By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
Mo Tae-bum showed that his gold medal in the men's 500 meters on Tuesday was no fluke, when he added a silver medal in the 1,000 meters on Thursday at the Richmond Olympic Oval near Vancouver.
Mo shocked the speed skating world with his first medal but the second came as little surprise to anyone who saw him dominate the 500 meters.
The Korean, who finished in a time of one minute and 9.12 seconds, was in first place until the final pair when American Shani Davis edged him by 0.18 seconds to snatch the gold, his second straight Olympic gold in the 1,000.
"Of course I am a bit disappointed," Mo said of losing another gold at the last second. "I feel a a little bit unhappy."
After becoming the first Korean to win a gold medal in a sport other than short track, the 21-year-old became the first non-short-tracker to snatch two medals in a single Olympic Games as well.
Entering the Olympic Games, the 1,000 was considered Mo's best event and expectations were high for him in that event.
Skating in the fourth-last pairing with American Chad Hedrick - who added a bronze in the 1,000 to the gold he won years ago in the 5,000 meters in Turin - Mo lived up to those expectations and thrilled domestic fans who thought he could become a double-gold medalist.
At the first 200 meters, Mo took a lead of 0.41 seconds over the time established by Stefan Groothuis of the Netherlands. At the 600-meter interval he had increased his lead to 0.43 and crossed the finish line 0.33 seconds ahead of the Dutchman.
While Mo's strategy seemed to be to go strong early and grind it out over the last few hundred meters, Davis started slow; he was 0.34 back of Mo at 200 meters. Yet, he closed to within 0.26 with 400 meters to go and his strong finish allowed him to move ahead.
"The first 200 I was definitely faster, but the last round I felt that Shani had more training and he certainly was able to go faster," Mo said through a translator, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Lee Kyou-hyuk's fifth Olympics will end in disappointment. Lee placed ninth in a time of 1:09.92. Lee had been hoping to win his first Olympic medal ever in either the 500 or 1,000.
Mun Joon, paired with Davis, was 18th, 1.74 seconds behind the American, and Lee Ki-ho was 36th in a time of 1:12.33.
It's been a great Olympic Games for the long-track speed skating team, with two gold and two silvers in four events so far. And there is lots of potential for the medal tally to grow. Lee Sang-hwa, gold medalist in the 500 meters on Wednesday, will skate in the women's 1,000 meters early Friday morning. Mo will look for his third medal in Vancouver in the 1,500 meters on Sunday, while Lee Seung-hoon, silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, will challenge in the 10,000 meters on Wednesday.