Kramer claims third straight 5,000m gold

PYEONGCHANG - Reuters

Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer raced into the record books on Feb. 11 by winning his third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meters.

Kramer, the first man to win three golds in the same speed skating event at the Winter Games, set an Olympic record of six minutes 09.76 seconds, finishing ahead of Canada’s Ted-Jan Bloemen with Norway’s Sverre Lunde Pedersen claiming bronze.

The 31-year-old, who won silver in the 5,000m at the Games in Turin in 2006 as well as gold in Vancouver and Sochi, started strongly and settled into a steady rhythm as he glided to victory in Gangneung.

Kramer is the second male speed skater to win four Olympic medals in a single event, following in the footsteps of compatriot Bob de Jong, who got four medals in the men’s 10,000m.

Bloemen, the world record holder in both the 5,000m and 10,000m, edged out Pedersen for silver in a dramatic photo finish.

Dutch-born Bloemen, who is eligible to race for Canada through his father, switched allegiance in 2014 and is only the second Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the 5,000m, after William Logan won bronze in the event in 1932 Olympics.