Dutch skater Velzeboer claims second gold at Milan-Cortina in women's 1,000m short track

MILAN, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Dutch short track speed skater Xandra Velzeboer captured her second gold medal at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Monday, storming to victory in the women's 1,000 meters at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Velzeboer clocked a winning time of one minute and 28.437 seconds, adding to her 500m triumph on Thursday.

Positioned third in the early laps, Velzeboer stayed patient in the pack before surging into the lead with three laps remaining. A fierce battle unfolded among the top three skaters in the penultimate lap, but Velzeboer held her nerve and crossed the finish line first.

"Before the race, I was already feeling like I can do this. I was very focused. In short track, everything is very close, but I actually managed to win, it is unbelievable," said Velzeboer.

Courtney Sarault of Canada won her second silver medal at these Games, while South Korea's Kim Gil-li took bronze.

China's Gong Li finished fifth in 1:29.392. The Chinese skater said she had reminded herself to enjoy the race before stepping onto the ice, knowing she was the chaser among the five finalists and still had a gap to close in terms of strength. "But if I had the chance to compete with them, I would never give up and would fight until the very last second," she said, adding that reaching the final already felt fortunate and she had given everything she had.

In the men's 5,000m relay semifinals, the Chinese quartet of Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, Li Wenlong and Zhang Bohao kept a low profile in the early stages before launching several overtakes in the middle and latter laps to briefly take the lead. However, on the final lap, Liu slipped unexpectedly on a curve, allowing Canada and Italy to seize the opportunity and finish as top two in the group to qualify for final A, while China missed out in 6:55.278.

In the men's 500m heats, Canadian world champion Steven Dubois led the field in 40.284 seconds to reach the quarterfinals, China's Liu and Lin also advanced, while Sun Long was eliminated due to a penalty.

The men's 500m finals take place on Wednesday, while the men's 5,000m relay finals are scheduled for Friday. ■