As he leaves Beijing with two Olympic medals, South Korean short-track speedskater Hwang Daeheon sounds giddy about a “fried chicken pension” waiting at home. Hwang, who won the gold in the men’s 1,500 meters and a silver in the 5,000-meter relay, has been promised a lifetime supply of fried chicken by food industry tycoon Yoon Hong-geun, chairman of the BBQ delivery franchise who also served as the chief of South Korea’s athletic mission at the Games. “The first thing I want to do is confirm that my fried-chicken pension is real,” Hwang told reporters Thursday about his plans when returning h ..read more

Bart Swings won the men’s mass start speed skating event on Saturday to give Belgium its first Winter Olympic gold medal since 1948.  He set the peloton’s pace for most of the race and was in second place going into the final turn. He sprinted on the outside to capture the lead less than three seconds before crossing the finish line.  “I had a feeling no one else wanted to do the work, I had to lead the pack,” Swings said. “Eventually I had the sprint and was able to get it done.”  Belgium’s last gold medal at the Winter Olympics came in figure skating 74 years ago. Swings ..read more

Three days before her 50th birthday, the Winter Olympics’ oldest female competitor Claudia Pechstein did not add to her decades-long medal haul at Saturday’s speed skating mass start race – but had a lovely surprise waiting anyway. The German came a respectable ninth, including winning one of the sprint sections. Though she missed the podium, admiring teammates honored Pechstein with replicas of her past medals. “It’s always a dream to make the Olympics,” Pechstein said. “Some people don’t get to and I have (done) it eight times and also with nine medals. “It’s unbelievable and ..read more

Speed skater Thomas Krol of the Netherlands will race to claim the title in the men’s 1000m on Friday in hopes of adding another medal to the 10 the Dutch have won so far at the Olympics. The 29-year-old has the season’s best time and tops the World Cup rankings. He beat compatriot and previous Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis in the Dutch qualifiers to earn his spot to stand at the start line of the men’s 1000m. However, he finished behind Nuis in the men’s 1,500m, having to take home a silver medal despite setting the Olympic record during his race. “I did the best I could. I couldn’t have gone f ..read more

U.S. speed skater Joey Mantia felt cheated after his fourth-place finish in the men’s mass start final on Saturday. Mantia was in third place entering the final turn before he stumbled and dropped back to fourth. He fought hard to get back into the fight for medals and forced a photo finish. He missed out on third place by 0.002 seconds, the tip of South Korea’s Lee Seung-Hoon’s blade, and was 0.09 ticks behind gold medalist Bart Swings of Belgium. SEE MORE: Bart Swings wins first winter gold for Belgium since 1948 The American wanted a penalty called on Lee for holding Mantia back ..read more

Dutch speed skater Thomas Krol won gold medal in the men’s 1000m, finishing with a time of 1:07.92. This marks Krol’s second Olympic medal of the Beijing Games after taking silver in the men’s 1500m. Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil sped out of the blocks to claim silver with a time of 1:08.32 and Norway’s Haavard Lorentzen notched bronze. Team USA’s Jordan Stolz finished in 14th place with a time of 1:09.12 and fellow American Austin Kleba finished 29th. Poland’s Piotr Michalski, who held the lead for a majority of the event, fell to fourth in the final seconds with a time of 1:08.56 ..read more

American speed skaters Joey Mantia and Mia Kilburg each narrowly missed a place on the podium at their respective speed skating finals on Saturday in Beijing. Mantia placed fourth in the men’s mass start and Kilburg finished fourth in the women’s mass start at the National Speed Skating Oval. Belgium’s Bart Swings finished with gold in the men’s event, with Korea’s Jae Won Chung grabbing silver and Seung Hoon Lee capturing bronze. Swings won silver in the first-ever men’s mass start event at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is the current world record holder on 10,000m incline speed skating with ..read more

Speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics is closing out competition with the men’s and women’s mass start at the National Speed Skating Oval. The event has two American men in the field, Ian Quinn and Joey Mantia, while the women’s side is represented by Americans Mia Kilburg and Giorgia Birkeland.  Mantia, who captured bronze in the men’s team pursuit, will be looking for his second medal of the Games. Here’s a look at how to watch these events on TV and where to stream them online: When does the men’s mass start begin? The coverage kicks off with the men’s mass start semifinals, whi ..read more

While the gold-medal race in the men’s team pursuit played out without any major upsets, the real surprise came in the ROCs’ path to the finals, beating the heavily-favored American trio in the semifinals to advance to the final. The ROC finished with a semifinal time of 3:36.62 to edge the U.S., which clocked in at 3:37.05. Norway, the defending Olympic champions, then won the final with a time of 3:38.08 to top ROC (3:40.46) and capture the country’s second-straight gold medal in men’s team pursuit. The United States finished with a time of 3:38.81 in the bronze-medal race to defeat the Neth ..read more

The 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony is a few days away. Before the flame goes out Sunday, there are still dozens of medals to be awarded to Winter Olympians from around the globe. Day 14 in Beijing — Thursday night and Friday morning in the United States — features four medal events in women’s freeski halfpipe, men’s ski cross, men’s 15km mass start, and the men’s 1000m in speed skating. There will also be a men’s bronze medal match in curling and two men’s hockey semifinals. Outside of the medal events and team tournaments, there will be a pairs short program in figure skating and two-w ..read more