Roberts Krūzbergs delivered a stunning performance Saturday in Milan, securing a bronze medal in the 1500-meter short track speed skating event at the Winter Olympics. This marks Latvia’s first-ever Olympic medal in short track, adding to the nation’s growing success at the Milan-Cortina Games.
Krūzbergs’ podium finish is the second medal for Latvia at these Games, following Elīna Ieva Bota’s silver in the women’s singles luge competition. The Latvian skater overcame a significant obstacle to reach the medal stand, competing despite a recent calf muscle tear.
After finishing second in the quarterfinals, Krūzbergs advanced to the final after officials ruled a competitor had illegally impeded his progress in the semi-final. In a thrilling final, he battled for position throughout, ultimately surging into the top three in the final lap. He finished with a time of 2 minutes and 12.376 seconds, just 0.157 and 0.072 seconds behind gold medalist Jens van’t Vout of the Netherlands and South Korean Deheon Hwang, respectively.
The bronze medal comes with a financial reward of 51,224 euros for Krūzbergs, after taxes. He previously achieved a historic fifth-place finish in the 1000-meter event, the highest result for Latvia in Olympic short track history, according to Apollo.lv. Krūzbergs is also scheduled to compete in the 500-meter event.
Compatriot Reinis Bērziņš competed in the 1000 meters but did not advance past the quarterfinals.