Suzanne Schulting grabs next to gold at 500 meters, but silver | Olympics

The Dutch short track star started in place two, behind the Olympic champion from four years ago, Fontana. The other finalists were the Canadian Kim Boutin, the Chinese Zhang Yuting and the Belgian Hanne Desmet.

She started well, but Fontana went down after a touché with Schulting. A proper reboot. That restart was great from Schulting, but Fontana got her back and kept it up until the finish.

Schulting strikes back

And so, after a difficult start, Schulting hit back at the Capital Indoor Stadium. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore. The frequent world champion has turned out to be made of granite in recent years. Short trackers quickly learn to forget. A tear and a laugh are sometimes only minutes apart on the short track track. Schulting can take setbacks like no other and convert them into positive energy

Schulting will also have felt the unconditional support of her teammates after her fall on Saturday in the mixed relay. She said sorry, but that was not necessary at all, emphasized Sjinkie Knegt and Jens van ‘t Wout. Falls and short track speed go hand in hand a lot more often than the athletes would like. Moreover, Schulting’s slip did not fit at all in her otherwise very strong performances that evening. But from those strong performances she gained her confidence for Monday’s 500 meters.

It marked the third Olympic medal for Schulting, who won bronze in the relay four years ago in Peyongchang and then won gold in the 1000 meters. The kilometer is the next individual distance that Schulting can now focus on. Because now it really only starts for the short track queen.

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