2022 Beijing Olympics – Speed Skating – Women’s Mass Start Final – National Speed Skating Oval, Beijing, China – February 19, 2022. Irene Schouten of the Netherlands in action. REUTERS/Susana Vera
February 19, 2022
By Sakura Murakami and Krystal Hu
BEIJING (Reuters) -Irene Schouten of the Netherlands swept around the National Speed Skating Oval on Saturday to win gold in the women’s mass start, clinching her third title at the Beijing Olympics and continuing Dutch dominance of the event.
In a showdown with Ivanie Blondin, Schouten broke away from the pack as the bell sounded for the last lap, but the Canadian took an inner line to overtake her with half a circuit to go.
Blondin still had the lead at the last corner, but Schouten skated with everything she had and squeezed past Blondin in the last few metres before the finish.
“It is a game. Not always the fastest wins, you need some luck. Today I had luck. I was fast, but I got some luck, too,” the 29-year-old said after the race.
“Normally I skate with my team mate but she crashed so I had to switch and go on my own. I am happy my own plan worked out.”
Compatriot Marijke Groenewoud crashed midway through the race, mirroring a similar mishap in the semi-final that she recovered from.
The mass start title was the 12th speed skating medal for the Netherlands at Beijing.
Blondin took silver and Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida bronze.
“It is nice to finally get an individual medal. It has been a long and winding road for me,” said Blondin, who was part of the Canadian team that won gold in the women’s team pursuit but had yet to see a podium in individual events.
“I think I should have been maybe a little bit more patient in the final lap but at the end of the day, a medal is a medal and I’m glad that I can represent my country the way that I know that I can.”
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami and Krystal Hu; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Andrew Cawthorne)
Source: One America News Network
