Asian Winter Games: Gao Tingyu, Yang Wenlong, Xiong Shirui help give China victorious day
Speed skating ‘no longer an exclusively dominant strength for Western countries’, says Olympic champ Gao after 500m win lands him second gold
China’s Gao Tingyu added a second individual Asian Winter Games gold to his collection on Monday, taking the men’s 500m speed skating title by just 0.02 seconds.
Going out in the last pair, the Olympic champion’s 34.95 was just enough to beat Japan’s Wataru Morishige, who had been the first skater of the finals to dip below 35 seconds.
South Korea’s Kim Jun-ho took bronze after finishing in 35.03. Hong Kong’s Sidney Chu was among the first pairs to take to the ice, and he very briefly occupied top spot after coming home in 39.42, which saw him finish 18th overall.
Gao, who holds the Winter Games record after his 34.69 at the 2017 edition in Sapporo, said his victory on Saturday in the 100m, combined with the battle against Beijing bronze medallist Morishige, had only increased the pressure.
“Fighting for your country can be a sweet burden,” Gao said. “There’s a lot at stake. Also, I’m an Olympic champion and the defending champion of the Asian Winter Games, and with all top three athletes from the Olympics present, pressure does exist.
“We [China] are showing the world that speed skating is no longer an exclusively dominant strength for Western countries. Chinese athletes can ace it just as well and have our flags fly high above the podium.”