As the skaters glide around the 400-metre-long track, the gentle clinking of blade on ice is closer to the sound of cutlery on your nan's finest china, something more associated with a posh dinner party then Winter Olympic event.Three skaters wearing skin-tight bodysuits and bicycle helmets follow each other, nose-to-tail, with the rearmost two skaters resting one arm on the hip of the skater in front of them, following their every move as they speed around the oval.
However, the Dutch women's team did it to help them win bronze, with Marijke Groenewoud, Irene Schouten and Ireen Wust switching places to beat the ROC. Doing so is almost an affront to the pristine, glass-like surface that is frequently re-surfaced by huge carts that smooth out any scrapes and divots, aided by officials spraying water at offending areas.
Organisers of these Olympics have been at great pains to ensure the Games are as green as possible, and they've backed that up by using new "green" technology to refrigerate the ice at the National Speed Skating Oval. The same goes for speed — in eight of the 10 events so far, the Olympic Record has been broken. In one of the others, the men's 10,000m, the world record fell.
If only they wore the same sunnies 😎