By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
Korean speed skating gold medalist Mo Tae-bum competed in his last race at the Vancouver Olympics, coming in fifth in the men's 1,500 meters, Sunday (KST).
Mo was hoping to add another but fell short with his time of one minute 46.47 seconds, 0.34 seconds behind third-place Havard Bokko of Norway.
Mo, who raced in the 14th among 19 pairs, crossed the finish line with the fastest time at that point.
But Mark Tuitert of Netherlands grabbed the gold by clocking in at 1:45.57 and 1,000-meter gold medalist Shani Davis of the United States was .53 seconds behind.
"The 1,500 meters is the hardest event for me," Mo said. "I couldn't breathe after finishing the race."
"While I was in first place, I was really nervous to see the following races. I sort of expected to get a medal.
"But I recognize that I fell short and that I always have something to improve on," Mo said.
Mo will race in the team pursuit event Saturday (KST).