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| Event type

500 metres, Men

Date19 – 21 February 1998
StatusOlympic
LocationWhite Ring, Nagano
Participants30 from 16 countries
FormatPlacements 1-8 based on final and B final. Deeper placements based on points earned in earlier rounds, and time in final round skated.
Olympic Record 43.45 / Chae Ji-Hun KOR / 26 February 1994

There were plenty of favorites for the 500 m, with the usual batch of strong field of Asians. South Korea’s team was led by Kim Dong-Seong, the 1997 World Champion, while China’s top entrant was Feng Kai. The home team had their hopes pinned on Satoru Terao, bronze medallist at the most recent Worlds. Outside of Asia, there was Marc Gagnon of Canada, and Dave Versteeg, who had recently bettered the world record at the European Championships to 42.648.

Four of the aforementioned skaters, Kim, Feng, Terao and Versteeg found themselves in the same quarter-final heat. To the disappointment of the crowd, Terao tumbled out, as Versteeg and Kim advanced. But there were still two other Japanese skaters in the running, Hitoshi Uematsu and the unheralded Takafumi Nishitani. Both of them managed to win their semi-final heat, leaving the audience hoping for more. In the final 19-year-old Nishitani had the best start, and was never passed again. He crossed the line first for an upset title, followed by An Yunlong (China). Due to Gagnon falling, Uematsu secured the bronze, adding to the Japanese celebrations.

PosNrSkaterNOCPointsBest Time
1153Takafumi NishitaniJPNGold
2112An YulongCHNSilver
3157Hitoshi UematsuJPNBronze
4109Marc GagnonCAN
5131Chae Ji-HunKOR
6139Dave VersteegNED
7147Andy GabelUSA
8132Kim Dong-SeongKOR
9114Li JiajunCHN10DQ
10106Éric BédardCAN743.113
11127Fabio CartaITA743.763
12135Lee Jun-HwanKOR644.417
13156Satoru TeraoJPN61:05.47
14113Feng KaiCHN544.384
15126Maurizio CarninoITA443.225
16108François DroletCAN5DQ
17151Dan WeinsteinUSA243.492
18117Bruno LoscosFRA243.725
19101Steven BradburyAUS243.766
20144Martin JohanssonSWE244.003
21145Yevhen YakovlevUKR244.041
22150Rusty SmithUSA244.584
23119Arian NachbarGER244.882
24143Maciej PryczekPOL246.652
25118Ludovic MathieuFRA143.767
26140Han Sang-GukPRK144.206
27142Yun CholPRK145.014
28136Battulgyn OktyabriMGL150.466
29121Nicky GoochGBR11:08.91
30122Matt JasperGBR0DQ

Round One (19 February 1998)

Top two finishers in each heat advanced to quarter-finals.

Heat One (20:15)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
11An YulongCHN43.7485Q
22Andy GabelUSA43.8993Q
33Yevhen YakovlevUKR44.0412
44Han Sang-GukPRK44.2061

Heat Two (20:18)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
13François DroletCAN43.5515Q
21Kim Dong-SeongKOR43.6533Q
32Martin JohanssonSWE44.0032

Heat Three (20:21)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
12Dave VersteegNED44.3585Q
21Feng KaiCHN44.8173Q
33Maciej PryczekPOL46.6522
44Nicky GoochGBR1:08.9071

Heat Four (20:24)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
11Li JiajunCHN43.8315Q
23Maurizio CarninoITA43.9273Q
32Rusty SmithUSA44.5842
DQ4Matt JasperGBR

Heat Five (20:27)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
12Lee Jun-HwanKOR43.8405Q
21Marc GagnonCAN43.9013Q
33Arian NachbarGER44.8822
44Yun CholPRK45.0141

Heat Six (20:30)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
11Satoru TeraoJPN42.9485QOR
22Chae Ji-HunKOR43.0113Q
33Steven BradburyAUS43.7662

Heat Seven (20:33)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
11Éric BédardCAN43.3425Q
22Hitoshi UematsuJPN43.4283Q
33Dan WeinsteinUSA43.4922
44Ludovic MathieuFRA43.7671

Heat Eight (20:36)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
11Fabio CartaITA43.0005Q
22Takafumi NishitaniJPN43.3483Q
33Bruno LoscosFRA43.7252
44Battulgyn OktyabriMGL50.4661

Quarter-Finals (21 February 1998)

Top two finishers in each heat advanced to semi-finals.

Heat One (19:40)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
14Marc GagnonCAN43.2545Q
23Hitoshi UematsuJPN43.6573Q
31Fabio CartaITA43.7632
42Lee Jun-HwanKOR44.4171

Heat Two (19:43)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
12An YulongCHN43.3845Q
23Chae Ji-HunKOR43.6223Q
34Andy GabelUSA44.1242ADV
DQ1François DroletCAN

Heat Three (19:46)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
12Li JiajunCHN42.8615QOR
23Takafumi NishitaniJPN42.9803Q
31Éric BédardCAN43.1132
44Maurizio CarninoITA43.2251

Heat Four (19:49)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
12Dave VersteegNED43.3775Q
23Kim Dong-SeongKOR43.8103Q
34Feng KaiCHN44.3842
41Satoru TeraoJPN1:05.4701

Semi-Finals (21 February 1998)

Top two finishers in each heat advanced to final.

Heat One (20:30)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
14Hitoshi UematsuJPN43.6975Q
22An YulongCHN43.7963Q
31Dave VersteegNED43.8502QB
43Chae Ji-HunKOR43.8641QB

Heat Two (20:33)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTimePoints
13Takafumi NishitaniJPN42.7565QOR
22Marc GagnonCAN42.7803Q
34Kim Dong-SeongKOR43.0962QB
45Andy GabelUSA59.8111QB
DQ1Li JiajunCHN

Final Round (21 February 1998 — 21:05)

B Final (21:00)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTime
13Chae Ji-HunKOR42.832
21Dave VersteegNED42.933
34Andy GabelUSA43.072
42Kim Dong-SeongKOR43.090

A Final (21:05)

PosLaneSkaterNOCTime
12Takafumi NishitaniJPN42.862
21An YulongCHN43.022
34Hitoshi UematsuJPN43.713
43Marc GagnonCAN1:15.60