In a commanding display of athletic prowess at the Milan Cortina Olympics, the American speedskating trio of Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, and Ethan Cepuran secured their place in the men’s team pursuit final with a decisive victory over China during Tuesday’s semifinal round. The U.S. team, boasting both a world record set in November 2023 and a bronze medal from the 2022 Beijing Games, finished with an impressive time of 3 minutes, 44.29 seconds, establishing an nearly 8-second advantage over their Chinese competitors.
The American victory sets the stage for a highly anticipated gold medal confrontation against host nation Italy, creating a dramatic rematch of Sunday’s quarterfinal where the Italian team emerged victorious. The Italian squad, comprised of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini, and Michele Malfatti, demonstrated exceptional form in their own semifinal matchup against the Netherlands, clocking in at 3:38.88 – more than 1.5 seconds faster than the Dutch team.
This championship face-off carries historical significance for Italy, whose only previous medal in men’s team pursuit came from their gold medal performance at the 2006 Turin Games. Meanwhile, the United States continues its pursuit of its first-ever gold medal in the discipline, having previously earned bronze in both men’s and women’s team events.
The competition format, which debuted at the 2006 Olympics, features three skaters from each nation racing together against the clock, with teams starting from opposite sides of the track. The men’s competition covers 3,200 meters across eight laps of the oval.
In other notable developments, two-time defending champion Norway suffered an unexpected elimination during the quarterfinal round, while China and the Netherlands will compete for the bronze medal. The women’s team pursuit semifinals, scheduled for later Tuesday, will feature matchups between the United States and defending 2022 gold medalist Canada, and the Netherlands against Japan.