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Speedskating 101: Former Olympian On Crashes, Drafting And Teaching The Sport

NPR

Published February 16, 2018 at 1:44 PM EST

Norway's Allan Dahl Johansson falls in the men's 1,500-meter speedskating event during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games at the Gangneung Oval in Gangneung on Feb. 13, 2018. (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the most dramatic aspects of speedskating — and of many other sports — is the falls.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with former Olympic speedskater Nathaniel Mills about why a crash can be so detrimental to everyone in a race, and learns more about the rules and science behind speedskating. Mills now runs a program in Washington, D.C., that teaches kids the sport.