Thomas Krol of the Netherlands competes in the speed skating men's 1,000m at Beijing 2022, Feb. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
Olympic debutant Thomas Krol of the Netherlands grabs gold in the men's 1,000m speed skating competition at Beijing 2022, days after winning a silver in the 1,500m event.
BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Olympic debutant Thomas Krol of the Netherlands grabbed gold in the men's 1,000m speed skating competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics here on Friday.
The 29-year-old Dutch, who had settled for a silver after an impressive display in the 1,500m, clocked a winning time of one minute and 7.92 seconds.
"This is just fantastic. I'm crazy happy with this gold medal. This is something you hope for so long. I knew I was one of the favorites and based on my season I was the top-favorite," Krol said after the race.
Canada's Laurent Dubreuil seized the silver in 1:08.32, while Haavard Holmefjord Lorentzen of Norway took bronze in 1:08.48.
"It's a big shock to get a medal, it is amazing. It took a lot of belief and a lot of support to turn things around, and I'm really proud," said Dubreuil who had been disappointed about his fourth place result in the 500m.
The 22-year-old Chinese skater Ning Zhongyan finished fifth in 1:08.60. "I am quite satisfied with my performance. I performed better today than in the 1,500m. I am in a better formn today," he said.
The home favorite refreshed his personal best of 1:08.839 set up at sea level in Norway this season. "I felt OK about ranking top five. I will try to improve myself, especially accelerating in the first lap," he added. ■
