Russian Skater Ahn Holds On for Bronze

By The Moscow Times

Feb. 10, 2014

SOCHI — Canada's Charles Hamelin grabbed gold in the men's short track 1,500 meters at the Sochi Games on Monday, while home-crowd favorite Viktor Ahn seized Russia's first Olympic medal in the sport, winning bronze.

Chinese teenager Han Tianyu took silver, with the three medallists finishing far ahead of the chasing pack over 13 1/2 laps.

An ecstatic Hamelin, who won gold in the 500 meters on home ice at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, lunged over the barriers to wrap his girlfriend and team mate Marianne St-Gelais in a celebratory hug.

The Russian crowd reserved its biggest cheers for Ahn, who won four Olympic medals for South Korea at the 2006 Torino Games before switching allegiance to Russia.

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