ST. LOUIS — St. Louis was represented in the Winter Olympics in competition early Saturday morning.
Speed skater Ian Quinn competed in the men's mass start speed skating event. He was one of two Americans, with defending silver medalist Joey Mantia competing too.
Fifteen competitors start the race to complete 16 laps. Time is not a factor and the first eight athletes over the finish line move from the two semifinal heats to the final competition. This event has been called "NASCAR on ice."
Quinn's family and friends held a watch party in Fenton Friday night into Saturday morning.
Below are the results of the event.
Quinn placed 13th in the semifinal. He finished 16 laps in 7:58:03.
Mantia placed 7th in his semifinal and went on to the final. Joey Mantia was edged out by the tip of a blade for the bronze in the men's race. The 36-year-old Floridian complained that he was grabbed by another skater, costing him his second medal of the Beijing Games.
Bart Swings of Belgium took gold, Chung Jae-Won and Seung-Hoon Lee of South Korea took silver and bronze respectively.
About Ian Quinn
2012 Lutheran South High School graduate Ian Quinn, 28, earned a spot in the Olympics after he won the 16-lap, long-track mass start race at the U.S. speedskating trials in Milwaukee.
In his Team USA bio, Quinn said he also competed in golf, cross country and track growing up, and is a huge fan of the St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals. Quinn attended the University of Utah for college.