5000 Meter Speed Skating Gold for Sven Kramer; Chad Hedrick Fails to Medal

The Netherlands' Sven Kramer set a new Olympic record as he skated to winter Olympic gold during the Men's 5000 meter speed skating competition this afternoon at the Richmond Olympic Oval. American Chad Hedrick, who won the Men's 5000 meter gold in Torino in 2006, finished 9th and failed to defend his Olympic title.

Kramer, considered a pre-race favorite in the 5000 meter distance, skated in an inside lane and was paired with American Shani Davis. Clad in striking orange in honor of his nation, Kramer finished his race with an Olympic record-setting time of 6:14.60. The world record in the Men's 5000 meter distance of 6:03.32 also belongs to Kramer, who set the impressive mark on November 17, 2007 in Calgary. He is also a three-time World Champion in the 5000 meter distance.

Finishing more than two seconds behind Sven Kramer to take the silver medal was Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon with a time of 6:16.95. The bronze went to Russian Federation team member Ivan Skobrev, who finished in 6:18.05.

Kramer celebrated his 5000 meter speed skating win by leaping into the crowd and embracing family and friends. A sea of orange-clad supporters cheered in appreciation.

Chad Hedrick of the United States, considered widely to be the American most likely to medal in the Men's 5000 meter event, finished in 9th place with a time of 6:27.07. Fellow Americans Shani Davis, who is a favorite for gold in both the Men's 1000 and Men's 1500 distances, finished just behind Hendrick in 12th with a time of 6:28.44, and Trevor Marsicano crossed the line in 14th place with a final time of 6:30.93. During a post-event interview with NBC commentator Andrea Joyce, Davis called it "quite the experience" and said he was happy with how he'd performed.

The next Vancouver winter Olympic speed skating event on the schedule is the Ladies' 3000 meter competition, set for tomorrow at 1:00 PM Pacific. Shani Davis will likely feature prominently in the Men's 1500 meter distance, set for February 17, and the Men's 1000 meter distance, scheduled for February 20.

Be sure to check out tonight's Short Track action, which will feature Apolo Ohno's first attempt at becoming the United States' most decorated male winter Olympic athlete.

Sources

List of Speed Skating Records, Wikipedia

Men's 5000 meter speed skating results, Vancouver2010.com

NBC Olympic Broadcast