15.02 China's Zhou Retains 1,500m Short Track Gold at Sochi Games

SOCHI, February 15 (R-Sport) - China's defending champion Zhou Yang retained her 1,500m title in the women's short track speedskating at the Sochi Olympics on Saturday.

Zhou, 22, timed a burst of speed perfectly to cross the line at the Iceberg Skating Palace in 2:19.140 minutes, three seconds short of her own world record. World Cup champion Shim Suk-hee of South Korea took the silver in 2:19.239 and the bronze went to Vancouver 500m bronze medalist Arianna Fontana in 2:19.416.

Elise Christie didn't even make the semifinals, disqualified from the heats in a Games she will rapidly want to forget. The Briton, a genuine speedskating medal contender, wiped out two other competitors in the final of the 500m.

She gets another shot at gold in the 1,000m starting Tuesday, her favorite event.