Little practice, long Olympics drought makes first U.S. speedskating medal in eight years 'pretty sweet'
GANGNEUNG, South Korea – Mia Manganello had gone beyond pain, beyond and through every level of it, to the point where her entire body was numb and barely within her control anymore.
“Help,” the United States long track speed skater gasped, as she continued to strain and fight in the search of a medal that was a long, long time coming.
A moment later, she felt a hand on her hip, pushing her along, transferring energy through the mist of communal suffering. It was her team pursuit colleague Brittany Bowe, who in turn had a pushing hand from Heather Bergsma behind her, as the Americans drove for the finish line at Gangneung Olympic Oval.
A long, sickening, torturous minute later, it finally arrived and with it the news that the U.S. trio had held off Canada to clinch the long track program’s first medal for eight years and one of the most remarkable in its history. It was the bronze medal race-off, but boy, did it feel like gold.
Team pursuit, where three skaters perform in tandem, swapping out the lead, drafting and supporting each other with their souls and an occasional push, rewards squads whose exchanges and synchronicity are perfect. That typically comes from extensive training to find the harmony and make it stick.
This team first practiced together last Friday. It didn’t even have an Olympic place until doping sanctions removed Russian competitors from the event in January. It is comprised of skaters scattered in and from various parts of the world, and who have overcome different struggles.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Bowe said. “Not for any of us.”
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A year ago, Bowe was mired in despair as she tried to overcome the lingering effects of a serious concussion. Even 10 minutes of exercise brought on near-fainting episodes. She spent a lot of time on her couch, in the dark. And when she recovered to book a spot at these Olympics and skated well, there was more frustration to come. Bowe was fractionally off the podium three times, racking up a fourth-place finish and two fifths.
“This is pretty sweet,” she added.
In the race for bronze, the Americans set out like a train, and were more than three seconds ahead on split times around the halfway mark. But Canada begin to reel them in, cutting chunks into the gap late on. When Bowe and Manganello accidentally touched coming around the final bend and nearly toppled, the result was in doubt, but the scoreboard showed they had held on by 0.45 seconds.
“Hands on legs, stumbling, we made it real dramatic,” Manganello said. “It was just about hanging on. With two-and-a-half practices I would say a bronze medal was pretty damn good.”
Indeed. Bergsma and Bowe are two of the fastest women in the world, but neither had previously won an Olympic medal. Sochi four years ago brought nothing but frustration for the entire long track squad, amid a fractured relationship between some skaters and the federation and acrimony surrounding high-tech race suits no one liked.
Bergsma, formerly Heather Richardson, is married to Olympic gold medalist Jorrit Bergsma and lives with him in the Netherlands. She is one of the stars of the sport but was quick to point out the contribution of her courageous teammates.
Bergsma was in awe of Manganello, who placed 22nd in the 1,500-meter event but led the final 2.5 laps against Canada in a superhuman effort, then collapsed onto a mat at the end of the skate. She also highlighted the role of Carlijn Schoutens, the 3,000 and 5,000-meter specialist, who subbed in for the semifinal against the Netherlands and pulled the team along in a race it knew it was destined to lose, her role allowing Bowe to rest and Bergsma and Manganello to conserve some energy for the bronze match-up. And then there is Petra Acker, whose performances alongside Schoutens and Manganello in World Cup races pushed the team to ninth in the Olympic qualifying standings (and into eight when Russia was removed) but did not make this Olympic team.
Once victory was confirmed, Schoutens sprinted around the infield alongside her teammates, whose lungs were still burning as they raised their hands aloft in unison.
Sometimes victory is effortless but this was anything but. Not for any of them. Bergsma and Bowe have won world titles and may have individual Olympic success in their future. Schoutens moved to the States from the Netherlands and will likely soon go back to medical school. Manganello’s future husband, Craig Kilburg, is about to become a full qualified neurosurgeon and she’s not sure what the immediate future holds.
But she’ll always remember this, the night when she gave everything she had in search of a special moment, and her team had her back when she needed it most.