China’s Wang Meng has cornered market in women’s short-track speedskating

Reporting from Vancouver, Canada — 

When it comes to women’s short-track speedskating, there’s China’s Wang Meng.

And then there’s everyone else.

Wang has dominated short track and Wednesday night will seek to repeat the gold she won in the 500 meters in Turin, Italy, in 2006.

Since that gold, Wang, 24, has continued to thrive in the 500, winning consecutive world championships and setting the world record of 42.609 seconds in 2008. During Saturday’s heats at Pacific Coliseum, she set an Olympic record of 43.926 seconds to qualify for Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

Among those chasing Wang will be Americans Katherine Reutter (44.187 seconds in qualifying) and Alyson Dudek (44.560).

“What I find most about [Wang] is she wants a competitor,” Reutter said. “That’s what everyone out here wants. Especially being women, we don’t want someone who’s like, ‘Oh sorry, didn’t mean to get in your way there.’ We want teeth and nails and elbows and we want to race.

“That’s how I do it and that’s why I respect her so much. She’s just as willing to do whatever it takes to fight all the way to the win.”

Reutter, who has had greater success at longer distances, is beginning to challenge in shorter events. She finished fifth at the 2008 worlds in the 500 and knows she will have to skate her best to challenge Wang.

“She’s so consistent,” Reutter said. “I find people who are real champions, they’re not great at any one thing, it’s that they do everything pretty darn good. There’s not one thing she does phenomenally better than everyone else. It’s just that she does everything a good amount better than everyone else.”

Dudek, from Hales Corners, Wis., is in uncharted territory with the bulk of her international competition coming in relay events. Along with Reutter, she helped the U.S. 3,000-meter relay team qualify for the finals Feb. 24.

Among others to watch in Wednesday’s 500 are Bulgaria’s Evgenia Radanova, China’s Zhou Yang, Kalyna Roberge of Canada and Korean skaters Cho Ha-Ri, Lee Eun-Byul and Park Seung-Hi.

China “has one girl . . . who is better than everyone,” Reutter said. “All the rest of their team is just very consistent. The Koreans are very consistent but they don’t have that one girl who’s better than everyone.”

Also Wednesday, Apolo Anton Ohno of the U.S. will begin his quest for his second medal of the Games and seventh in his career when he takes the ice for 1,000-meter heats. Ohno has a chance to become the top American medal winner in Winter Games history.

ckuc@tribune.com