Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 20 February 2018

Fit to be tied: Canada, Germany

share 2-man bobsled gold

The closest Olympic sliding We tied and it was fantas- finished with the same time.
race in history had two sets tic for us.” It was Canada’s Italy got the win that year
of winners Monday. Cana- second gold medal in two- because of a tiebreaker
da and Germany will share man bobsledding — both that’s no longer in use, with
gold from the two-man coming in a tie. The Ca- the edge going to the sled
bobsled event at the Py- nadians shared gold with with the fastest heat.
eongchang Olympics after Italy in 1998, with Pierre Nico Walther and Chris-
Kripps and Kopacz finished Lueders driving that sled tian Poser of Germany,
their four runs in the exact for Canada. Lueders was the leaders after Sunday’s
same time as the German there Monday night, since first two runs, were fourth
duo of Francesco Friedrich he now coaches the host — only 0.20 seconds back.
Driver Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz of Canada, above, and Thorsten Margis. South Koreans. Johannes Lochner and
celebrate as they cross the finish area, and driver Francesco The winning time: 3 min- “Pierre is actually the guy Christopher Weber, also
Friedrich, right, and Thorsten Margis of Germany celebrate after utes, 16.86 seconds. who taught me how to from Germany, were fifth in
they tied for the gold medal during the two-man bobsled final “I managed to see the drive a bobsled,” said 3:17.14.
at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, clock that said No. 1 on it,” Kripps, who was born in Ha- “This is what makes the
Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. Kripps said, as the German waii, calls Canada home sport amazing,” U.S. bob-
Associated Press
team sat to his right after and also holds an Austra- sledder Nick Cunningham
the race. “At first I thought lian passport. “It was pretty said. “Anyone can win on
that we won outright, and cool that he was here to any given day.”
then these guys jumped see it.” Latvia got bronze, Or on this day, two different
over and they were super- with Oskars Melbardis and anyones.
excited. And I was like, Janis Strenga finishing 0.05 “It’s really special that we
‘These guys are really hap- seconds back to complete managed to come out
py for us.’” the closest three-sled fin- on top and tie with such a
Well, technically, they ish in Olympic history. And good team,” Kripps said.
were. afterward, Kripps, Friedrich “We pushed hard from the
Kripps, the final driver on and Melbardis all not only first heat to the last and in
the track, had the lead for had similar times — but simi- general I thought we exe-
much of the fourth heat. lar thoughts. cuted better as we went ...
But with the margins so “It’s crazy,” Kripps said. and we needed every bit
close, Friedrich started to “It was crazy,” Friedrich of it, too.”
think that a shared gold said. “Crazy, crazy, crazy, Based on their World Cup
was somehow possible. crazy,” Melbardis said. two-man results this season,
By TIM REYNOLDS ish line. They knew they Turns out, he was right. Perhaps even more un- the logjam going into the
AP Sports Writer had just won an Olympic “We saw he was one-hun- believably, it was the third finale wasn’t a total shock.
PYEONGCHANG, South gold medal for Canada, dredth in front, two-hun- time a two-man competi- Kripps finished no lower
Korea (AP) — Justin Kripps and were puzzled why the dredths in front, three-hun- tion ended in a tie. The oth- than fourth in every two-
and Alexander Kopacz rival Germans were running dredths in front,” Friedrich er was in 1968, when Italy man race all year and
were thoroughly confused their way to celebrate. said. “I thought we would got the gold over West Ger- was the World Cup overall
when they crossed the fin- Eventually, it made sense. tie or we would get silver. many even though they champion.q

Lorentzen puts Norway back on Olympic speedskating map

By RAF CASERT added a 10th gold in the started to spout the damn-
AP Sports Writer two-man bobsled, but Nor- ing statistics.
GANGNEUNG, South Ko- way moved back in front “It’s been 20 years since
rea (AP) — At an Olympics with an 11th in ski jumping’s the last Olympic gold med-
where almost everything is team event. al,” he said, referring to
going Norway’s way, even Lorentzen won in 34.41 sec- the 1998 win over 1,500 by
its speedskaters are back onds at the Gangneung Adne Sondral.
on top. Oval. He beat Cha Min- And there was more.
Havard Lorentzen proved Kyu of South Korea, who “It is 70 years since the 500
that a program which has had equaled the Olym- meters,” he said, remem-
been in disarray for two de- pic record earlier, by 0.01 bering Finn Helgesen, who
cades is on the up by win- seconds. Twenty-year-old won at the 1948 St. Moritz
ning the 500-meter gold Gao Tingyu of China took Games. “Long enough.”
Monday in an Olympic re- bronze. The last great Norwe-
cord time. Ronald Mulder, the twin gian speedskater was Jo-
To make it even better, the Gold medalist Havard Lorentzen of Norway celebrates setting brother of 2014 Olympic hann Olav Koss, who won
a new Olympic record during the men’s 500 meters speedskat-
Dutch were nowhere in ing race at the Gangneung Oval at the 2018 Winter Olympics in champion Michel Mulder, three gold medals at the
sight, totally shut out in an Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. was the best Dutch skater, 1994 Lillehammer Games.
event which they swept Associated Press finishing in seventh place. Speedskating in Norway
only four years ago. supremacy. “It is good to country, a powerhouse The Norwegian frustration then went into a steady
“We don’t like it when the beat them. This is as a good best known for its Alpine at being unable to com- decline, without a single
Dutch win that much,” as it gets.” and cross-country skiers, pete with the best sat so medal at the 2010 Vancou-
Lorentzen said of their cen- The 25-year-old Norwe- its 10th gold medal and deep that Lorentzen had ver Games or in Sochi four
tury-old rivalry for skating gian speedskater gave his 27th overall. Germany later barely left the ice when he years ago.q