Medals update: Norway stun Olympic record holders ROC in speed skating men's team pursuit final
The Norwegian team took gold in the final, defeating an ROC team that had broken the Olympic record in the semis. B final winners USA claim the bronze.
Speed Skating
Norway skated to victory in the Beijing 2022 speed skating men's team pursuit A final, becoming the first nation to win two Olympic golds in the event's history.
The team, made up of Hallgeir Engebraaten, Peder Kongshaug and Sverre Lunde Pedersen entered the final as underdogs after ROC broke the Olympic record in the semi-finals by setting a time of 3:36.62.
But with gold on the line in the A final, the Norwegians surged ahead to finish the race in 3:38.08, over two seconds ahead of their subdued rivals (3:40.46).
In the B final, which decided the bronze medal winners, the USA came home first in 3:38:81. The Netherlands team finished just off the podium in fourth.
Norway's Pedersen, who endured a tough summer after crashing on his bike in May 2021, was ecstatic with winning gold.
"It means everything. I had a hard summer with almost no training. To be here with a gold medal, it's hard to describe. Russia beat us pretty well in the semifinal. Our plan was to go for it and it worked. We skated faster in the final. It was perfect."
Fellow gold medallist Engebraaten spoke passionately about the bond the team share and how much it means to them to step onto the podium together.
"It's everything. It is something special to take a gold medal with the team. We have had our ups and downs. To be able to stand here as a trio, as Olympic champions, that's just amazing.