The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
63°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Nothing Rinky-Dink About Short-Track Skating But Usa’s Best Claim Nagano Will Be Their Last Olympics

Associated Press

Eric Flaim swears this is it, his last Olympic short-track skating competition. No more roller derby on ice for him. Been there. Done that.

Of course, Cathy Turner said the same thing.

There’s something about this demolition-derby event that keeps bringing them back. Call it the lure of the pack, a sort of siren’s song that compels skaters to chase each other around like Times Square at rush hour and then come back for more.

CBS will show the short-track skaters tonight, covering the men’s and women’s 500-meter races and the men’s 5,000-meter relay. Also scheduled is the women’s 1,000-meter speedskating, the women’s slalom, the men’s giant slalom, cross country skiing and team ski jumping.

And for the night owls, there’s a hockey semifinal game beginning at 9:35 p.m. (PST). CBS will air the game locally at 12:35 a.m.

Short track is a sort of first cousin to speedskating. The difference is the clock doesn’t determine the winner. Instead, what matters most is who crosses the finish line first. And please, no pushing or shoving on the passes to get there. Colliding with or obstructing an opponent is strictly prohibited.

The 35-year-old Turner, who won gold medals in 1992 and 1994, has retired three times. Though she’d had no racing action since Lillehammer, she competed here in the 3,000-meter relay as the Americans finished fifth.

“I said I was ready for a challenge,” Turner said. “It’s not a matter of me winning gold medals because if I’d stayed in training, I’d be there.”

Flaim, the only skater to win Olympic medals in both short and long track, carried the flag for the U.S. team at the opening ceremony and was a one-race skater in the 5,000 meters.

“The thing I like about short track is that every race is different,” he said.

xxxx What’s ahead Medals at stake: Women’s giant slalom, Women’s 30k cross-country skiing; 4x5k team Nordic combined, Women’s 500-meter short track speedskating, Women’s 5,000-meter speedskating.