U.S. ladies skate well in the 3000m
February 14, 2010—Richmond, British Columbia
Just six weeks ago, U.S. long track speedskater Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jr. (Wheaton, IL) changed her boots, her blades and her technique. She said it was a leap of faith to trust her coach with such drastic changes just weeks before the Olympics. But Swider-Peltz believes it paid off today during her debut Olympic event: the Ladies 3000m.
Swider-Peltz, racing Renate Groenewold (NED) in the eighth pair, won her race and took the lead with a time of 4:11.71. Her time held until three pairs later when Martina Sablikova (CZE) posted a time of 4:02.53 which put her in the lead and ultimately got her a gold medal. Swider-Peltz was pleased with her ninth place finish.
“Taking ninth has been a great accomplishment,” she said. “All that hard work paid off. It was the best race of my life.”
Teammate Jilleanne Rookard (Woodhaven, MI) took 12th place with 4:13.05. “It was so wonderful,” she said. “It was amazing just being out there with the crowd.”
After struggling through many personal and financial difficulties, Rookard said she was glad to be able to be part of the Olympic Games. “This is the moment,” she said. “The hard part’s over. The ice conditions were a little slow but I was really prepared to hurt today.”
Also skating for the U.S., four-time Olympian Catherine Raney Norman finished in 19th with 4:16.59. Stephanie Beckhert (GER) took the silver medal with 4:04.62 and Canada’s Kristina Groves won the bronze with 4:04.84.
“I’m so pumped just being here at the Olympics,” Swider-Peltz said. “There’s such a select group of girls here and I’m proud to be a part of them.”
Racing continues at the Richmond Olympic Oval tomorrow with the Men’s 500m. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. (PST). For complete results, visit the Olympics page at www.usspeedskating.org.