KEARNS — Kimi Goetz couldn’t see what was keeping her from success in short track speed skating until she made the decision to quit.
“I had a back injury that just wasn’t getting better on short track,” said Goetz, who transitioned from short track to long track in August 2018. “I think the underlying main reason is that I’m not very good at racing. I’m not quite aggressive enough for the passing and bumping, and I maybe didn’t want to admit that at the time when I was skating short track. But looking back, I never would have gotten past a certain level because of my fear of that.”
Goetz had earned her best time in the 500-meter Friday night during the ISU World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships at the Olympic Oval with a 37.183. That was good enough to earn fifth place and make her the top American finisher. Former inline skater Erin Jackson earned her personal best with a time of 37.283, which earned her seventh place. Two-time Olympian Brittany Bowe finished 13th with a time of 37.654 seconds.
“I was really hoping to see a top 10,” said Goetz of her expectations coming into Friday’s races. “I’ve had two ninth place finishes at World Cups this year. I was looking to improve on that and my family’s here, it’s home ice, that always helps a little bit. And things have started to come together for me with the straightaway, so I was really happy to get a big PB today.”
Japan’s Nao Kodaira won gold with a time of 36.692, while Angelina Golikova, Russia, earned silver, crossing the line in 36.741 seconds. Her teammate Olga Fatkulina earned the bronze with 36.949
Goetz said she loves the sprint distance (500-meter) because it allows her to use one of her strengths: explosivity. But it doesn’t leave much room for error, which can be tough on those still learning the nuances of the race.
“It’s difficult because it’s such a short race that if you make a small mistake, it’s basically done,” she said, pointing out that those on the podium are separated by hundredths of seconds. “It’s fun because I feel like my explosiveness is getting better.”
Even though she feels like the distance plays to her strengths, she exceeded her own expectations with a fifth-place finish.
“I was really, really surprised,” she said. “I have been visualizing this race all season. ... I did better today than I did in my visualization, so I can’t be upset with that.”
Jackson said she entered Friday’s race expecting a career moment.
“I kind of did expect a personal best because it’s been quite a while for me since I got one, and my personal best was currently at sea level, and altitude is a little faster,” she said. “So I was like, ‘If everything goes as planned, I should get a PB today.’ I just wasn’t sure by how much because everyone’s super fast, and I would need like a big PB to be competitive. I’m competitive, and I pulled it off.”
Both women said their success in a race with such high stakes will only help them with confidence.
“I feel like it’s really good to know that I had a solid race, and I was by myself,” Goetz said, referring to the fact that the other athlete who was supposed to race the clock on the ice with her fell at the start. “If I had a pair maybe that could have helped a little bit, having someone to race on that final straightaway. So to see myself get a fifth-place finish out there completely by myself was really promising being two years out from the Games.”
In the men’s 10,000-meter race, a new world record was set by Graeme Fish of Canada. He crossed the finish line in 12:33.868, beating Ted-Jan Bloemen’s former world record time of 12:36.30. Bloemen is Fish’s teammate, and he earned silver with a time of 12:45.010. Germany’s Patrick Beckert earned bronze with a time of 12:47.934.
Fish credited Bloemen for being a mentor, friend and loyal training partner.
“He’s supported me the whole time,” Fish said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. If he wins, I win. He supported me. I need to support him. That’s what makes our team special. If we keep cheering for each other, it makes our team better.”