This is the Richmond Olympic Oval. During the 2010 Winter Games, 12 medal events will take place on the 400-metre speed skating track in front of up to 8,000 fans from around the globe. I watched the Men’s 500m on CTV yesterday, and the races were fantastic! Man, are they ever fast!
Flickr Creative Commons photo by adriana8_8
Mika Poutala of Finland burned up the ice in the first race (I like how he uses a down start). He had the fastest time of the night at 34.863, but after his second race he landed in 5th overall. Korea and Japan dominated, and for a moment it looked like Japan would be taking the top two spots on the podium. Keiichiro Nagashima had the fastest time in the second race at 34.876, but a medal in this event comes down to the combined times, and the Gold went to Tae-Bum Mo of South Korea. Nagashima took Silver, and the Bronze went to his teammate Joji Kato.
Visit the Vancouver 2010 Speed Skating website!
Side Note: Japan’s speed skaters wear superhero-style uniforms that make them look like golden Transformers. Awesome design.
Curious Domestic 