Dutch Top Olympics Medals Table In Short Track
Milan : While the Dutch were at the top of the medal tally in the short track at the Winter Games, local favorite Arianna Fontana entered the record books by increasing her medal count to 14.
Over two weeks, medal wins were intertwined with personal stories, from athletes returning from career-threatening injuries to first-time Olympians whose hopes of leading their teams sometimes went unfulfilled.
Fontana, 35, reached the final in all five races and won gold in the mixed relay for Italy, then won silver in the 500 meters and women’s relay.
To the cheers of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Fontana’s tally in the women’s relay race rose to 14 medals, surpassing fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti’s 13 medals from 1936-60, making her Italy’s most decorated Olympian.
THE DUTHS DOMINATE THE TRACK
The Dutch have traditionally been a powerhouse in speed skating’s original form, but these were their best Games in the newer short track format.
After missing out on a place in the mixed relay final, the Dutch team went from strength to strength and won seven medals, including five gold.
Jens van ‘t Wout won three gold and one bronze medal for the 24-year-old athlete, who has a scar on his cheek following a skating accident in 2019 that almost caused him to quit the sport. He said he would get a new tattoo in the colors of the Olympic rings’ medals.
His brother Melle won a surprise 500m silver medal on his 26th birthday after a serious knee injury slowed his progress in recent seasons.
Their compatriot Xandra Velzeboer won the women’s 500 meters, breaking world records in the semi-finals and 1,000 meters.
WHO LEADS IN SOUTH KOREA, SARAULT SHINE FOR CANADA
Kim Gil-li, 21, who participated in the Olympics for the first time, led South Korea to win two gold and one bronze medals, while the strong star of the short track finished with seven medals, two more than the Beijing 2022 Games.
While Canadian Courtney Sarault returned to her country satisfied after winning two silver and two bronze medals in four of the five competitions she participated in, her compatriot Steven Dubois won his first individual Olympic gold in the 500 meters.
On a sour note, Canadian William Dandjinou (24), world No. 1 and known for his first-ever “eagle” celebration, failed to win an individual medal despite reaching all three finals.
Doing it five times gets exponentially harder because every medal is just as hard for me, but everyone’s expectations are increasing, right?
“I didn’t even know it was possible to finish fourth that many times in one Game,” he said. “You’ll see me in four years.”
