SPEED SKATING: Every athlete experiences highs and lows in their careers and Daniel Greig felt the heartache of Olympic competition on Monday night.
SPEED SKATING: Every athlete experiences highs and lows in their careers and Daniel Greig felt the heartache of Olympic competition on Monday night.
The tiniest error in the opening strides of Greig’s first 500m Speed Skating race saw the 22-year-old lose his footing and fall to the ice.
Despite the hours, days, months and years that have gone into his preparation, in such a precision sport, a split second can change the outcome of the whole race.
Putting his devastation aside, Greig showed his determined nature and Australian spirit and got back to his feet to finish the race.
Jan Smeekens of the Netherlands was the fastest in the first race, finishing in 34.59 seconds ahead of Michel Mulder (34.63) and Keiichiro Nagashima (34.79).
After a short break, all 40 skaters will take to the ice again, with the medals being decided on the accumulated time of both races.
The Games are far from over for Greig, with the young Victorian racing the 1000m on Day 5 (Wednesday 12 February). And as one of the youngest and least experienced racers at the Games, his future in Olympic Speed Skating is strong.