kong
02-14-2010, 12:20 AM
by Jim Slater Jim Slater – 15 mins ago
VANCOUVER (AFP) – When Sven Kramer's long wait for Winter Olympic gold finally ended with a victory in Saturday's men's 5,000 meters, the tearful Dutch speedskating star climbed into the stands and hugged his family.
A favorite turned failure in 2006 at Turin, Kramer captured the crown that had eluded him in an Olympic record 6mins, 14.60sec to defeat South Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon by 2.35sec with Russian Ivan Skobrev third in 6:18.05.
"I was fighting for it for seven years. If I don't do it now it would be pretty bad," Kramer said. "The pressure was so big in Holland. I wanted to do this so much. I'm so very happy."
Kramer posted the time to beat four pairs from the end and had to wait agonizingly as six rivals chased his mark over 12.5 laps around the 400m oval. Once victory was assured, a joyful trip to the stands followed.
"I was not sure about it. It was really killing me," Kramer said.
Kramer, world champion and world record-holder at 5,000 and 10,000m, settled for 5,000m silver at Turin. He was seventh at 10,000m, 15th at 1,500m and fell in the team pursuit semi-finals as the Dutch took only bronze.
He will be favored in next week's 10,000 and with countrymen in team pursuit could could become the first speedskater to win three golds at a Winter Olympics since Norway's Johann Olav Koss in 1994 at Lillehammer.
"Sven is the man. He's the best in the world," Skobrev said. "I really wanted to beat him but I don't think anybody could have."
Skating alongside US star Shani Davis, Kramer surged ahead at 2,000 meters and finished .06 under the former Olympic record set in 2002 by countryman Jochem Uytdehaage.
"I was completely dead after the race," Kramer said. "It was one of my best races."
Davis, the 1,000m and 1,500m world record-holder, was 12th in 6:28.44.
"It just goes into that pot of experience," Davis said.
Lee, a former short-track speedskater who switched last year to long track, won the next heat in 6:17.00 to take a stunning silver.
"This is a dream, big surprise," Lee said. "I'm very happy."
Kramer took notice.
"I thought, 'If the Korean guy can almost beat my time, what are the others going to do?'" Kramer said.
Skobrev, ranked third in the event, bumped Dutchman Bob de Jong off the last podium spot in the penultimate heat but reigning Olympic 1,500m champion Enrico Fabris of Italy was further back.
When US defending champion Chad Hedrick and Norway's Havard Bokko, second to Kramer at the 2009 worlds, missed the podium as well, Kramer finally had gold.
Kramer won the 25th Olympic gold medal for a Dutch speedskater, matching Norway for second on the sport's all-time Olympic medal list, three behind the United States.
The Dutch have now won 76 of their 79 Winter Olympic medals in speedskating, the most lopsided one-sport ratio for any nation at the Olympics.
A 10-piece band from the Netherlands played before the race to entertain a crowd of 6,000, the majority orange-clad Dutch supporters.
VANCOUVER (AFP) – When Sven Kramer's long wait for Winter Olympic gold finally ended with a victory in Saturday's men's 5,000 meters, the tearful Dutch speedskating star climbed into the stands and hugged his family.
A favorite turned failure in 2006 at Turin, Kramer captured the crown that had eluded him in an Olympic record 6mins, 14.60sec to defeat South Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon by 2.35sec with Russian Ivan Skobrev third in 6:18.05.
"I was fighting for it for seven years. If I don't do it now it would be pretty bad," Kramer said. "The pressure was so big in Holland. I wanted to do this so much. I'm so very happy."
Kramer posted the time to beat four pairs from the end and had to wait agonizingly as six rivals chased his mark over 12.5 laps around the 400m oval. Once victory was assured, a joyful trip to the stands followed.
"I was not sure about it. It was really killing me," Kramer said.
Kramer, world champion and world record-holder at 5,000 and 10,000m, settled for 5,000m silver at Turin. He was seventh at 10,000m, 15th at 1,500m and fell in the team pursuit semi-finals as the Dutch took only bronze.
He will be favored in next week's 10,000 and with countrymen in team pursuit could could become the first speedskater to win three golds at a Winter Olympics since Norway's Johann Olav Koss in 1994 at Lillehammer.
"Sven is the man. He's the best in the world," Skobrev said. "I really wanted to beat him but I don't think anybody could have."
Skating alongside US star Shani Davis, Kramer surged ahead at 2,000 meters and finished .06 under the former Olympic record set in 2002 by countryman Jochem Uytdehaage.
"I was completely dead after the race," Kramer said. "It was one of my best races."
Davis, the 1,000m and 1,500m world record-holder, was 12th in 6:28.44.
"It just goes into that pot of experience," Davis said.
Lee, a former short-track speedskater who switched last year to long track, won the next heat in 6:17.00 to take a stunning silver.
"This is a dream, big surprise," Lee said. "I'm very happy."
Kramer took notice.
"I thought, 'If the Korean guy can almost beat my time, what are the others going to do?'" Kramer said.
Skobrev, ranked third in the event, bumped Dutchman Bob de Jong off the last podium spot in the penultimate heat but reigning Olympic 1,500m champion Enrico Fabris of Italy was further back.
When US defending champion Chad Hedrick and Norway's Havard Bokko, second to Kramer at the 2009 worlds, missed the podium as well, Kramer finally had gold.
Kramer won the 25th Olympic gold medal for a Dutch speedskater, matching Norway for second on the sport's all-time Olympic medal list, three behind the United States.
The Dutch have now won 76 of their 79 Winter Olympic medals in speedskating, the most lopsided one-sport ratio for any nation at the Olympics.
A 10-piece band from the Netherlands played before the race to entertain a crowd of 6,000, the majority orange-clad Dutch supporters.