When Heather Richardson finished her second race in the women’s 500m, she had a shot at a silver medal. That didn’t stand, however, so the U.S. women’s speed skating drought remains intact from 2002.
It all came down to the last pairing, as Lee Sang-hwa won gold with a total score of 74.70. That included coming up big with a second race of 37.28, improving on her first race’s 37.42 time.
Sang-hwa was the favorite, as she won gold in 2010.
Olga Fatkulina seemed primed to win gold for hosting country Russia, but settled for silver with a 75.06 mark. Margot Boer (Netherlands) gained bronze with 75.48.
Richardson was the top U.S. finisher with a 75.75 score, good for eighth overall.