GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — Brittany Bowe posted the second-fastest time in the 1,000 meters and then waited for the last four pairs to go.
When it was over, she was left empty-handed.
The U.S. speedskaters have yet to get on the podium at the Pyeongchang Olympics, while the Dutch earned their fifth gold medal in as many events on Wednesday.
Bowe finished fourth, one spot out of a medal but still the best result by an American so far.
"It's the Olympics," she said, "and it's top three that matters."
Bowe and several of her current teammates found that out four years ago in Sochi, when the long track team was kept off the podium for the first time since 1984 in a stunning result for a sport that has won America's most Winter Olympic medals.