Team USA speed skater Austin Kleba crashed into the barriers while celebrating his race victory in a comical gaffe at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. The 22-year-old ended up the 27th fastest in the men's 500m at the National Speed Skating Oval, but he still took great delight in celebrating his duel with Canada's Antoine Gelinas-Beaulieu. Ad/> Such was Kleba's gusto in celebrating the victory, he completely lost his footing after zipping through the finish line and ended up being slammed into the barriers.
/> Beijing 2022'Boom! Magnificent' — Gao wins gold with 'class' Olympic record27 MINUTES AGO It was a somewhat humbling conclusion to his victory lap and an inauspicious way to mark the win in what was his first appearance at an Olympic Winter Games. «Oh, down he goes!» roared Carlton Kirby, on commentary for Eurosport at the time. «I don't know what he hit or what indeed the issue was, but that is the first time we have seen the air barriers troubled.
»There was the bruising. Out of shape at the end, but if you are going to hit the barriers make sure it is your back. «He got away with it, Kleba.
He is delighted and I do love it when we get a smile. Nice to see.» Gao Tingyu was the eventual winner of the event in an Olympic record time to give China their fourth gold medal at the Games. Gao secured the record with a time of 34.32.
South Korea's Cha Min-Kyu made it back-to-back Winter Olympics silver medals, while Japan's Wataru Morishige took bronze in 34.49. Great Britain's Cornelius Kersten, competing in his first Winter Olympics, took on Ivan Arzhanikov from Kazakhstan. Kersten won the race in 35.36; 0.46 quicker than the Kazakh.
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