What a finish! Van der Poel gives Sweden speedskating gold

KIFI

Published February 6, 2022 4:02 AM

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP National Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Nils van der Poel has given Sweden its first Olympic speedskating medal since 1988. He pulled off a stunning comeback to win gold in the 5,000 meters at the Beijing Games. Van der Poel was a big favorite coming into the event as the reigning world champion with an undefeated record on this season’s World Cup circuit. He lived up to the hype at the Ice Ribbon oval, turning on the speed at the end to overcome Patrick Roest of the Netherlands with an Olympic record of 6 minutes, 8.84 seconds. The bronze went to Hallgeir Engebraaten of Norway.

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