SHORT TRACK: Olympic debutant Andy Jung left nothing in the tank, with a courageous showing in the men’s 1500m short track speed skating tonight.

The 20-year-old made it through to the semi-finals after a dramatic heat, in which the judges deemed he was disadvantaged by a collision between other skaters and advanced him to the next round.

The Korean born skater had previously said he was worried about this event, saying the longer races didn’t suit him as much as the sprints, because there was “so much strategy involved.”

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But there was no sign of those worries as Jung took to the ice in the first semi-final, staying in close touch with the main pack through the entire 13 laps.

But in a tight race that ended with a photo finish, Jung wasn’t able to find space to make a move, getting trapped towards the back of the pack.

He finished fifth, a mere 0.018 seconds off qualifying for the B Final. There was 0.059 seconds separating second place and fifth place.

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“It was fun, a bit nerve-wracking,” Jung said after getting off the ice at the Gangneung Ice Arena.

“I would have loved to keep going but that was a good experience and now I can’t wait for the 500m.

“I was a bit nervous because I wasn’t sure if the Korean supporters would hate me since I changed countries, but the crowd was good. I could hear all the cheering, it was really great.

“And I loved having the Aussies in the crowd, I could see the flag and hear them support me – it really helped, it was great.”

Jung placed 16th overall in the event, out of 36 competitors.

He will have 10 days to rest up before he next lines up for the men’s 500m qualifications on Day 11 (February 20).

Katherine Firkin
olympics.com.au