Bean, an Orléans native competing for Italy, finished in fourth place of his qualifying heat, almost a full second behind the Chinese skater Liang Wenhao. Canadian Charles Hamelin was also skating in this heat. Hamelin took the second spot, allowing him to move to claim the last spot for the semis.
Back in November, an eleventh-place finish at the World Cup 1,500-meter event held in Montreal unofficially earned Nic Bean the trip to the Olympics.
The 22-year-old skater will come back to the track on Wednesday Feb. 17, as he will be participating in the 1,000 m heats. Should he makes it through to the quarterfinals, he would be back at the Pacific Coliseum on Feb. 20.
He will also be part of the 5,000-meter relay semis on Feb. 17. Italy as a good shot at a medal at this event, being ranked fifth in the world. The relay finals will take place on Feb. 26.
