Jim Byers

TURIN - Make it another double medal, unbelievable speed-skating day for Canada.

In yet another remarkable display on the oval, Canada’s Clara Hughes today won a gold medal in the women’s 5,000-metre race. Canada’s Cindy Klassen got the bronze, while German star Claudia Pechstein won silver.

Klassen was in the top spot with just Pechstein and Hughes to race. They were both behind her pace early, but Hughes put on a startling finish to capture the gold, while Pechstein came second. That still gave Klassen a bronze, her fifth medal of the Turin Games and the sixth of her career -- the most medals ever for a Canadian.

Hughes fell on the ice sobbing after her race was over and hugged just about everyone she could find.

It was the second medal of the Games for the Winnipeg native, her third career Winter Olympics medal and fifth overall Olympic medal. But it was also her first gold medal, and she appeared to be enjoying the experience as much as anyone ever has at an Olympics, waving the Canadian flag and beaming smiles as wide as the Prairies.

Hughes is the only Canadian to have won a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, having taken two bronze medals in cycling in 1996. She won a bronze in speed skating in the 5,000 in Salt Lake City four years ago, then got a silver in the team pursuit event here in Turin.

That makes it 22 medals for Canada at the Turin Games: seven gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals. Sixteen of the 22 medals have been won by Canadian women.

The 22 medals is five more than the previous record of 17, set in Salt Lake City four years ago.

"I am speechless, honestly," Hughes told CBC. "I just believed in myself and knew that my strength would be there at the finish.

"I just believed in myself until the last stride. It almost killed me, but that's what it took to win the Olympics today."

"It’s been an exciting Games and I couldn’t have done it without such an awesome coach and such great teammates," Klassen said. "I’m truly so lucky to be training in Calgary and to be a Canadian.

"It’s just been awesome and I’ve had such a fun time here at the Games here that I’m going to have memories for a lifetime."

Hughes, 33, started slowly and was well behind the 26-year-old Klassen’s intermediate times. But where Klassen, more of a middle-distance skater, tired as the race went on, Hughes gained strength. It was nip and tuck, but Hughes held off Pechstein, the three-time defending Olympic champion, to win in six minutes 59.07 seconds. Pechstein finished one second behind and took the silver. Klassen was timed in 7:00.57.

"Clara had an amazing race and really held it together and had such a great fight in the end to pass Claudia," said Klassen. "She just had an incredible race, I’m so happy for her."

Klassen won a medal in each of her events in Turin: Bronze in the 3,000, silver in the team pursuit and 1,000, and gold in the 1,500. She also won a bronze medal in Salt Lake City.

Klassen set four world records last year, won eight World Cup events and was named Canada’s female athlete of the year, an honour she’ll more than trump for 2006, to be sure.

Klassen didn’t take up speed skating until she was 18. She played field lacrosse at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and was a member of the women’s national junior hockey team in 1996.

Long-track speed skaters have won eight medals for Canada in Turin, seven of them by the women’s team.

Kristina Groves of Ottawa finished sixth in today’s race.

Page mise en ligne par par SVP

Consultez notre ENCYCLOPÉDIE sportive