Chris Witty

Speedskating

Chris Witty planned her first Winter Games around a timetable for winning an Olympic speedskating medal.

She wanted to get rid of any jitters in the 500 meters, work on rhythm and form in the 1,500, then knock ‘em dead in her specialty, the 1,000.

After what happened Monday, the 22-year-old from West Allis, Wis., will have to revise her plans - and goals.

Witty saw the American flag raised inside the cavernous M-Wave stadium after she had skated to the bronze medal in the 1,500 meters with a national-record time of 1:58.97.

“I was hoping for the top five today,” said Witty after earning the first U.S. speedskating medal of this Olympics.

“It feels pretty good. I could get used to it. It was great walking out to get the medal, because my family was right up front; I could see them waving.

“It’s not really less pressure, it just gives me more confidence. I know my skating is on now, and it gives me that much more confidence going into my best event (the 1,000 meters Thursday).

“I wasn’t sure if I could perform very well in this race, because the Germans are so good and there are a lot of others. I beat some girls today I hadn’t beaten before.”

She didn’t take advantage of a soft field, by any means. In all, the group broke seven national marks and set 14 personal records, with the top seven beating the former Olympic standard of 2:00.68.

Witty admitted feeling “a little down” after being sixth in the 500 Saturday, “but I had to put it behind me and just skate the way I know how to skate.”

Gerard Kemkers, her coach, who had said he would be happy if Witty made the top six or eight Monday, also had been more concerned with her using the 1,500 to prepare for the 1,000.

“She needed a confidence-builder, but the last two days when I saw her in the Olympic Village, I knew she was ready for a good race,” Kemkers said. “The best part of it probably was that she didn’t think she was a medal contender in this one. But she did a hell of a job.”