Olympic North Korean speed skater appears to try and trip his Japanese rival mid-race

In impolite Olympic information, a North Korean velocity skater received a penalty throughout his race for showing to aim to throw off one in every of his fellow skaters. 

Velocity skater Jong Kwang-Bom fell – twice! – during the men's 500 meters warmth on Tuesday in Pyeongchang. Jong's first fall got here inside seconds of beginning, prompting the judges to pause the race and restart. On the second spherical, the skater fell once more.

Velocity skater Jong Kwang Bom of North Korea falls on the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Each occasions, he appeared to succeed in out towards Japanese skater Keita Watanabe, first towards Watanabe's skate and second because the pair frivolously collided whereas rounding a curve. NBC Olympics has video of the falls right here.

However for what it is value, Watanabe is prepared to provide Jong the good thing about the doubt on this state of affairs. Chatting with Yahoo Sports  – which erroneously recognized him as skater Ryosuke Sakazume – Watanabe stated he does not consider Jong was purposefully reaching for his skate, and famous that collisions are par for the course in velocity skating.

"I consider it was unintentional," he stated. "His hand occurred to be by my skate as he fell down." 

This was Jong's first and solely Olympics occasion. Watanabe and Huang Daeheon on Korea went on to qualify.