Kristen Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard became the first Americans to win a medal at the world short track speed skating championships since 2014, taking silver and bronze in the 1500m.
Santos-Grisworld later took bronze in the 500m on the first day of finals at short track worlds, which finish Sunday in Rotterdam, Netherlands, live on Peacock.
Santos-Griswold, 29, led the 1500m final going into the last lap and was passed by eventual gold medalist Kim Gil-Li of South Korea and Belgian Hanne Desmet.
But Desmet was disqualified two minutes later for her tight inside pass of Santos-Griswold, failing to give way to the American coming out of the turn.
SHORT TRACK WORLDS: Full Results
That upgraded Santos-Griswold to silver and Stoddard, who crossed the finish line fourth, to bronze.
“I’m glad I was able to come out on the podium, but I was really disappointed with being out front on the last lap and then getting taken out,” Santos-Griswold said, according to the International Skating Union. “I can’t be upset with how I am skating. I felt really strong, and I felt like I had that race.”
They are the first Americans to make a world championships podium since J.R. Celski in 2014 and the first American women to do so since 2012, when Lana Gehring earned 500m bronze and was part of a silver-medal relay team.
It is also the first time two U.S. women made the podium of the same individual event at worlds since short track became an Olympic medal sport in 1992.
Two hours later, Santos-Griswold finished third in the 500m behind Canadian Kim Boutin and Dutchwoman Xandra Velzeboer.
Santos-Griswold previously won five times during the October-to-February World Cup campaign, tying the American female record for victories in one season held by Katherine Reutter-Adamek.
Santos-Griswold, who came into the season with one career World Cup victory, also became the second U.S. skater to win on the World Cup in all three distances (500m, 1000m, 1500m) after eight-time Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno.
In 2022, Santos-Griswold had a best finish of fourth in her Olympic debut. The U.S. last won an Olympic medal in a women’s short track event in 2010.
Stoddard, who had a best finish of seventh in her Olympic debut in 2022, made six individual World Cup podiums this season, including her best career finish of second.