It is too short a time to think a lot in the furious speed rivalry. Yet the 22-year-old heaved a sigh and said of his 1,500m race: "I was thinking too much at that time."

"I felt my body was stiff. It seemed like my body was trapped in a box," Ning said after the 1,500m race. "I failed to get my mentality right. This is my first time skating in an Olympic Games and on my home rink, so I felt a lot of pressure."

Ning seemed to adjust his mentality timely to put up a better performance on Friday.

"I am quite satisfied with my performance. I performed better today than in the 1,500m," he said after the 1,000m race.