By Matt Flemming
Korea Times Correspondent
VANCOUVER ― In front of a heavily-Canadian crowd cheering desperately for two of its native sons, and in a field that included hated rival Apolo Anton Ohno, Koreans Lee Jung-su and Lee Ho-suk did what they do best.
The pair waited patiently at the back of the five-skater men's 1,000-meter short track final, emerging only with three laps to go to snatch the gold and silver medals Sunday (KST).
The 20-year-old Lee Jung-soo, who led the late charge, grabbed the gold ― his second of the Games ― while Lee Ho-suk took the silver.
``Once I advanced to the front, all I could think of was just staying there,'' Lee Jung-su told The Associated Press.
``I knew I can't make the same mistake again,'' Lee Ho-suk said, ``so I was really careful, ... I was worried, but I gave it my best and I knew I needed to pay extra attention.''
The final capped a chaotic crash-filled night at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, which saw Korea re-establish itself as the world's best in the short track, winning four medals.
The men's 1,000 meters featured a dream final, with the two Koreans, brothers Francois and Charles Hamelin of Canada, and Ohno ― five of the world's top six skaters in the distance.
The Pacific Coliseum ― formerly the home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks ― had a hockey-like atmosphere with a raucous crowd of energetic fans from the three nations represented.
And it was the Hamelins who took the lead early in the 13.5-lap race, followed by Ohno and the Koreans. With four laps to go, Ohno was the first to make a move, separating from the two Canadians. That's when the Koreans made their move, coming from the outside, quickly moving into first as the Hamelins, who may have let the home crowd push them too hard too soon, faded.
Lee Jung-su set an Olympic record with a time of 1:23.747, while Ho-suk followed in 1:23.801.
Ohno edged Charles Hamelin for the bronze medal ― his seventh Olympic medal ― to become the most decorated American Winter Olympian in history.
The third Korean in the competition, Sung Si-bak, lost in the second semifinal when he crossed the finish line third, just inches behind Charles Hamelin and Ohno. In the race, Sung appeared to try to pull Hamelin back by his shoulder at the line but to no avail. Sung's bad luck at the Games continued when he lost a two-man B final when he was disqualified for bumping Chinese skater Han Jialiang.
The two Lees used a similar tactic to qualify for the final, sticking towards the back of the field before charging ahead at the end as the leaders faded.
The gold and silver help to make up for a relatively disappointing men's 1,500 meters, where a podium sweep looked likely down to the final turn until Lee Ho-suk and Sung Si-bak crashed, costing themselves the silver and bronze behind Lee Jung-soo.
Lee Jung-soo will go for his third gold medal of the Games on Wednesday when the heats for the men's 500 meters begin. Lee, Lee and Sung will also be in the men's 5,000-meter relay on Friday.