BEIJING — The average blink of an eye takes a tenth of a second. Team USA’s Joey Mantia missed out on an Olympic medal by one one-hundredth of an eyeblink.
Skating in the men’s mass start, the final speedskating event of the 2022 Olympics, Mantia was within sight — within reach — of the finish line. He looked down and noticed his skate just millimeters ahead of Lee Seung Hoon. First one across the line would win a bronze medal, and Mantia thought he was in position.
Then he felt the slightest tap on his right arm — a brush, a bump, call it what you will — and when he glanced down again, Lee’s skate was the one in front.