Emotional Ning sets Olympic record to win 1,500m speed skating gold at Milano Cortina

It was one of those moments that can reduce an Olympic stadium to pure sound: Ning Zhongyan wept as he circled the ice, the bright red Chinese national flag held high, while a chorus of cheers from Chinese fans supplied the soundtrack to his coronation.  

The 26‑year‑old had just clinched Olympic gold after producing a stunning upset in the men's 1,500m speed skating final at the Milano Cortina Winter Games and in the process rewrote the record books.

Ning stopped the clock at an Olympic‑record 1:41.98, edging out pre‑race favourite Jordan Stolz, who took silver in 1:42.75. Defending champion Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands claimed bronze in 1:42.82. For Ning, already twice on the podium in these Games with bronzes in the 1,000m and the team pursuit, this was China's first Olympic gold in the distance and his third medal of the meet.

"I kept thinking that every tear and every drop of sweat was worth it," Ning said through several choked pauses, a sentence that summed up more than a single race. 

Four years after a disappointing seventh place in Beijing, he has traversed a hard arc of learning and patience. "My mentality this time is so much better than last time. The disappointment in Beijing made me less impulsive and more grounded," he added.

There was nothing flukey about the win. Ning and his coach had a plan and he executed it with clinical efficiency. The start was steady, his bends were measured and precise and his final sprint produced a personal best and an Olympic record. "I honestly didn't expect to skate into the 1:42s," he admitted as his pre‑race aim had been merely to break 1:43 and fight for a medal. "All season I never beat Jordan, and he's been in great form. I was in shock when he finished. I still couldn't believe I had beaten him."

The significance extends beyond Ning's personal story. The 1,500m has long been a European and North American preserve where margins are wafer‑thin and tactical nous matters as much as raw pace. That Ning could break through on such a stage and to applause from Dutch spectators who rose to their feet in recognition is perhaps the truest compliment to his performance.

He spoke, too, of the personal cost. Training and competition have kept him away from home for a year and what he most wanted after the race was simple: to relax and hug his family. 

Yet the competitor in him is already looking forward. "When I finally got over that mountain, it felt like such a release," he said. "But I think I can do even better."

For now, though, Ning has his moment: an Olympic champion in an event measured in hundredths, carrying a flag, crying on the ice and, if the applause was any guide, accepted as one of the sport's new, hard‑earned greats.