China’s quest for gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics has been one filled with drama. Two out of three golds so far have come from the short track speed skating. Both wins came about from post-race reviews in favor of China, sparking protest from aggrieved players, as well as accusations of referee favoritism for the host country. Over the weekend, team China nearly came last during the mixed relay semifinals, and would have missed the final altogether. The players only advanced after the United States and Russia, which finished second and third place respectively during the semifinal, were disqualified for obstruction after a lengthy official review, leaving the teams to unpack what happened. “The call came to me, on what I did,” said U.S. skater Ryan Pivirotto, who was identified as being responsible for the infraction, afterward. A skating official said that Piviorotto had illegally crossed into the track …