S. Korea`s Lee takes gold in short-track 1,500-meter event

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VANCOUVER, Feb. 13 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jung-su brought South Korea its first gold
medal at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Saturday, winning the men's 1,500-meter
short-track final.
Two other South Korean gold favorites -- Sung Si-bak and Lee Ho-suk -- crashed
into each other in their final stretch toward the finish. Apolo Anton Ohno and
J.R. Celski of the United States took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Lee lunged ahead of Ohno with four laps remaining and consolidated his lead in
the final bend, clocking a time of 2:17.611. Ohno, who moved into second place
following the crash to become the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian, finished
in 2:17.976 while Celski posted 2:18.053.
South Korea hoped to achieve a podium sweep when the team entered the race at the
Pacific Coliseum with three of the seven competitors coming from the traditional
short-track powerhouse.
Lee Ho-suk edged ahead while turning the final corner, grazing against Sung and
prompting himself and his compatriot to spin out of the race. Lee was
disqualified while Sung finished last.
South Korea has made four top-10 finishes at five previous Olympic Games, a feat
that would have been impossible without short-track gold medals. The short track
squad has grabbed 29 medals, including 17 golds, out of 31 overall medals South
Korea has earned on the Olympic stage.
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