In the men's group start competition, one of the last two minor events of speed skating yesterday, Pyeongchang Winter Olympic runner-up and Belgian Swains played well, crossing the finish line first with excellent race rhythm and sprint performance, and the two Korean athletes, Jeong Jae-won and Lee Seung-hoon, cooperated with tacit understanding to win the silver medal and bronze medal respectively. Ning Zhongyan failed to rush out of the large army in the final stage, ranking 12th.
"It's incredible! I worked hard for a long time and finally realized my dream. After the game, the 31-year-old Swains was very excited, this gold medal is not only his first Winter Olympic gold medal of his career, the second gold medal in the history of the Belgian delegation's Winter Olympic Games, but also the 100th gold medal decided by the Beijing Winter Olympics!
Swains just celebrated his 31st birthday on February 12, and the Beijing Winter Olympics is his third trip to the Winter Olympics. In the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics speed skating men's group start event, he lost to south Korean star Lee Seung-hoon, who was fighting on home soil, and won a silver medal, but that was the only medal won by the Belgian delegation at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, he finally fulfilled his dream of winning the Winter Olympics!
Swains' gold medal was the second gold medal won by the Belgian delegation in the history of the Winter Olympics, and the first gold medal was won by Michel Langoi and Pierre Bognett in the figure skating pair skating event at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, which was 74 years! And coincidentally, Swains' gold medal is also the 100th gold medal produced by the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The gold medal is of great significance to the Belgian delegation, Swains said: "I won Belgium's first winter Olympic silver medal in 20 years 4 years ago, this time it became a gold medal, it is really incredible, I now want to go home and show the gold medal to my family!" ”
Swains, who had previously participated in the 1500m, 5000m and 10000m events, but failed to stand on the podium, revealed that he was very nervous a few days before the group start competition, but he adjusted in time to fully show himself in the competition.
Photo by Deng Wei, reporter of the Winter Olympics
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Source Client The Winter Olympics | Reporter Wang Xiaoxiao Zhao Xiaosong
Editor: Han Ye
Process Editor Tai Shaofeng