The New Zealand speed skater Peter Michael has finished agonisingly short of winning a medal in the men's 5000 metres at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, after being in contention for gold.
New Zealand's Peter Michael competes during the men's 5,000m speed skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: AFP or licensors
The race was won by Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, his third straight Winter Olympic gold.
"I went into it a little too hot and it cost me through the middle section. I was just lucky to have a little bit more fight in the tank to get back at the end," he said.
"I kicked into it a little early, the adrenaline was pumping, but it's good to have the Olympics underway," he said.
Michael will now turn his focus to the 1500m race and "after that performance I'm feeling quite strong for it."
Coach Kalon Dobbin said while the result comes with a mixture of disappointment and pride for Michael, his performance bodes well for the team pursuit.
"We always know Pete can come home strong," he said.
"It sets us up well for the rest of the competition.
"Pursuit always comes down to the last two laps. Seeing Pete pull through like that and having the fastest last lap, that does bring a lot of confidence to the guys. We're really excited to get back out on the ice."
Dutch athlete Sven Kramer claimed his third Olympic gold medal, beating his own Olympic record in the 5000m with a time of 6:09.76.
Ted-Jan Bloeman of Canada was second and Sverre Lunde Pedersen of Norway was third.
New Zealanders in action on Tuesday are Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in the women's snowboard slopestyle and Alice Robinson in the women's Giant Slalom.
‘I was trying to pull all the strings I could, it just didn’t happen through the middle section’ Peter Michael on finishing just off the podium in men’s 5000 speed skating today #pyeongchang2018 #earnthefern #nz #olympics
— NZ Olympic Team (@nzolympics) February 11, 2018
