First levered out, then slipped: After two crashes in two races, the German short-tracker Anna Seidel dropped out of the 1500 m semi-finals at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. The 19-year-old from Dresden reached her goal in the second round, but in the fight for the medals she had no chance.
“My running suit got wet from time to time. It’s enough now”, said Seidel:”I couldn’t do anything for the first fall. The second time, I’m overwhelmed. I had a lot of inclination, the splint just walked away.”
The second German starter Bianca Walter retired as fifth of her first leg on her side track,”It was fun. In the end it quickly became very hard in the legs. I don’t blame myself,”said the 1000 m specialist Walter.
Seidel only qualified for the semi-finals after a drama with a positive outcome. In the quarter-finals she crashed after a contact with the American Jessica Kooreman, but after a jury decision she was allowed to compete in the next round.
After the crash, she rattled up again quickly, ran to the finish line and waited for the judges’ decision in the interior for several minutes.
In the semi-final of the longest individual course, things went well for Seidel at first, but for a long time she stayed in the top group. In the tenth of 14 laps she slipped away in a curve without external influence – the end was sealed “Unfortunately, this is part of the sport. It’s a pity, I felt really good. I would have liked to show more,”said Seidel.
A debacle was experienced by co-favorite Shim Sukhee from South Korea. The former World Champion and Olympic runners-up from Sochi crashed in a corner shortly after the start without any opposition. To the horror of the hosts, the medal candidate dropped out in the first round.