This competition exists out of three knock-out rounds. The time in the quarterfinals determines the placement in the (semi-)finals, after which head-to-head races are held. All teams start with three riders, and the time of the last speed skater counts towards the placement. The winners of the semifinals advance to the final, while the losers advance to the B final. The winner of the final wins Olympic gold.
Preview[]
Eight teams qualified for the event with the United States as the team in form. The American speed skaters had won the two most recent World Cup races, both ahead of Norway, in which they also recorded a new world record. The Netherlands won the first World Cup event, but couldn't make an impression in the remaining races, while Canada consistently finished in the top 5. Italy, China, and ROC could be some of the main outsiders, while South Korea completed the field.
Peder Kongshaug was the youngest athlete in the field, but was no more than two months younger than 2018 silver medalist Chung Jae-won and Daniil Aldoshkin, with Casey Dawson, Connor Howe, and Ethan Cepuran also having been born after 1 January 2000. Kongshaug was 15 years younger than Joey Mantia, who competed at his third Olympic Games at the age of 36. Sven Kramer competed at his fifth and last edition of the Olympic Games aged 35, and was another four months older than Ted-Jan Bloemen. Five appearances at the Olympic Games was also the most appearances in the current field, followed by Lee Seung-hoon with four, and five athletes with three. Thirteen athletes made or had made their Olympic debuts in Beijing.
Norway won the gold medal in the event for the second time in a row, after also having won the title in 2018. Sverre Lunde Pedersen won his third Olympic medal, after winning bronze in the 5000 metres in 2018 and the team pursuit in the same year, while Hallgeir Engebraaten won his second medal after 5000 metres in 2022, and Peder Kongshaug won his first medal. The Norwegian team defeated the athletes representing the ROC in the final, after the latter recorded a new Olympic record in the semifinals, though winning their first-ever Olympic in the event. The same went for Daniil Aldoshkin and Sergei Trofimov, who won their first Olympic medals, while Ruslan Zakharov won his second after winning gold in the men's short track relay in 2014. The United States recorded their second-best result in the event since its inauguration in 2006, having taken silver in 2010. The Netherlands missed out on the medals for the first time ever, with 2010 Olympic champions Canada and 2014 and 2018 silver medalists South Korea completing the top 6.
ROC
Canada
South Korea
Italy
China
