THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 SPORTS Mr. President, was your seat facing the rink? SOCHI: Right from the start of the tournament, the Ditto for Evgeni Malkin, who also scored in the Zinetula Bilyaletdinov replaced his starting goal- empty.” Ovechkin said, “No emotion right now,” only way to envision the Russians winning a gold first period against Slovenia and then effectively keeper, Semyon Varlamov, with Sergei Bobrovsky six which made you wonder how he would have medal in hockey was to close both eyes and keep took the rest of tournament off. The only depart- minutes into the second period. Then he started described the rest of the week. Finally came them shut. ment where the Russians outdid the Finns was shots upping the minutes for all those NHL stars who were Bilyaletdinov’s postgame news conference. It was an They stumbled out of the gate before escaping on goal, 38-22. But after Ilya Kovalchuk drove home supposed to make this a glorious homecoming, but absolute howler. Slovenia and then lost their nerve in a shootout loss a one-timer off a deft pass from Datsyuk for a 1-0 will likely spend the rest of these games in hiding. One exchange best summed it up: Asked if the against the United States. Perhaps the only person lead, there was no way the Russians were going to By the end, Kovalchuk had logged a team-high overall result was a “catastrophe,” he replied “This inside the Bolshoy Ice Dome who couldn’t see that slip a pillow mint past Finnish goalkeeper Tuukka 23:15, followed by Alexander Radulov (20:00) was an unsuccessful game.” A moment later, another was Vladimir Putin, who from a magisterial perch Rask, let alone another puck. Datysuk (19:13) Malkin (19:19) and Ovechkin (18:30). reporter without a microphone simply began high above the rink, somehow arrived at the conclu- Juhamatti Aaltonen equalized for Finland, and Fat lot of good all of that did any of them. The Finns yelling. The best guess is that it was some kind of fol- sion that his side was still the better team. No one 43-year-old Teemu Selanne followed up with a goal didn’t take a shot for the final eight minutes of the low-up to the “catastrophe” question. dared ask the president whether his seat faced the that sucked all the air out of Russia and epitomized second, and managed just five in the third. They did- “Let’s not play word games,” Bilyaletdinov said rink. There was no confusing what happened the way their team played the whole way through. n’t need to. wearily. “You can call it whatever.” The Russians who Wednesday, when Finland outhustled, outsmarted, Teammate Petri Kontiola deflected a cross-ice “We let our guard down a little bit, but we packed the Bolshoy Ice Dome couldn’t clear out fast outhit and ultimately outed the Russians as a top- pass back over the blue line that Russian defense- defended well and kept them outside,” Rask said enough. Even beating a hasty departure, however, heavy team with exactly one player who was playing man Slava Voynov lazily chased down along the left with a mischievous grin, “so that was good.” they offered plenty of ideas for what Bilyaletdinov as if the entire country was counting on him to bring board, even as Finland’s Mikael Granlund was bear- Rask’s smile and the diplomatic answers provided could call his team’s woeful experience. the gold home. ing down on him. Granlund squeezed past Voynov - by the rest of the Finnish side spoke volumes. None “We’ve been preparing for the home games for That would be captain Pavel Datsyuk, who played who either didn’t know he was being pursued or were going to say the Russians quit, or didn’t have seven years and what?” said Sergey Kazakov, a busi- five games on a bad leg, but left no questions about didn’t care - then stole the puck and cut for the net. enough firepower left to worry them, or even that nessman from Moscow. “Just a group of stars but no the condition of his heart, shining again in a 3-1 loss. Racing up the right side of slot was Selanne, already the Finns knew they could run out the clock against team and no result.” Not so Alex Ovechkin, who is the most visible the Olympics’ all-time goal scorer, who somehow a team that never proved it knows how to chase a “The coach is to be blamed for the result, only the Winter Olympics athlete in the land but disappeared surprised the rest of the Russian defenders by arriv- game. While several of his