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Mantia, Manganello Kilburg skate to two top-five mass start finishes to close out Beijing 2022
by Brennan Smith
Joey Mantia and Mia Manganello Kilburg skated to two top-five mass start finishes to wrap up US Speedskating action at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games Saturday.
Mantia finished fourth in the Men’s Mass Start with the thinnest of margins between him and Korean Bronze medalist Seung-Hoon Lee. Belgium’s Bart Swings won the Gold Medal and Korea’s Jaewon Chung won Silver.
After earning a bronze and his first Olympic medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit, Mantia said he’s pivoting from disappointment and shifting his perspective to a sense of pride from the entire experience in Beijing.
“That’s how life works, right? If you’re unable to change your outlook on things, you’re always going to be unhappy,” Mantia said. “I am so proud of being able to call myself an Olympic Medalist and I’m going to walk away happy from these Olympics regardless.”
Manganello Kilburg pushed furiously in the final laps of the Women’s Mass Start event – crossing the finish line behind Netherlands Gold Medalist Irene Schouten, Canadian Silver Medalist Ivanie Blondin and Italian Bronze Medalist Francesca Lollobrigida.
Manganello Kilburg relished the best Mass Start result of her career, but felt like she had to push to make up ground as the finish closed in.
“It’s the Mass Start and you run into snags. I was pushed back a bit too far than I wanted to going into the last two laps,” Manganello Kilburg said. “I had to make a bit of an effort a bit too soon.”
Giorgia Birkland finished in 12th place in her first international Mass Start race.
Ian Quinn skated to 13th place in the Men’s Semifinal and did not advance. The top eight skaters from each Semifinal qualified for the finals with a score combined from finishing order and sprint points.
US Speedskating finishes Beijing 2022 competition with a Gold Medal in the Women’s 500m, a Bronze Medal in the Women’s 1000m and a Bronze Medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit events – the best medal count for Team USA since 2010.
Mantia finished fourth in the Men’s Mass Start with the thinnest of margins between him and Korean Bronze medalist Seung-Hoon Lee. Belgium’s Bart Swings won the Gold Medal and Korea’s Jaewon Chung won Silver.
After earning a bronze and his first Olympic medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit, Mantia said he’s pivoting from disappointment and shifting his perspective to a sense of pride from the entire experience in Beijing.
“That’s how life works, right? If you’re unable to change your outlook on things, you’re always going to be unhappy,” Mantia said. “I am so proud of being able to call myself an Olympic Medalist and I’m going to walk away happy from these Olympics regardless.”
Manganello Kilburg pushed furiously in the final laps of the Women’s Mass Start event – crossing the finish line behind Netherlands Gold Medalist Irene Schouten, Canadian Silver Medalist Ivanie Blondin and Italian Bronze Medalist Francesca Lollobrigida.
Manganello Kilburg relished the best Mass Start result of her career, but felt like she had to push to make up ground as the finish closed in.
“It’s the Mass Start and you run into snags. I was pushed back a bit too far than I wanted to going into the last two laps,” Manganello Kilburg said. “I had to make a bit of an effort a bit too soon.”
Giorgia Birkland finished in 12th place in her first international Mass Start race.
Ian Quinn skated to 13th place in the Men’s Semifinal and did not advance. The top eight skaters from each Semifinal qualified for the finals with a score combined from finishing order and sprint points.
US Speedskating finishes Beijing 2022 competition with a Gold Medal in the Women’s 500m, a Bronze Medal in the Women’s 1000m and a Bronze Medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit events – the best medal count for Team USA since 2010.