Chung Jae-won of South Korea competes in the men’s 1,500-meter speed skating event at the Winter Olympics at Cortina Speed Skating Stadium in Milan, Feb. 19. Yonhap
MILAN — Speed skater Chung Jae-won was only slated to compete in the men’s mass start, his main event, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics this month. And when a spot opened up in the 1,500m scheduled for Thursday and he was told he would be the first alternate, Chung wasn’t sure at first if he wanted to participate, fearing that it could affect his training for Saturday’s mass start.
Chung, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist in the mass start, decided to go for it in the end, and finished 14th among 30 skaters with a time of 1:45.80.
“I was worried that a race would mess up my training schedule for the mass start,” Chung told reporters afterward at Milano Speed Skating Stadium in Milan. “But I decided a competitive race would help me feel a bit more relaxed and get a better feel for my speed here.”
Chung said his last 1,500m race came about two years ago.
“I’ve only been skating on the inner lane while working on the mass start, and so it felt awkward skating on the outer lane,” Chung added. “My time wasn’t all that bad today. I felt a little wound up because it was my first race here, but I think it was good to get some nerves out of my system.”
Chung said his preparation for the mass start — a hybrid event that combines elements of more traditional long track speed skating with tactical aspects of short track speed skating — is “almost complete.”
“I believe I have an edge over other skaters in my cornering skills,” he said. “I’ll try to take advantage of my strengths and respond to whatever situations that arise.”
Jordan Stolz of the United States, who has already won gold medals in the 500m and 1,000m and silver in the 1,500m, will go for his fourth medal in the mass start.
“I am predicting Stolz will have that explosive burst of speed with a couple of laps to go and leave everyone in the dust,” Chung said. “But if I can stay with him and others, I will definitely have my chance. I need to stay locked in.
“I won the mass start silver medal four years ago and I won a medal during this World Cup season. Of course, my goal is to reach the podium here,” Chung added. “I would love to go to the highest spot.”
