Mia Manganello races to Olympic bronze in final mass start

MILAN — Mia Manganello won bronze in the women’s mass start on Saturday, taking the final race of her Olympic career and securing her first individual Olympic medal in a chaotic 16-lap final.

Mia Manganello’s final Olympic race

The 36-year-old finished third in the mass start, crossing the line in 8: 35. 39 to take bronze. For most of the 16-lap race, with 16 racers on the ice at the same time, the pack remained intact until the bell lap sparked a decisive move.

Bell lap turned it into a three-woman sprint

When the bell lap arrived, Marijke Groenewoud of the Netherlands and Manganello sprinted out first, with Canada’s Ivanie Blondin closing in immediately. Groenewoud pulled ahead, Blondin then caught Manganello and beat her to the line by 0. 30. Groenewoud took gold in 8: 34. 70, Blondin was second in 8: 35. 09, and Manganello third in 8: 35. 39.

A career that crossed inline skating, cycling and the ice

Manganello is one of a handful of U. S. speedskaters who began in inline skating before moving to the ice. After missing qualification for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, she stepped away from skating, took up professional cycling and then returned to the ice in 2016. She qualified for the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang and won bronze in the team pursuit there; four years later in Beijing she finished fourth in the mass start, missing the podium by a little more than a second.

What happened in the race and how she reacted

Unlike the men’s race moments earlier, the women’s pack stayed together until the final lap, when the race opened up into a frantic sprint. After crossing the line, Manganello raised her arms in triumph. She said, "It means everything. It means a journey for my parents, sacrificing everything, my loved ones, relationships, friends, coaches, teammates. This is the ultimate goal. Any color, honestly. "

Emotion and disbelief at the finish

Manganello described an overwhelming reaction after the race: "Did you see me cross the line? I screamed so loud. I started bawling; there was no other emotion but disbelief. It's the most surreal moment of my life. It's something that I envisioned every single day since I've been here. " She added that she and others had discussed impostor syndrome before the race, and that on the back stretch, while running in second, she was telling herself, "Hold it together, hold it together. " Sixteen years after her first Olympic attempt ended before she ever got there, she leaves with a second Olympic bronze.

It is unclear in the provided context what Manganello’s next steps or scheduled events are following this final Olympic race.