1,500 metres, Women

With giants Suzanne Schulting (1,000 m) and Arianna Fontana (500 m) having both won an individual title in Beijing, the third race seemed to be another duel between them. Schulting had been the better of the two earlier in the year, winning two World Cups, but the overall standings were led by Korea’s Lee Yu-Bin. The defending champion and 2018 and 2019 World Champion Choi Min-Jeong was also a serious title contender, having already won silver in the 1,000 m.

Despite some issues with the timing and lap counter controls, the quarter-finals went as expected. The semi-finals were mostly the same, with Lee and Fontana eliminating Kim Boutin, bronze medalist in the 500 m, in the first heat. Schulting and Hanne Desmet dominated the second semi-final, while Choi bettered the Olympic record in the final heat, with Han Yutong and Xandra Velzeboer tagging along.

Han attempted to pull away from the field early in the final, with Schulting quickly catching up. The two did not press, and the rest of the field reconnected, with Choi now taking charge. At three laps to go, Schulting attempted to pass Han, but was pushed to the outside, dropping her back behind Fontana. Schulting quickly passed Han on the next opportunity, but with the high pace set by Choi, there were no further options for passing.

This made Choi the third 2018 female short-track skater to retain her 2018 title, after Fontana (500 m) and Schulting (1,000 m), and with all three of them ending up on the podium.