BEIJING (Reuters) -Sweden’s Nils van der Poel skated a blistering last lap to snatch the gold medal in the 5,000 metres speed skating at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday, ending Dutchman Sven Kramer’s 12-year monopoly on the title.
The Swede, who broke the world record at Salt Lake City two months ago, trailed Dutchman Patrick Roest by more than a second throughout the race but stormed to victory in an Olympic record time of six minutes 08.84 seconds.
“I was keeping it steady and feeling confident halfway through the race… But then when the second 29.3 (laptime) came up I thought ‘Shit, I’ve got to go now’,” he said.
“I was launching for it and it was the Olympic race, that was all I had.”
After crossing the line, Van der Poel took off his glasses and his hood before raising his arms in the air in triumph with a smile on his face.
Coach Joel Eriksson said that they had strategised to keep a 29.1 second laptime to win, and that he was biting his nails watching van der Poel’s pace drop around the 3000m mark.
“But then he put it down and he just did a finish like Nils can do. When you think he’s dying he puts in another gear,” he said, calling the race “perfect”.
Roest, who had also skated an Olympic record time in his earlier race, took silver in 6.09.31 while Norwegian Hallgeir Engebraaten claimed the bronze in 6.09.88.
“It’s just painful,” said Roest, who looked dejected as he spoke to media. He was seen clutching his hair as he watched Van der Poel race.
“It’s never fun (watching the rest of the race). You know your race… then you cannot do anything about it anymore, it’s not in your hands anymore. That’s difficult.”
Three-times champion Kramer, whose domination of the event spanned three Olympics, placed ninth overall out of 20 skaters.
Beijing will be the 35-year-old’s last Winter Games before he retires from the sport.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Ken Ferris, Clare Fallon and Hugh Lawson)
