RIA Novosti (Russian News Agency) - February 13, 2014 Germany Secures Third Luge Gold of Sochi With Win in Doubles Speedskating: Dutch Dominance Continues With 1,000m Gold in Sochi Germany won a record-equaling third gold medal in luge at the Sochi Olympics on Wednesday as Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt blazed to victory in the men’s doubles Wednesday. Wendl and Arlt, the reigning world champions, won by the solid margin of 0.522 seconds over Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, and set a new track record on their first run. Another Austrian pair, Peter Penz and Georg Fischler, suffered heartbreak when a crash deprived them of the bronze medal position they had occupied before the second and final run. Third place instead went to Latvias 2010 silver medalists Andris and Juris Sics, 0.857 seconds off the lead. Germany won men’s singles gold Sunday when Felix Loch defended his 2010 title, before his compatriot Natalie Geisenberger won the women’s event Tuesday. The last time any country won three luge gold medals was 1998, when Germany achieved the feat at the Nagano Olympics. For the first time, a fourth gold medal is on offer in Sochi in the new discipline of the team relay, to be contested Thursday. That sees each country field men’s singles, women’s singles and men’s doubles entries. When one athlete or pair from a country hits a pad at the bottom of the run, their next compatriot is allowed to set off. The total time for the country’s athletes will decide the winner. Dutch dominance of the Sochi Olympic speedskating medals continued Wednesday as veteran Stefan Groothuis clinched the gold medal in the 1,000m. Groothuis, 32, put together a winning time of 1:08.32 minutes at the Adler Arena to lock down a fourth gold medal for the Netherlands out of five events to date. Vancouver team pursuit gold medalist Denny Morrison of Canada was second with 1:08.36, while Michel Mulder, who timed 1:08.74, adds bronze to his gold medal in the 500m, which was a total Dutch sweep. Its unbelievable, said Groothuis. When I started, I didnt even know what the best time was and when I crossed the finish line, I was really surprised. It was the best time Ive ever skated on a low-altitude track. The Netherlands has so far collected 10 of 15 available medals in speedskating. Groothuis, the 2012 world sprint champion and 2012 world single distances champion in the 1,000m, narrowly missed the podium in Vancouver four years ago, finishing fourth. Its great but its also very strange. The last few days Ive been thinking about it and suddenly I am Olympic champion. Its strange but I will get used to it, Groothuis added. Morrison was a late addition to the field after teammate Gilmore Junio gave up his spot. After what he did, it made it even more special. Giving up your spot is unprecedented, Morrison said. I feel like getting my medal and cutting it in half because he deserves it. An expected strong challenge from reigning champion Shani Davis never materialized, with the American star finishing eighth, 0.73 seconds off the pace. The 31-year-old misses out on a third Olympic gold in the event. Another anticipated medal contender, South Koreas Vancouver silver medalist Mo Tae-bum, had a second disappointment in Sochi, finishing 12th nearly a second back. Mo was bumped off the podium in the Dutch 500m sweep, which also saw Mulders twin brother Ronald take the bronze and Jan Smeekins the silver. The Netherlands other gold medal winners in Sochi are Sven Kramer in the mens 5,000m and Ireen Wust in the womens 3,000m.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 01:55:02 +0000
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