MILAN — Mia Manganello narrowly missed the 2010 Olympics. She gained bronze eight years later in Pyeongchang. And in her remaining Olympic race, she’s a bronze medalist once more.
It got here within the girls’s mass begin — essentially the most chaotic, unpredictable race in speedskating.
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Manganello is without doubt one of the handful of U.S. speedskaters who bought their begin inline skating earlier than discovering her solution to the ice. But after developing in need of qualifying for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Manganello hung up her skates, hopped on a motorcycle and have become knowledgeable bicycle owner.
In 2016, she returned to the skates, certified for the 2018 Games the place she took bronze in workforce pursuit. Four years in the past in Beijing, she took fourth within the mass begin — lacking the rostrum by just a little greater than a second.
Saturday, within the remaining race of her Olympic profession, the 36-year-old gained her first particular person medal.
For a lot of the 16-lap race, the place 16 racers are on the ice on the identical time, the pack remained in tact, unlike in the men’s race moments earlier. It wasn’t till the bell lap that the race actually started.
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Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands and Manganello had been first to dash out, adopted tightly by Canada’s Ivanie Blondin. From there, it was a three-woman race for gold. Groenewoud pulled forward of Manganello, then Blondin caught the American — beating Manganello to the road by .30.
Groenewoud took gold with a time of 8:34.70, simply forward of Blondin (8:35.09) and Manganello (8:35.39).
After crossing the road, Manganello raised her arms in triumph. Sixteen years after her first try on the Olympics ended earlier than she ever bought there, she’s gained a second bronze on her method out.
