"The arena, Thialf, is named for Thialfi, a boy from Norse mythology. As the 13th-century textbook 'Prose Edda' recounts, Thialfi and others are made to perform feats by Skrymir, a supernatural giant. Thialfi asks to race, and Skyrmir selects a boy named Hugi to run against him. Despite Skrymir saying he has never seen someone as fast as Thialfi, he is beaten soundly each time by Hugi.
The next morning Skrymir reveals that Hugi is no ordinary boy, but the embodiment of thought itself and impossible to outrun.
The best skaters in the world must have felt as if they, too, were chasing after an idea and not a mere mortal. Dubreuil, the silver medalist, called Stolz 'otherworldly'.... 'How long he is on his left before he drops the right skate is just something that I don’t think I’ve seen in a speedskater before,' Dubreuil said.... 'I cannot gain anything on him' [said Thomas Krol, the defending Olympic champion].... Friday’s polite cheers for Stolz transformed into Saturday’s recognition of a champion, and finally into Sunday’s appreciation for having witnessed one of the greatest tournaments in speedskating history."
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19 comments:
His power strokes are looongg…
I want this to stay a feel good story- nobody fuck it up for me, please.
NBC did away with the Olympic Channel - is there anywhere we can watch Olympic sports?
Now cover the Corn Hole championships.
I was, years ago, an Olympic fanatic. Mostly summer, but also winter. Staying up late due to time zone differences. Obscure sports like curling were even on the menu.
Then it became all about powerful PERSONAL stories (gotta get the womenz to watch).
Yep, the story of someone superior to the field is mildly interesting... but how many folk here give a damn about speed skating?
I don't recall seeing any coverage of this in the Wisc State Journal, which surprises me. I mean, the guy is from West Bend! That's not very far from Madison.
What grace! I remember when the Heifers were the wunderkinds... I wish they had a straight-above camera angle that covered the whole rink.
" ... but how many folk here give a damn about speed skating?" A lot of folks in Wisonsin do ever since Eric Heiden became the firat (and last) to win golds (and set world records) at all distances at the 1980 Olympics. From 500 m to 10,000 m. Can you imagine a runner winning Olympic golds in both the 100 m and the mile?
Show some respect for this great Wisconsin teenager.
I deleted posts that are random jackassery.
Congratulations to Stoltz. Netherlands tends to win these events. Good to see the title return to the Milwaukee Rink.
The Dutch have been the best overall speedskaters for the past decade at least. Impressive for the Wisconsin kid to have impressed them. He seems like a humble champion too.
Oh Lord, the HEIDENS, not the Heifers! I meant no disrespect. Damn you, autocorrect!
(Interestingly, autocorrect autocorrected "autocorrect" to "sufficient." This is how conspiracy theories arise...)
Show some respect for this great Wisconsin teenager.
Amen. What a very hard worker to make his way to the peak of the World at only 18!
Another American set an American Record (10K) this weekend: Hooray for Alicia Monson!
Here are videos of the 500, the 1000, and the 1500
Alicia Monson, from Avery, WI and a UW-Madison grad. Behold the power of cheese.
Sorry - that should've been another Wisconsin-er -- not another American. Of course an American will set an American Record. I'm afraid I can't blame that on sufficient, er, auto-correct, however (laughing at Jamie's autocorrect!)
He beat the Dutch on their home ice, in front of a partisan crowd. That makes him even more impressive.
@Mongo, I would check Olympics.com or NBCOlympics.com which sometimes have live events. Unfortunately it's hit or miss, depending on the sport. Some individual sports maintain their own sites as well. I watched the European Rowing Championships and World Rowing Championships on worldrowing.com.
JAORE--how many folk here give a damn about speed skating?
I do.
My son was a long track speed skater for six years. Here in the Twin Cities area we have an outdoor track, which is refrigerated, but still means there's only about four months of the year when skating is possible on the ice, and then you've got weather issues --wind, snow, sun glare, etc. We made plenty of trips down to Milwaukee to skate at the Pettit Center, where ice was available more often, and the temperature, wind, etc., were never an issue. My son has raced in metrics against Stolz--and man that kid is fast!
Despite your pooh-poohing of speed skating, it is pure athleticism. It is the fastest sport where only human muscles contribute to the speed--no gravitational help such as in skiing or bobsledding, wind help as in sailing, or gear ratios such as biking or such. It is fast enough that the concept of drafting is actually quite important.
It is a small community, where you can actually meet the heroes of the sport. My son still talks about the time he was sitting on a bench at the Pettit, putting on his skates in preparation for a warmup skate, when Shani Davis came and sat next to him, putting on his skates. They had a good talk, wished each other well, and went out on the ice. My wife (a Wisconsin girl) went absolutely dumbstruck when we ran into Bonnie Blair at an event.
He's had the opportunity to skate at the Pettit Center, as well as at the Calgary and Salt Lake City indoor rinks, and at the outdoor rink (same as local HS track oval) in Lake Placid. What other sport allows a typical player to compete at the top Olympic locations?
I still volunteer with the local club here, helping out with timing usually. It's great when kids set a new PB, and although it is an individual sport, everyone treats it like a team, encouraging each other and pleased with the improvement anyone makes.
Thanks for deleting my post, Mrs. Cruel Neutrality. The only people I disrespected was the NYT.
Dedication, performance, achievement, and character. Congratulations, Jordan, and mom and dad.
@mongo I just looked, and the speed skating is on Peacock which I think is an NBC streaming channel. I noticed Olympic sports there this morning when I was looking for a feed of the Paris-Nice bicycle stage race (Peacock carries the Tour de France, and Paris-Nice is run by the same organization as the Tour).
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