1,000 metres, Men

Prior to the Games, Jeremy Wotherspoon (Canada) was given the best chance of winning the title in the 1,000 m. He had won the 2001 world title on the Utah Olympic Oval in world record time, and had then improved that time at a fall World Cup to 1:07.73 to become the first man under 1:08.00. In addition, he had won the World Sprint Championships in January, winning both 1000 metres in that competition. But his fall in the Olympic 500 m had apparently shattered Wotherspoon’s self-confidence, and in the 1,000 m he placed an anonymous 12th.

As it turned out, the American and Dutch skaters were most ready to fill the gap Wotherspoon left, as they wound up taking places one through seven. The least likely of these seven to win was probably Gerard van Velde. The dominant Dutch sprinter of the 1990s, he had been unlucky in international competition. At the 1992 Olympics, he had placed 4th and 5th at just hundredths from the podium. He was unable to adapt to the clap skates in 1998, and retired. Coming out of retirement, he again reached the world top, but again placed fourth at the 2002 World Sprint Championships and in the Olympic 500 m. Having nothing to lose, he skated an amazing 1,000 m. His final time of 1:07.18 was more than half a second below the world record, and none of the other competitors would come close. Runner-up was Van Velde’s team mate Jan Bos, repeating his silver medal performance from 1998, while Joey Cheek took home the bronze.