Shortly after Kristina Groves had finished fourth in the 1,000 metres, the Canadian speed skater walked into the media zone and noticed a group of local reporters huddled around a sign that read "bronze medal."
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Groves not sweating near miss
- February 18, 2010 10:52 PM |
- By Michael Traikos
Story provided by
RICHMOND, B.C. -- Shortly after Kristina Groves had finished fourth in the 1,000 metres, the Canadian speed skater walked into the media zone and noticed a group of local reporters huddled around a sign that read "bronze medal."
They had been waiting for Groves' teammate, Christine Nesbitt, who won the race. But as Groves approached, the 33-year-old could not resist some gold-medal humour.
"I think you guys have the wrong stand," she said, causing everyone to laugh.
If only for the whisper of .06 seconds, they could have waiting there for Groves. That was the gap between the Ottawa native and the podium last night.
On Sunday, she won a bronze medal in the 3,000 metres. And though she would have liked to win another Thursday, she was pleased with her 1:16.58 time.
"It was actually a pretty good race for me, in terms of the result," said Groves, who headed into the Olympics ranked fifth in the world. "I think I didn't have the most relaxed skating or didn't feel as fluid as I would have hoped.
"But it was my best result in the 1,000 this year and it's such a competitive distance, especially with me coming from the longer distances. I tend to lose a lot of ground in the [first] 100 and try to make it up in the last lap. I was able to do that a little bit, but just not enough today."
Groves was in the last pairing that raced Thursday. She knew that Nesbitt's 1:16.56 time was the one to beat.
"You have to nail that race completely to be on," she said. "I think I missed it just a little bit and felt a little bit tight, I guess. That's just how that race goes for me. I either hit it or I don't. And it's hard to adjust because it's so short."
Groves was .28 seconds off Nesbitt's pace through the first 100 metres. She then fell .47 seconds behind through 600 metres. But ended up closing the gap to .22 seconds at the finish.
When asked if she was frustrated that she missed out on a bronze by only .06 seconds, Groves put the race into perspective. On Sunday, she had finished third by .03 seconds. And Thursday, she was only .02 seconds faster than Japan's Nao Kodairo.
"That's what it is," she said. "I was lucky the other day to get the bronze."
With two races in the books, Groves' attention now shifts to Sunday's 1,500 metres. She is the top-ranked skater in the world at that distance. And, according to Germany's Anni Friesinger-Postma, Groves' is the gold-medal favourtie.
"She's too kind," Groves said of Friesinger-Postma. "I'm sure we're looking forward to having a great race."
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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