In a whirlwind turn of events, 21-year-old Greta Myers from Minnesota made her Olympic debut in the women’s 3,000-meter speedskating race in Milan, Italy, on Saturday. The young athlete was thrust into the spotlight after being unexpectedly added to the competition just three hours before its commencement.
Myers stepped into the rink after Czech skater Martina Sablikova had to withdraw from the race. Despite the sudden change and limited preparation time, Myers delivered a commendable performance, finishing with a time of 4:13.46 amidst a field of 20 competitors.
The news of her participation was as surprising to Myers as it was to her fans. Her enthusiasm was evident in a social media post where she shared her joy and gratitude. “HEY! I’ll be racing the 3k today!!!!,” she exclaimed. “Quite unexpected but I’m so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to skate and give it my very best!!”
Myers was added to the competition roughly three hours before the race started, after Czechia’s Martina Sablikova withdrew from the race.
Myers’ excitement was palpable in a post she shared on social media after learning the news.
“HEY! I’ll be racing the 3k today!!!!,” she wrote. “Quite unexpected but I’m so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to skate and give it my very best!!”
Myers’ participation race came as a bit of a surprise after the U.S. failed to qualify any skaters for either of the two women’s long-distance events when entering the Winter Games, but Myers topped the U.S. Olympic Trials for the event in January and was able to secure the first alternate quota spot with her results on the World Cup circuit, according to an NBC report.
Myers placed 20th in the event, falling 19.18 seconds behind gold medal winner Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy, who set a new Olympic record of 3:54.28 on her 35th birthday.
Myers has also qualified to compete in the women’s 1,500 meter, the women’s mass start and the women’s team pursuit relay.
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