The final had to be started twice, as the first start was aborted after a few laps due to ice chunks on the surface.Continue reading
The Hungarian delegation wanted to defend the 1000-meter final in men’s short track speed skating, from which the original winner, Sándor Liu Shaolin, had been disqualified for two fouls. The answer came quickly: the International Skating Union (ISU) rejected the appeal.
This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.
As we reported earlier, Hungary’s Sándor Liu Shaolin had been able to claim the title of Olympic champion in 1000-meter speed skating for three minutes, but after a video check, it was determined that he had committed two fouls and was therefore disqualified. His younger brother Liu Shaoang, therefore, finished third and won a Hungarian medal, the second bronze at the Beijing Olympics. The Hungarian delegation defended the men’s short track speed skating 1000m final, without success.
The International Skating Union (ISU) rejected the appeal of the Hungarian team, so the final result of the men’s 1000m short track speed skating final remains unchanged, i.e. Liu Shaolin Sándor, who crossed the finish line first, was disqualified. The Hungarian athlete reacted to the decision on his social media page.
I will try again in four years. I hope I don’t have a pimple on my face by then….”
Sándor Liu Shaolin wrote in his Instagram story, which was visible for twenty-four hours, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Also immediately after the race, he wrote the following on his Instagram page:
The day I almost become an Olympic Champion, trained and suffered mentally and physically in the past 4 years or since I started skating in 2005. I’m so sorry I couldn’t deliver the result you all wanted. It was a hard day and I gave everything I could, wouldn’t do anything different. Short track is a beautiful sport and I love it. Congratulation to my friend Ren Ziwei. And I will keep training harder and smarter. I love you all if I’m an Olympic Champion and even when I’m not. Love you all and I will keep fighting so you only have to cheer for me. Love You All.”
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
His coach and manager Ákos Bánhidi told M4 Sport even before that they do not think the decision is fair. Although he suspected that nothing will change because of the protest, he formulated: “it was important for us that the jury and the organizers understand what we think of this.”
This was both a prestige issue and a pressure from our side.”
emphasized the manager. According to Ákos Bánhidi, there were several fouls against Sándor Liu Shaolin already in the first race, but they were not imposed, and his rival was allowed to stay on the ice anyway.
We feel like the home site is a bit of a slope. This is terrible and disappointing,”
Bánhidi said.
The disqualified Hungarian athlete immediately left the hall and everyone on the Hungarian team was disappointed. His brother Shaolin, who won the bronze medal, was not too happy to be on the podium either.
Nevertheless, Ákos Bánhidi emphasized that the Hungarians must be fully prepared again for the next competition day on Wednesday.
We have to keep going. There are more competitions where you need a cool head and a clear state of mind.”
The short track speed skating competitions will continue on Wednesday with the men’s 1500m with the Liu brothers and Krueger, where medals will be awarded. In addition, Jászapáti and Zsófia Kónya will compete in the women’s 1000m qualifier, while there will be no Hungarian participant in the women’s relay semifinals.
Source: Nemzeti Sport
Featured image: Sándor Liu Shaolin finishes the men’s short track speed skating 1000m final at the Indoor Stadium at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, February 7, 2022. Photo by Tamás Kovács/MTI
