'Cheated a little bit': Photo finish in wild men's speedskating race leaves Joey Mantia off podium

BEIJING — Closer than close.

That's one way to describe Joey Mantia's fourth-place finish in the men's speedskating mass start final Saturday. The 0.002-second margin and photo finish between Mantia (7:47.206) and bronze medalist Seung Hoon Lee (7:47.204) also does his heartbreak justice.

After leading the men's pursuit team to bronze on Tuesday, it would have been Mantia's second medal in Beijing. Instead, he left disappointed. In a way, he felt cheated, saying after the race that Lee pulled ahead at the final (milli)second by slightly pulling Mantia's arm back.

"It looked like my blade was in front of his right before the line, and his came back in front of mine," Mantia said. "In my mind, the only way for that to happen is to create momentum forward. That’s not going to happen in one step at the finish line when you started your sprint one lap earlier.

"I’m pretty biased in that situation, obviously. I want that medal. I felt like maybe I was cheated a little bit. I don’t think he did it on purpose. It’s racing."

More specifically, that's mass start – a 16-lap series of sprints and slow-downs, with skaters bunched up at the start line. They vie for "sprint points" that rarely affect the finishing order and the final lap serves as a chaotic climax.

"Usually in the mass start, there’s like no rules," Mantia said.

That's the opposite of short track speedskating, which almost always requires replay review to settle a race's results.

On the final straightaway, Belgium's Bart Swings pulled away to capture the country's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics since 1948. He won by a 0.7-second margin.

Mantia battled Lee and Jae Won Chung, also of South Korea, for positioning. The three were hip-to-hip while crossing the line, with Mantia sandwiched between the two. Chung had gained inside position to take silver, and Lee surged enough to Mantia's right for bronze.

"At the finish line I was kind of flustered, so I can’t remember, but I thought that he caught up with me," Lee said through a translator after being asked if he made contact with Mantia near the finish line. "So I didn’t know, actually, my position, but I ended up being the third."

Mantia watched a slow-motion replay of the finish as he was interviewed by NBC. It's possible Lee could have powered his legs enough to create the final difference, Mantia said, but added that’s unlikely.

"I felt contact. After the race, I was telling my coach, ‘He got me,’ " Mantia said.

Bumps and nudges are tolerated in the mass start. According to the International Skating Union's latest rules (August 2018) for long track mass start, however, the first bullet point under Section 5.1 states: "'Fair play' as the basic rule: no obstruction of other Competitors."

American Mia Kilburg, who finished fourth in the women's mass start, described her race as "extremely aggressive."

"That’s the mass start. … (expletive) happens. Unfortunately, a bit of luck has to go into it," Kilburg said. "It’s its own animal, compared to traditional long track skating."

A former inline speed skater with 28 world titles, Mantia actually has experience racing in congestion. Mantia, who leads the 2021-22 World Cup rankings, placed ninth in the men's mass start during the event's Olympic debut four years ago. He also matched his best individual finish Saturday; fourth in the 1,000 in 2018.

Mantia's coaches tried to appeal the ending, but he wasn't confident it would be overturned. The medals ceremony took place Saturday night without Mantia in attendance.

"He’s a great guy," said American Giorgia Birkeland, who finished 13th in the women's mass start and has gotten to know Mantia in Beijing. "It was really heartbreaking. "

Starting in the 14th position, Mantia remained in the back third of the race – later saying the slower pace benefited his late-race sprinting capabilities – and began his approach with six laps to go.

Eventually, he caught the front pack and went for it all on the final lap. On the final turn, Mantia stumbled. But the falter didn't cost him, he said.

"I was pretty confident I had a bronze model there ... I felt like I put myself in a perfect position to medal. I skated the best race I could. It’s mass start, you never know," Mantia said.

Back issues have plagued Mantia for the past few seasons but have previously been manageable. A different set of problems flared up in recent weeks. Skating became uncomfortable. The Ocala, Florida native – he hails from the same hometown as women's 500-meter gold medalist Erin Jackson – did all of the rehab and pain management he could while in Beijing.

"It’s just part of being 36 and trying to compete at a high level," Mantia said. "Sometimes your body doesn’t give you what it needs to give you."

A tight back prohibited Mantia from properly transferring his weight into his skates, he said. Once the back tightens, the disconnect between upper and lower body disappears.

"You’re pushing in opposite directions," he said. "You can’t flow."

Mantia admitted that the semifinal was a struggle. He had no rhythm. He took off with two laps to go when he thought only one remained.

"It’s frustrating because I’ve done everything I could possibly do this season to train, to get to this point, to medal. And the body is just saying, ‘Not going to give you quite everything you need,’ " Mantia said.

Saturday was a better day for the back, which makes the result all the more frustrating.

"I felt good, ready to rock, was in good position, like I said," Mantia said. "Just one of those days I guess.

"I don’t know."

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joey Mantia ends up fourth after photo finish at Beijing Olympics