teammates displayed coach,” said Alexei Korovin, a manager from Tomsk, from the score sheet after getting his only goal just ing just in time to tuck Granlund’s hard-won assist their best moves while evading reporters, Datsyuk Siberia, who added a moment later, “I wish my mon- past the one-minute mark in the opener. into the net. Increasingly desperate Russian coach stopped and said simply, “Inside, I’m absolutely ey back.” All $50 billion? — AP Sablikova wins another gold in women’s 5,000 SOCHI: Martina Sablikova really wanted this events, swept the top three spots in four gold medal. Not even the Dutch were going races, and will be big favorites to close the to keep her off the top step of the podium. Olympics with two more golds in the team Sablikova defended her Olympic title in the pursuit races, which would mean a fifth women’s 5,000 meters Wednesday, chasing medal for Wust. “We’re on a golden mission,” down Ireen Wust to deny the Dutch a seventh she said. speedskating gold. “My feet hurt,” Sablikova Forty-one-year-old Claudia Pechstein of said, “but I’m very happy.” Germany was denied again in her quest for a The 26-year-old from the Czech Republic 10th career medal. She finished fifth, missing set a track record at Adler Arena with a time the podium by less than 3 seconds. of 6 minutes, 51.54 seconds. It’s not like the The lone American in the race, three-time Dutch didn’t show up. Olympian Maria Lamb of River Falls, Wis., was They added two more medals to their last among the 16 skaters, more than 38 sec- record haul, as Wust took the silver in 6:54.28, onds off Sablikova’s winning time. The U.S. while 35-year-old mother Carien Kleibeuker team has yet to win a medal in Sochi. grabbed the bronze in 6:55.66 - then scooped Kleibeuker was the oldest female speedskater up her 5-year-old daughter for a victory lap to represent the Netherlands at the Winter around the infield. Games. After the flower ceremony, she car- Racing against Sablikova in the seventh of ried around her daughter Annemijn in a joy- eight pairs, Wust knew she had to push the ous celebration. “She said, ‘Momma, you pace early and hope to hang on. She built a thought you would not get a medal,’” 21/2-second lead but began to fade just past Kleibeuker said. “Fortunately, we have one the midway point. Sablikova went right on by now.” Kleibeuker was 10th in the 5,000 at the - and never slowed up. 2006 Turin Games, where she witnessed a “When I saw my competitor was going bribery attempt by two members of the ahead, I told myself, ‘Really, aren’t you going Dutch speedskating team. This time, the to get her?’” Sablikova said. “It gave me extra Olympics were all about her results on the ice energy. I wanted to prove to everyone that I - and celebrating it with her family. She had could do it again.” not seen Annemijn for two weeks, but they The standings were a reversal of the 3,000, were able to share a kiss just before the race. when Wust beat Sablikova to deny the Czech “It is not something I would advise to any- skater a shot at repeating as a double gold one,” Kleibeuker said. “It requires sacrifice, but medalist in the two longest women’s events. it is planning first and foremost.” Sablikova was determined to hang on to her Pechstein won the 5,000 three straight title in the 5,000, even dropping the 1,500 - times starting with the 1994 Lillehammer KRASNAYA POLYANA: Russia’s Vic Wild competes on the way to winning the men’s snowboard parallel giant slalom semifinal at the Rosa Khutor an event she won bronze in four years ago - Games, and also had a silver and a bronze in Extreme Park. — AP to focus her preparation fully on the final indi- the grueling event. She was determined to vidual speedskating race of these games. The win another medal in Sochi after being strategy paid off. banned from the Vancouver Games over a “This was a real tough one, but that’s doping case which was based on abnormal Russia’s snowboard couple always the case in the 5k,” Wust said. “In the blood levels rather than a positive test. last few laps I was dying.” That said, Wust was She steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, fine settling for silver, her fourth medal of the kept on skating and qualified for her sixth medals together in Sochi Sochi Olympics. Unlike the 1,500, where she Olympics at an age when most skaters have was a heavy favorite but lost to country- long since retired.