1,500 metres, Men

The 2022 champion Hwang Dae-Heon had suffered from a COVID-19 infection after those Games, missing the 2022 World Championships and suffering through the aftermath in the following season. His results had not been at the same level as before Beijing 2022, but he was still considered a factor in the 1,500 m. World Champions since 2022 had been Shaoang Liu, now racing for China instead of Hungary, Park Ji-Won, who failed to qualify for Milano, Sun Long and William Dandjinou. In the World Tour, Dandjinou had also dominated, winning three out of four races, the other one going to In Jong-Eon. After his performance in the 1,000 m, Jens van ‘t Wout was also considered a contender.

The quarter-finals saw the elimination of In, as well as home favorite Pietro Sighel. The semi-finals were a messy affair, with a penalty in each heat, as well as an advancement for every penalty. Thanks to this, all the favorites made it through to the final: Dandjinou, Hwang, Liu, Van ‘t Wout, Sun. They were joined by Steven Dubois, Niall Treacy, Sin Dong-Min and Roberts Krūzbergs. After a slow start in the final, Van ‘t Wout rode into the lead with 6 laps to go. This sparked a series of overtakes behind him. Treacy moved to the outside when there was no room and tripped, taking Sun with him (and earning a penalty). Sin then clashed with Dandjinou, causing the Canadian to go wide and fall back to last place. Dandjinou briefly recovered back to second but then fell back: first behind Hwang, then also behind Krūzbergs. In the front, there were no further changes as Van ‘t Wout brought home his second gold of the Games, ahead of Hwang and Krūzbergs.

As in the 1,000 m, Van ‘t Wout’s gold was the first ever for the Netherlands in the event, having previously won one medal. Hwang won his second medal in the 1,500 m, tying the record held by Apolo Anton Ohno and Viktor An. The medal won by Krūzbergs was the first ever won by Latvia in short-track, and the first ever in the Winter Games not won in a sliding sport.