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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Women’s speed skating: Wüst spearheads record-breaking
gold rush for Dutch at the Adler Arena</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ireen Wüst was
confirmed as queen of the speed skating events at Sochi 2014, claiming two
golds and three silvers, leading another incredible showing by Dutch skaters at
the Adler Arena, which also saw Jorien ter Mor’s audacious switch from short
track to long track rewarded with a gold in the 1,500m and a new Olympic
record. The Dutch didn’t have it all their own way: Korean Lee Sang-Hwa
underlined her status as the fastest female skater over 500m, retaining her
title in record-breaking style, while Martina Sablikova secured another 1,500m
title. Meanwhile the biggest surprise of the programme came from Zhang Hong of
China, who stunned the favourites to clinch gold in the 1,000m.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwB78S98TiLsRQcKYYneoTK4c44jkC2OWUTr4WroMbjHQGiMqIIH5nTc6X4qVp0odsitwu7-ach8fOUHAT7zWzhB3sThW2xgq28ZmZ2JDafNPpfw0R4SEFcMRz8W4yLgCWXKfq9QOBm4/s1600/speed+scottineg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwB78S98TiLsRQcKYYneoTK4c44jkC2OWUTr4WroMbjHQGiMqIIH5nTc6X4qVp0odsitwu7-ach8fOUHAT7zWzhB3sThW2xgq28ZmZ2JDafNPpfw0R4SEFcMRz8W4yLgCWXKfq9QOBm4/s1600/speed+scottineg.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ireen Wüst (NED)
secured gold in the 3,000m with a scintillating display of power and speed at
the Adler Arena. The Dutchwoman bagged her third Olympic gold medal in a time
of 04:00.34, over one and a half seconds faster than close rival Martina
Sablikova (CZE). There was also joy for host nation Russia, which celebrated
its first medal of Sochi 2014 after Olga Graf put in a lifetime-best 4:03.47 to
claim a deserved bronze. </span></div>
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Sablikova, who won this event by two seconds at Vancouver 2010, looked likely
to repeat the feat after clocking a formidable time of 04:01.95, but had to
settle for silver after a quite devastating riposte from the 27 year-old Wüst.
The Dutchwoman set an exhilarating pace from the start of her outing, the
penultimate run of Sunday’s contest, and her position at the top of the podium
was rarely in much doubt during a controlled and confident skate.</span></div>
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Victory ensured that Wüst regained the 3,000m title she won in Turin eight
years earlier, and brought up a hat-trick of Olympic triumphs after her 1,500m
win in Vancouver. It also made her the joint most successful Dutch athlete in
Winter Games history. “I’ve now won gold three times in a row, I can't believe
it," she said. “The pressure was enormous. I gave everything. I did not
focus on a specific time, I just decided to skate a consistent race. Actually,
because of that, I didn't start very well.”</span></div>
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101 sports updates Women’s speed skating: Wüst spearheads record-breaking gold rush for Dutch at the Adler Arena:

Women’s speed skating: Wüst spearheads record-breaking gold rush for Dutch at the Adler Arena : Ireen Wüst was confirmed as ...