So...i'm supposed to be working but keep...well taking breaks...I just can't wrap my ahead around a 13 year old having the power to skate that fast (to be gold), wow, that is super impresive.
I think short track is very exciting, more so than speed skating proper. But the problem is, like in figure skating, so much depends on the referees. There is so much jostling for position and pushing and shoving that it seems like every race is decided by a disqualification, or at least that they have to wait out a string of protests before the winner is declared.
As far as I know Evgenia Filonenko (pairs) was the youngest figure skater at Nagano. She was a couple months younger than Lipinski. But didn't win any medals.
I really believe it will take over 100 years for a younger one to win in figure skating than Tara Lipinski. First of all I dont think the age rule will change anytime soon, which makes it officialy impossable to do. Secondly the sport will change and return to a slightly older woman peaking, than the 94-2002 era, it already has started heading that way.
Does anybody really think the Olympic Champion next year wont come through an over-20 woman?
The short track winner won it in a relay, which I find less impressive, but that is just my own view. To me it does not compare to Fu winning the individual Olympic diving gold at the 92 Summer Olympics at 12.