BEIJING: Irene Schouten of the Netherlands scooped up her second Beijing Olympics gold medal when she won the women’s 5,000 metre speed skating event on Thursday, as the Dutch team continued to dominate on ice.
For the second time in the Winter Games, Schouten also broke an Olympic record that had stood untouched for 20 years since Salt Lake City as she whizzed around the oval in ever faster lap times and crossed the finish in six minutes and 43.51 seconds.
“Two races, two golds. I’m so happy. You cannot be better,” Schouten said after her race.
Silver medal winner Isabelle Wiedemann of Canada set the pace as the penultimate pairing, gradually turning up the speed as she whizzed around the National Speed Skating Oval. She skated close to but fell short of setting an Olympic record.
In the final pairing, Schouten maintained a steady pace ahead of the time set by Wiedemann, before racing ahead and crossing the finish line three seconds faster than the Olympic record.
“I felt really good before the race, but I saw that Isabelle skated a really good time. I thought, shit, I have to be faster than 48′. But I skated really good, so I am happy.”
Weidemann, who won bronze in the 3,000m race, finished in 6:48.18 for her second place.
“I’m so excited. I’m overjoyed. Winning a medal earlier in the week I thought was the top of it, so this is also very exciting. I was hoping the 3,000m wasn’t a fluke,” she said.
Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, who won gold in the women’s 5,000m in both Vancouver and Sochi, took bronze in 6:50.09.
Schouten adds her name to a list of skating greats, including German Claudia Pechstein, to win double gold in the 3,000m and 5,000m in the same year.
The Dutch team have already won half of the medals up for grabs in speed skating and appear on track to hit their target of 20 medals overall.
For the second time in the Winter Games, Schouten also broke an Olympic record that had stood untouched for 20 years since Salt Lake City as she whizzed around the oval in ever faster lap times and crossed the finish in six minutes and 43.51 seconds.
“Two races, two golds. I’m so happy. You cannot be better,” Schouten said after her race.
Silver medal winner Isabelle Wiedemann of Canada set the pace as the penultimate pairing, gradually turning up the speed as she whizzed around the National Speed Skating Oval. She skated close to but fell short of setting an Olympic record.
In the final pairing, Schouten maintained a steady pace ahead of the time set by Wiedemann, before racing ahead and crossing the finish line three seconds faster than the Olympic record.
“I felt really good before the race, but I saw that Isabelle skated a really good time. I thought, shit, I have to be faster than 48′. But I skated really good, so I am happy.”
Weidemann, who won bronze in the 3,000m race, finished in 6:48.18 for her second place.
“I’m so excited. I’m overjoyed. Winning a medal earlier in the week I thought was the top of it, so this is also very exciting. I was hoping the 3,000m wasn’t a fluke,” she said.
Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic, who won gold in the women’s 5,000m in both Vancouver and Sochi, took bronze in 6:50.09.
Schouten adds her name to a list of skating greats, including German Claudia Pechstein, to win double gold in the 3,000m and 5,000m in the same year.
The Dutch team have already won half of the medals up for grabs in speed skating and appear on track to hit their target of 20 medals overall.
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