Short track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's 500 metres


The Women’s 500 metres in short track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics took place from 10 to 13 February 2018 at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea.

Summary

The defending champion from 2014, Li Jianrou, had retired, but the 2014 silver medalist Arianna Fontana competed and eventually won the event. Elise Christie and Choi Min-jeong, who set two Olympic records each in heats and quarterfinals, were considered heavy favorites. They both qualified to the final, but Christie crashed out and finished fourth, and Choi was disqualified for interference after initially finishing second. Fontana became the Olympic champion, with Yara van Kerkhof, who was advanced to the final, winning the silver, and Kim Boutin bronze. Fontana's gold medal was the first gold medal in women's short track speed skating won by a European athlete since 1988.

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
Three Olympic records were set during the competition.
DateRoundAthleteCountryTimeRecordRef
10 FebruaryHeat 8Choi Min-jeong42.870OR
13 FebruaryQuarterfinal 2Elise Christie42.703OR
13 FebruarySemifinal 1Choi Min-jeong42.422OR

Results

Heats

RankHeatNameCountryTimeNotes
11Kim Boutin43.634Q
21Natalia Maliszewska43.725Q
31Lana Gehring43.825
41Lucia Peretti43.994
12Arianna Fontana43.214Q
22Andrea Keszler43.274Q
32Kathryn Thomson
42Suzanne Schulting
13Sofia Prosvirnova43.376Q
23Yara van Kerkhof43.430Q
33Bianca Walter43.541
43Sumire Kikuchi44.838
14Elise Christie42.872Q
24Qu Chunyu42.971Q
34Shim Suk-hee43.048
44Veronique Pierron43.148
15Fan Kexin43.350Q
25Maame Biney43.665Q
35Kim A-lang43.724
45Anastassiya Krestova43.821
16Martina Valcepina43.698Q
26Han Yutong43.719Q
36Tifany Huot-Marchand44.659
6Jamie MacdonaldPEN
17Marianne St-Gelais43.437Q
27Anna Seidel43.742Q
37Lara van Ruijven43.771
47Magdalena Warakomska44.311
18Choi Min-jeong42.870Q, OR
28Petra Jászapáti55.670Q
38Emina Malagich56.830
8Charlotte GilmartinPEN

Quarterfinals

RankHeatNameCountryTimeNotes
11Arianna Fontana43.128Q
21Yara van Kerkhof43.197Q
31Natalia Maliszewska43.384
1Marianne St-GelaisPEN
12Elise Christie42.703Q, OR
22Kim Boutin42.789Q
32Andrea Keszler43.053
42Anna Seidel44.325
13Sofia Prosvirnova43.466Q
23Fan Kexin43.485Q
33Han Yutong43.627
43Maame Biney44.772
14Qu Chunyu42.954Q
24Choi Min-jeong42.996Q
34Martina Valcepina43.023
44Petra Jászapáti43.043

Semifinals

RankSemifinalNameCountryTimeNotes
11Choi Min-jeong42.422QA, OR
21Arianna Fontana42.635QA
31Sofia Prosvirnova43.219QB
1Fan KexinPEN
12Yara van Kerkhof43.182QA
22Elise Christie43.184QA
32Kim Boutin43.234ADV
2Qu ChunyuPEN

Final

Final B was scratched as Sofia Prosvirnova was the only athlete who qualified for it.
RankNameCountryTimeNotes
Arianna Fontana42.569
Yara van Kerkhof43.256
Kim Boutin43.881
4Elise Christie
6Choi Min-jeongPEN