MILAN — Two days after leaving the ice in tears because her Dutch relay team failed to medal, Xandra Velzeboer won the women's 500 meters gold medal in short track speedskating at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday night — and also broke her own world record in the semifinals.
''This is the best day of my life. It's amazing,'' Velzeboer said. ''It's been my goal for the last four years. Maybe for my entire life.''
Velzeboer finished first in the final in 41.609 seconds, ending Italian silver medalist Arianna Fontana's attempt to become the first woman to win three consecutive individual Winter Games short track golds at any distance. Fontana was more than a half-second behind — an eternity in a 500 — with a time of 42.294.
''Xandra, today, was on fire,'' Fontana said. ''I'm a little bit sad that I couldn't stay with her.''
That dominant display came after Velzeboer clocked an Olympic-record 41.853 in the quarterfinals at the start of the evening, then established the new world mark of 41.399 in the semifinals. She had set the old standard for the distance of 41.416 in 2022.
Even if there was disappointment Tuesday for the relay result — Fontana helped Italy take the gold — Velzeboer said she felt as if she had skated well enough to gain some confidence for the 500.
''She puts a lot of pressure on herself, but she continues to perform with that pressure. That's what makes someone special — being be able to perform with the pressure,'' Canadian bronze medalist Courtney Sarault said about Velzeboer. ''And I'm sure in the Netherlands, there's a lot more pressure for short track speedskating than there is in Canada. And she keeps doing it.''
The considerable contingent of orange-clad Dutch fans had more reason to cheer a little later, when Jens van 't Wout won the men's 1,000 with a terrific final surge and a close-as-can-be finish.
