Germans End Cross-Country Grief
February 18, 2006
One of the Turin Olympics' busiest days saw Germans take to the podium in three events and collect four medals, including a gold for Kati Wilhelm and silver for Martina Glagow in the 10-km biathlon pursuit.
Wilhelm's time around the grueling Cesana San Sicario's five-lap circuit in thick snow was a whopping 1:13.6 ahead of compatriot Martina Glagow and 1:21.4 in front of Albina Akhatova of Russia in silver and bronze positions respectively.
"I had a great race today," said the 29-year-old German soldier who sports a shock of dyed-red hair. "From the start of the race I felt the skis were very fast and I was in good shape."
Wilhelm's win meant she became the first female biathlete to win three Olympic golds, after two top finishes in the 2002 Games. It was also the much-vaunted German team's first gold in women's biathlon events in the Turin Games.
Russian athlete sent home for doping
The biathlon also saw the Games' first confirmed doping case as Russia's Olga Pyleva's silver medal in the 15-km race was awarded to Germany's Glagow after Pyleva tested positive for a banned stimulant and was banned from the sport for two years. Pyleva said she did not plan to return to biathlon.
On the men's side, Sven Fischer started first in the biathlon's 12.5-kilometre pursuit after winning gold in the sprint on Tuesday but the 34-year-old German couldn't maintain his lead.
Fischer's problems started with four mistakes in the two opening shoots, but he managed to return with a pair of clean standing shoots to hold on to bronze, behind Frenchman Vincent Defrasne and Norwegian Ole Einar Bjorndalen.
Suspended Stehle wins silver
After being suspended from the first five days of competition for abnormally high red blood cell levels, Germany's Evi Sachenbacher Stehle pushed the 4x5 km relay cross-country team to silver.
Making her move on a steep accent, the 25-year-old broke away from the pack and gave Claudia Künzel a 12-second lead for her final leg.
"At about the middle of the leg I knew I had to attack and that's exactly what I did," Sachenbacher Stehle said. "At some point in the race I saw that nobody was behind me and it felt great."
Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva-Abruzova, however, caught up with Künzel in the final lap to take the gold medal away from Stefanie Böhler, Viola Bauer, Sachenbacher Stehle, and Künzel.
Norway, Croatia also win gold
In other events Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt drew on all his experience to win a third Winter Olympics super-G gold on Saturday while Croatia's Janica Kostelic defended her women's alpine combined title for a fourth Olympic gold.
Shani Davis of the U.S. won the men's 1,000-meter speedskating gold medal and countryman Joey Cheek took the silver ahead of the Netherlands' Erben Wennemars.
Super-Saturday later sees the large hill ski jump, women's 1,500m in short-track speed skating and the men's 1,000m long-track.
The ski jumping event will take place without Germany's Alexander Herr, who has returned to Germany after a falling out with his coach. Herr called his coach, Peter Rohwein, incompetent after he wasn't granted a spot in the large hill jump.
"Alex Herr was not nominated, and even if another athlete pulls out he won't be nominated," said Ralf Eder, a spokesman for the German ski federation. "The reason for the decision was his comments after the nomination."