GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AP) — As Claudia Pechstein churned through those last couple of laps, any hopes of an Olympic gold medal snatched away by legs that grew heavier by the stride, it was easy to feel a bit torn.
Was it a victory for clean sport?
Perhaps.
But one couldn't help but feel a bit of empathy and a whole lot of admiration for the 46-year-old-to-be, more than a decade older than anyone else on the ice Friday at the Gangneung Oval, skating 12 1/2 laps in the Winter Olympics against a bunch of rivals young enough to be her daughters.