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RICHMOND (AP) -- Haralds Silovs crossed the finish line and slid off the hood of his blue-white-and-red racing suit as he glided through a warmdown lap after the 5000m.
The Latvian speed skater then gathered his belongings and left the Olympic oval in Richmond on Saturday to make the 12-mile trip to the short track competition at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
There, three races awaited him in the 1500m as the first speed skater to compete in long and short track at the Olympics.
"I would love to stay here a little bit longer, but unfortunately, I have to go and prepare for short track," Silovs said. "It was amazing for me as an athlete to experience this. I got really positive energy from the audience."
He also got a boost from five-time short-track medalist Apolo Anton Ohno, who tweeted: "Great skate to Harry Silovs! Impressive. C u in a few hours. Then it's our turn!"
About five hours after his 20th place finish in the long track race -- in a time way off his personal best -- Silovs donned his maroon-black-and-white short track suit to finish fourth in the 1500m consolation final after advancing through two preliminary rounds.
Long track skating involves powerful strides and strong lungs. Short track involves speeding through tight turns and using smart tactics to determine when to move up in the chaotic pack. As the 2008 European short track champion, Silovs had a better shot at a medal at Pacific Coliseum than at the Richmond Oval.
"I could have gone a little faster," he said. "I relaxed a little too much at the beginning of the race and picked it up a little too late. But, you know, I enjoyed every second of it."
As he spoke, Silovs began stretching his legs to cool down.
"For me, switching is not the hardest part. It's just the physical and mental preparation that's important," he said.
