Athletes rarely get second chances. Normally they can hold on to their moment of glory only briefly before someone younger, stronger and faster grabs it away. But last week at the speed-skating oval in Albertville, several leading contestants had a chance to relive events from the Calgary Olympics four years ago. Some hoped to repeat their success; others sought to redeem their failures.
The races took place under conditions far different from those in Calgary's stunning indoor oval, which is every speed skater's picture of paradise. In Albertville, days of driving rain that left the ice bumpy alternated with sunny ones...