SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 Longest skating race destined for Dutch triple SOCHI: Sven Kramer has redemption on his mind Russian favorite Ivan Skobrev and the entire opening weekend of the games, when Bergsma At 37, he could become the oldest male speed as he bids to bounce back from the dumbfounding Norwegian team withdrew. finished third in a Dutch sweep of the medals. skater in 86 years to win an Olympic medal. He error that cost him an Olympic gold medal four “They are simply not good enough,” Kramer said Beyond the 10,000, Kramer is also expected to lead won silver over the distance in Nagano 16 years years ago. This time, the Dutch are expecting not of the Norwegians. That leaves Belgian Bart Swings the Dutch to team pursuit gold on Saturday, hop- ago and added gold at the 2006 Turin Games. one, but all three medals in the 10,000 meters, the and defending champion Lee Seung-hoon of ing to catch the golden triple that eluded him four Bergsma beat Kramer to win the 10,000 world longest race in speedskating. So most of the pres- South Korea as the only realistic challengers to an years ago. championships in Sochi last year and is considered sure will be applied from within the team today, all-orange podium. For two seasons now, Bergsma and De Jong the main challenger to the title. with Bob de Jong and Jorrit Bergsma among the “There are not a lot of people at the top,” Kramer have been his toughest rivals over 10,000. “The 10K The dearth of non-Dutch challengers takes leading contenders in what is expected to be a said. Lee won Olympic gold at Vancouver in 2010 is about the Dutch,” said Kevin Crockett, a South away from an event many consider boring to start fourth medal sweep for the Netherlands at the when Kramer was sent into the wrong lane by his Korea coach, “the Dutch have it to lose.” out with. It is a race of 25 laps which statisticians Sochi Games. coach on a changeover when the gold medal De Jong is the freethinker among the three of love for the changing lap times but which can be The Dutch team has won 16 of 24 medals so far seemed wrapped up. It has left Kramer focused on the Dutch trio in the 10K, plotting his own trail to excruciatingly long if riders are off the pace quick- in Sochi, and has been relentless in the pursuit of the 10,000 so much that he even gave up a shot at the long distance race. He even went up to the ly. The fact that Skobrev and the Norwegians with- more. The 10,000 always was going to be a Dutch gold in the 1,500 to be sure to be at his best today. mountains for several days because he wanted to drew at the last moment only shapes to make it dominated race, but it became even more so when He successfully defended his 5,000 title on the chill out with some friends on the Dutch ski team. worse. — AP US crush Sweden 6-1 SOCHI: Alex Carpenter and Kacey Bellamy scored just 66 seconds apart in the first period as the United States crushed Sweden 6-1 yesterday to reach the final of the Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament. The Americans dominated the semi-final from the opening faceoff, holding a whopping 29-1 shot advantage in the first period, with Sweden not managing their first shot until nearly 14 minutes into the contest. Amanda Kessel, Megan Bozek, Brianna Decker and Monique Lamoureux also scored for the Americans, who have now beaten Sweden 12 out of the past 13 times they have faced each other in major international games. “It’s awesome,” said American forward Lamoureux. “I think it’s something we were expected to do. We’ve been preparing for it for the last four years and putting in a lot of work.” Jessie Vetter made just eight saves for the USA while Swedish goaltenders Valentina SOCHI: Canada’s skipper Jennifer Jones delivers the stone during women’s curling com- Wallner and Kim Martin Hasson faced 70 shots petition against South Korea at the 2014 Winter Olympics.— AP between them. Valentina was especially busy as the United States peppered her with 47 shots in 32:21 min- Tears flow in Sochi as utes of playing time. “They showed they are one of the best teams in the world,” said Swedish coach Niclas Hoegberg. If Canada win the sec- US fails again in curling ond semi-final later Monday, as expected against Switzerland, it will mark the fourth time in the SOCHI: Jessica Lutz of Switzerland (17) scores against Goalkeeper Shannon Szabados of SOCHI: American curler Ann Swisshelm blew Olympic career is done. past five Olympics, the USA and Canada have her nose in a tissue, wiped away some of her “But if an organization goes to cherry-pick- Canada during the second period of the 2014 Winter Olympics women’s semifinal ice hockey faced each other in the gold medal game. game. — AP tears and stared down a sheet of ice for the ing athletes and you have a mistimed injury, The USA won four straight games against final time in her career at the highest level of you have no education, no job skills,” Canada in a pre-Olympic exhibition series her sport. Swisshelm said. “What do you do?” including one by a commanding 5-1 score. But tinued huge variations in quality in the Defenceman Bellamy made it 2-0 just 66 sec- At the end of the sheet was an electronic USA Curling accepts that changes need to the Canadians beat the US 3-2 in a preliminary women’s game. Carpenter opened the scoring onds later when her shot from the point beat a scoreboard. It read: South Korea 11, USA 2. If be made to give the US men’s and women’s round game of the Sochi tournament. Reigning on the powerplay in the first period for the screened Swedish netminder Wallner. Kessel that made for bleak reading for Swisshelm teams a chance of winning gold. But Rick world champions the USA have 65,700 regis- Americans on a lucky bounce. Her shot from scored 11:19 into the period to make it 3-0. The and curling fans all over the United States, Patzke, chief operating officer of USA Curling, tered female hockey players in the country com- directly in the front of the net was going wide USA added two more goals in the second period they should avoid looking at the overall doesn’t foresee a time - at least in the near pared to just over 3,000 for the Swedes. but it hit the knee of Swedish defenceman and one in the third. Anna Borgqvist scored the women’s standings. future - where the US has a single elite team. The lopsided score also underlines the con- Emilia Andersson. consolation goal for the Swedes. — AFP The US women’s team finished the “I think you need to bring more than just Olympic curling tournament Monday in last four people up,” he said. “I think you need to place for a second-straight Winter Games, this have a program that funnels the right people time with just one win in nine games. The US to the top. Unbeaten men’s hockey men’s team didn’t fare much better, finishing “We have always tried to embrace the tra- next to last at 2-7. ditions and culture of the sport but, on the flip teams prepare for big finish “I just wish I could start all over again,” said side, if we aren’t in the Olympics, how much US player Debbie McCormick, who was the interest are we losing? I think there has to be SOCHI: Canada, Sweden and the US men shootouts, although that particular skill team’s skip in 2010. Understandably, back-to- an understanding in the organization: Are we all made it through the first week of the contest isn’t his specialty. These games back Olympic failures are leading to questions all in, in pursuit of medals? Or do we just have Olympic hockey tournament without a are indescribably important to Ovechkin, about the structure of curling in the US at the one foot in? There’ll be good discussions in loss. Their reward is an extra day off who is essentially the public worldwide highest level. the coming weeks.” before the medal chase begins. Early per- face of the Russian team. Any frustration At present, teams in the US are self-formed Heading into the Olympics, the Americans fection isn’t always an advantage in this he might be feeling has been kept in and made up of players who balance curling were seen as long shots for a podium finish. with their full-time jobs. US skip Erika Brown, Erika Brown’s rink finished fourth in the world tense tournament, however. check publicly, but he’s undoubtedly 41, is a mother of two and a physician’s assis- championship last year and all four members No team that went unbeaten in group putting pressure on himself to deliver tant who fits in curling practice during her of the team had previous Olympic experience. play has won an Olympic gold medal goals in the elimination games, starting lunch break. Teammate Jessica Schultz, 29, is a But there has been embarrassment in since the NHL joined the games in 1998.