The rivalry between South Korea and China on the short-track speedskating rink took another turn on Wednesday when South Korea’s Hwang Dae-heon won the men’s 1,500-meter race after a Chinese rival was disqualified in an earlier round.
Short-track events involve skaters careening around a 365-foot oval track in packs without lanes — a formula made for tumbles, pileups and disputes. And the one certainty in this sport full of uncertainty seems to be that Chinese and South Korean athletes and fans will accuse the other side of poor sportsmanship, if not outright foul play.
After some contentious decisions earlier in the week, attention fell on the men’s 1,500-meter competition. Several South Koreans were in contention, as were several Chinese skaters, including Ren Ziwei, who won the 1,000-meter short-track gold on Monday.