By Gianluca Semeraro and Francesca Landini
MILAN, Feb 21 (Reuters) – The Dutch topped the medals table in short track at the Winter Games while local favourite Arianna Fontana wrote her way into the record books by taking her medal haul 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 went sometimes unfulfilled.
Fontana, 35, reached finals in all five events, winning mixed relay gold for Italy and later taking silver in the 500 metres and women’s relay.
Cheered on by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the women’s relay silver took Fontana’s tally to 14 medals, surpassing fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti’s 13 from 1936-60 and making her Italy’s most decorated Olympian.
DUTCH DOMINATE THE RINK
The Dutch have traditionally been a powerhouse in the original form of speed skating 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, winning seven medals, including five golds.
Jens van ‘t Wout won three golds and one bronze, a vindication for the 24-year-old, who has a scar on his cheek after a skating accident in 2019 that almost made him quit the sport. He said he would get a new tattoo of the Olympic rings in the colours of his medals.
His brother Melle took a surprise 500 metres silver on his 26th birthday after a serious knee injury slowed his progress in recent seasons.
Their compatriot Xandra Velzeboer blitzed to victory in the women’s 500 metres, setting a world record in the semi-final, and the 1,000 metres.
KIM LEADS SOUTH KOREA, SARAULT SHINES FOR CANADA
First-time Olympian Kim Gil-li, 21, led South Korea, winning two golds and a bronze as the short track powerhouse finished with seven medals — two more than at the Beijing 2022 Games.
Canadian Courtney Sarault will head home satisfied after winning medals — two silvers and two bronzes — in four of the five events she entered, while compatriot Steven Dubois claimed his first individual Olympic gold in the 500 metres.
On a sour note, Canadian William Dandjinou, 24, world No.1 and a first-time Olympian known for his “eagle” celebration, left without an individual medal, despite reaching all three finals.
“I didn’t even know it was possible to finish fourth that many times in one Games,” he said. “You will see me in four years.”
(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Francesca Landini, Additional reporting by Keith Weir, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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