the men's 500-meter long-track speedskating took a stunning tumble Monday afternoon at the Utah Olympic Oval, putting the United States in a position to possibly claim two medals, depending on how skaters do Tuesday.
Jeremy Wotherspoon, the 1998 silver medalist from Canada who was ranked first in World Cup competition this season, fell to the ice during his first few steps after the starting gun, ending all hopes for a medal.
All he could do was stand and watch the other skater in his pair, Holland's Jan Bos, skate away. He did one slow lap around the ice before tossing aside his glasses in disgust.
Wotherspoon's misstep put the United States in first and third place at the end of the first day of 500-meter competition. Casey FitzRandolph, an American who, ironically, is best friends with Wotherspoon and trains with him in Canada, now sits in first place after finishing in 34.42 seconds, a new Olympic record (one of four Olympic records set Monday at the oval).
Kip Carpenter, a 22-year-old from Brookfield, Wisc., sits in third place with a time of 34.68. Japan's Hiroyasu Shimizu, the current world record holder, sits in second place with a time of 34.61, setting up an exciting finish Tuesday.
Medal winners will be chosen by combining the times of the races Monday and Tuesday. Each competitor gets to start one race in the outer lane and one in the inner, to erase any advantages.
Wotherspoon declined to face reporters after his fall. His coach, Sean Ireland, said the fall was a "technical error." He said the Canadian is "sad and frustrated" but he may skate the second race on Tuesday despite no chance to earn a medal.
"I think he wants to go out there and show people what he's really capable of."
FitzRandolph, while happy at the prospect of winning a gold medal, seemed concerned for his friend.
"That was one of the hardest things to watch that I've ever had to watch in a speedskating competition," he said of the fall. Not only do the two fish together in their spare time, Wotherspoon will be FitzRandolph's best man at his upcoming wedding.
But Wotherspoon wasn't the only skater to tumble Monday. In all, five skaters lost their footing, something not entirely unexpected given the oval's reputation as the fastest ice on earth.
However, none of the falls was as spectacular as that of Marc Pelchat, a U.S. skater who actually regained his balance and finished the race in 37.59 seconds, something coaches and skaters said they had never before witnessed. Pelchat stumbled on the initial straightaway after an extremely fast start, twirled 360 degrees, stood up and came to a complete stop like a hockey player, saw that he was still in front of the other skater in his pair and continued going.
"My first reaction as an athlete is that you always think you can keep going," he said, adding that he feels he was on target to skate the fastest first 100 meters in history. As it was, he ended the day in 34th place and out of contention.
Many skaters said they had trouble making the curves at such fast speeds. Others complained that the ice was too brittle after two days of long-distance skating.
But Norway's Grunde Njos, who also fell, would have none of it. "It's not the ice," he said. "It's the Olympics, and a lot of people are nervous."
E-MAIL: even@desnews.com
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February 12, 2002
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