Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 22 February 2018
Drought over: U.S. women win 1st Olympic cross-country medal

By STEVE REED 35-year-old Randall said.
AP Sports Writer "What really kept me going
PYEONGCHANG, South Ko- over the last four years was
rea (AP) — As she headed trying to contribute toward
up the steepest, most gru- a team medal. To do it with
eling hill of her life in third Jessie one more time is just
place, Jessica Diggins amazing."
thought to herself just win- So move over Bill Koch, you
ning an Olympic medal was have company — finally.
no longer good enough. Koch was the only other
She wanted more. She American to win a medal in
wanted gold. cross-country, taking home
Diggins dug deep, remem- silver at the 1976 Innsbruck
bering all the years of train- Games.
ing she had put in, and of all Diggins and Randall ended
her teammates waiting for that 42-year drought and
her at the finish line to bring surely gave a huge boost
home the United States' to all of the young cross-
first medal ever in women's country skiers back home
cross-country skiing — and in the United States.
then she let loose. “Hearing it out loud, it still
Diggins reached the peak doesn’t feel real,” Randall
of the hill in third place but said. “It’s what I’ve been
sped past Norway's Maiken working on for 20 years and
Caspersen Falla on the last United States' Jessica Diggins, left, and Kikkan Randall celebrate after winning the gold medal with this team for the last
big, winding downhill. She in the women's team sprint freestyle cross-country skiing final at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Py- five years and, wow, it’s just
rounded the final corner eongchang, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. so fun to put it together to-
and took dead aim at Swe- Associated Press night — finally.”
den's Stina Nilsson on the fi- Added Diggins: “It feels un-
nal 100-meter homestretch. team is counting on you, Randall lay on top of a cry- tough times, competing real. I can’t believe it just
The crowd in the grand- you don't give up ever." ing Diggins shaking her ski with the American cross- happened.”
stand was on its feet sens- Diggins certainly didn't give jacket in pure excitement country ski team since the It meant more that their
ing history, and at that mo- up. and utter joy. 2002 Salt Lake City Games. teammates where there
ment Diggins said she felt She blew by Nilsson in a blur "That feeling of being able She said it was also fitting to celebrate — and family,
"unstoppable." to capture gold in the team to cross the line and have that the American women too.
"Around that final corner sprint, bringing the United Kikkan tackle me was the won their first medal in a Diggins’ father, Clay, said
I felt like I was uncoiling a States its first gold medal coolest thing ever," Diggins team event. he had a feeling this was
spring and letting it go," ever in cross-country skiing. said. "I got to see in 2013 when the day the drought would
Diggins said. "Giving it ev- As she crossed the line she It was fitting Randall was we won the world champi- end. Diggins had three top-
erything I had, digging as collapsed in exhaustion as her partner on the two- onships ... that team gold six finishes at the Olympics
deep as I could and putting teammate Kikkan Randall woman team. She has is worth far more than any and Randall was skiing well,
it all out there. When your tackled her in the snow. been through all of the individual accolade," the too.q

Japan and Norway dethrone

Dutch in team pursuit at Olympics

By RAF CASERT Oval, where Dutch domi- coach.
AP Sports Writer nance finally has shown Norway first beat the Dutch
GANGNEUNG, South Ko- some signs of collapse. men in the team pursuit
rea (AP) — Finally, Norwe- And not only from Norway. semifinals. They followed
gian veteran Havard Bokko Japan also dethroned the that with a victory over host
stood atop the highest plat- Netherlands in the wom- nation South Korea in the fi-
form on the Olympic podi- en's team pursuit to restore nal.
um. And glancing down to a semblance of balance in "This is no fun," said Dutch
his left, a step lower, he saw Olympic speedskating. great Sven Kramer, who
the orange-clad Dutch. The world-record holders was looking for a fifth ca-
Something like that had won the women's event reer Olympic gold medal.
never before happened to in a stirring gold-medal Both victorious nations
him at the Olympics. race, edging the defend- knew the Dutch team's
"It is a pretty nice feeling ing champion Dutch with Achilles' heel — individual
to look down on them on an Olympic-record perfor- competition is so tough
the podium," Bokko said mance. that it trumps teamwork.
Wednesday after helping "This is too crazy for words. I And in team pursuit, with
Gold medalist team Norway with Havard Bokko, center, Simen Norway beat the Nether- don't know how we did it," its smooth cooperation be-
Spieler Nilsen, right, and Sverre Lunde Pedersen, left, compete lands in the men's team said Japan coach Johan tween a trio of racers seam-
during the men's team pursuit final speedskating race at the pursuit. de Wit, who has centered lessly trading the lead, the
Gangneung Oval at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung,
South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. There was a recurring sign much of his efforts on the sum of the parts, even if
Associated Press of glee from some of the women's team pursuit since they are not the best, can
athletes at the Gangneung he became the nation's yield gold.q