U.S. skating star Joey Mantia taking final shot at Olympic gold

By Martin RogersFOX Sports ColumnistOver the next few weeks leading into the Winter Olympics in Beijing (Feb. 4-20), you’ll likely hear some interviews with athletes in which they talk about savoring the experience, the honor of it all and how winning is the primary aim but not the only one.This is not one of those interviews.Joey Mantia, a three-time world champion in long track speedskating and a leader of a U.S. team hoping for its best medal haul since 2006, knows what it’s like to compete at a Games and come back empty-handed. He has no interest in going through that again.That is why, as final preparations ramp up, Mantia has no thought of going to China to have a good time, make some new friends, swap some trading pins and just put in a strong performance."I’ve living and dying by a gold medal," he told me on a Zoom call this week. It’s about the destination."Mantia's journey has been a long one. The masses pay attention every four years, and this year, the Super Bowl comes smack in the middle of the Games."We are not relevant the rest of the time," Mantia said.