BEIJING: Hwang Dae-heon claimed South Korea’s first short track speed skating medal at the Beijing Olympics when he won the men’s 1,500m in a tight finish today.
Hwang, who had been eliminated in the semifinals of the 1,000m on Monday after being disqualified, clocked 2:09.219s to beat Canada’s Steven Dubois by 0.035s – the tip of a blade.
Semen Elistratov took the bronze medal for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) 0.013s further back after all three skaters had raised their fists in the air in celebration.
South Korea, short track’s dominant nation, had not won a single medal after three events at the Capital Indoor Stadium, blaming their poor results on alleged biased refereeing.