Team USA’s Corinne Stoddard claimed a short track speedskating bronze medal in the women’s 1500m with a time of 2:32.578 in a stellar finals performance Friday at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. The medal marked an end to what had been an extremely frustrating Olympics for Stoddard, who had struggled in her individual events and failed to come close to a medal at all in any event, individual or relay.
South Korea’s Kim Gilli (2:32.076) and Choi Minjeong (2:32.450) took gold and silver, respectively.
Stoddard led for almost the entire race, only surrendering the lead to Kim and Choi in the race’s final laps. Stoddard managed to hold off China’s Jingru Yang and Italy’s Arianna Fontana as she came to the line to claim her first Olympic medal. The difference between a bronze medal and a finish off the podium: 0.135 seconds.