United States

Mantia, Davis Fall Short of Medals in Men's 1500m Speedskate

A disappointing dry spell for U.S. speedskating stretched into Tuesday as three Americans, including Joey Mantia and Shani Davis, failed to medal in the 1,500 meter event.

Team USA has gone without a medal since the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

The race finished with two more Dutch skaters, Kjeld Nuis and Patrick Roest, atop the podium, with South Korean Kim Min-seok taking bronze. The gold and silver give the Dutch have won eight of 12 speedskating medals in Pyeongchang, building on their dominance in Sochi.

Mantia had promising showings on the World Cup circuit earlier this season, winning a silver in the 1,500 meter in Stavanger. He also won the event at U.S. Trials.

But he finished in eighth place, nearly two seconds behind Nuis.

Davis, who owns two silver medals in this event from Turin and Vancouver, finished in 19th place, fading after a fast start. American Brian Hansen also faded after an early burst of speed, winding up in 15th.

Nuis is the reigning world champion and is making his Olympic debut in 2018 at age 28.

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