SPEED SKATING: Daniel Greig has made one of the all time come-backs in Speed Skating, making it to his second Olympic Games and smashing his 1000m race, after injuries looked almost certain to end his career.
Just four years ago Greig was faced with the agonising decision of choosing between months of painful rehabilitation or quitting the sport he loved, after suffering extensive damage to both knees.
But today he proved all the sacrifices have been worth It, finishing his 1000m race in just 1:09.99, and ending in 22nd place.
The 26-year-old started from the outside lane, paired with Ignat Golovatsiuk from Belarus.
Greig got off to a quick start, taking a strong lead in the pairing and completing a super fast lap that seemed to be challenging the top three skaters.
“That was good, I’m happy with that skate,” Greig said.
“I really went hard at the start and while I wasn’t able to keep that pace up the whole way through I’m happy that I was competitive.”
https://twitter.com/AUSOlympicTeam/status/966999597078872064
The Victorian skater who now lives and trains in the Netherlands, said he’d been building his fitness to peak at the Games.
“I knew that coming into this I was just as fit as the other skaters.
“But of course I knew many of the guys were more experienced than me and that’s something I have to keep working to improve.”
The 1000m was the second and final skate for Greig at these Olympics, and a great way to cap off his remarkable return to the sport.
“After Sochi I really didn’t know if I’d be able to keep going,” he said.
“Things were looking really bad for many months and there were so many times I thought about quitting, so being here and being able to have two strong skates is something I’m definitely proud of.
“I’m always inspired when I see the top skaters compete and I know that I can still improve even more. So now I go away and look at my training and reassess things so I can work out a plan for the next four years.
“There are plenty of guys well into their thirties who are at the top of the sport so I know I have at least one or two more Olympics in me.”
Katherine Firkin
olympics.com.au
