Federal Way short track speedskaters J.R. Celski and Aaron Tran won't be competing in the medal final of the Men's 5,000-meter relay Thursday at the Winter Olympics. But they could still leave South Korea with a medal in that event.
It's a scenario that played out Tuesday in the Women's 3,000-meter Relay.
There are two finals -- the B-Final and A-Final. The B-Final will consist of the three teams that did not qualify for the A-Final: United States, Japan, and Kazakhstan.
After that final is run, the A-Final will take place between South Korea, Hungary, China, and Canada, with the top three taking gold, silver, and bronze.
Probably.
If for some reason two of the four teams in the A-Final are either disqualified or cannot finish the race, the A-Final would only determine gold and silver.
The bronze would go to the winner of the B-Final. So if the U.S. wins that, there is a chance Celski, Tran, and teammates John Henry Krueger and Thomas Hong could get a bronze.
The same thing happened Tuesday when the Chinese and Canadian women's teams were disqualified in the A-Final after a botched exchange. The Netherlands, which won the B-Final, took bronze. WATCH: The women's A-Final
The men's B-Final is set for 3:52 a.m. Thursday, Seattle time. The A-Final will be run immediately after.
