Australian Sophie Muir has completed her debut Olympic campaign with a 30th placed finish in the women’s 1000 metre speed skating, breaking her current personal best at sea level by a staggering four tenths of a second.

The Richmond Olympic Oval was a sea of red, white and orange as the full capacity crowd watched the world’s best speed skaters take to the track.

The 26-year-old Australian was given a standing ovation as she took to the start line, supported by and handful of Australians, as well as the mass of Dutch supporters, where she resides.

Muir was paired in the fourth heat against Italian skater Chiara Simionato, who was making her second Olympic Games appearance, with Muir starting from her favoured inside lane.

Muir, who only took to the ice for the first time 15 months ago, placed in a hard first lap but Simionato was able to reel her in and took the lead into the last bend of the race. Despite having the inside running over the last 150 metres, Muir was unable to catch the Italian, and crossed the line in 1:18.79, just under a second behind the Italian.

Muir was thrilled with her time after the race.

“That was the most painful one kilometre I have ever done in my life, well my whole long track speed skating career,” Muir said. “I really gave everything I could out there. I couldn’t have done anything more so I’m really happy.”

Muir said that she came into the race with the goal of a personal best.

“I did a personal best at sea level, so what more can I do really?

“I was hoping to go into the 1:18’s so a 1:18.79 was a pretty good jump for me.”

Muir, a success story of Australian sport, said that to be in this position only 15 months after starting the sport was a dream come true.

“Well it was a dream you know and when I first put down the beer and picked up the weights and started training we had the goal of making these Olympics. It was going to be a very difficult goal and I must admit no one really believed in us except a small select few.

“Just to be here it is such an amazing experience and now it’s over we can just reflect on what we have achieved.”

Although Muir will now take time to reflect and recover from the Games, one event is firmly in her mind. Sochi 2014.

“It’s a realistic goal. Look at what we achieved in such a short period of time. We were on the steepest learning curve out of anyone in this sport to get this good in time for the Olympics, so now we have a few years to go we have all the time in the world.

“The boys I have been training with, and more girls, we are going to be representing Australia at the next Games for sure and doing it well.”

Back on the track, and following the ice preparation break in the middle of the session, the raucous crowd was entertained by a close battle for medals as Dutch skater Laurine van Reissen set the time to beat, a 1:16.72.

With three heats remaining the noise level inside the Richmond Olympic Oval reached fever pitch as two Canadians, two Dutch, a Japanese and German skater looked to snatch the gold medal.

Annette Gerritsen (Netherlands) set a sparking time of 1:16.58 before Canada’s Christine Nesbitt stripped two hundredths of a second off that time as the roof was almost lifted off the arena

In the final pairing it was once again the Dutch against Canada, but neither Margot Boer or Kristina Groves could break onto the podium.

Nesbitt, who was born in Australia before moving to Canada as a 6-month-old, gave Canada their third gold medal of the Games, while Gerritsen and van Reissen brought home the silver and bronze medals for The Netherlands.

David Polglase
AOC - Vancouver