Bart Swings of Belgium, the silver medalist in speedskating’s men’s mass start race four years ago, got his timing right on Saturday and won the gold in Beijing.
Chung Jae Won of South Korea won a furious sprint among three skaters to claim the silver. His teammate Lee Seung Hoon, the defending Olympic champion, took the bronze.
Joey Mantia, the 36-year-old American who had been expected to contend for the gold, missed the bronze in a photo finish, but said afterward that a foul by Lee had cost him a shot at the podium.
“I don’t know how I feel,” Mantia said.