Dutch rule the ice at Utah's Olympic Oval

KEARNS — For local fans walking into the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns on Thursday, it was like being transported into a different realm. Supporters from many countries have turned out in full force to root for the athletes at the 2007 ISU World Single Distance Speedskating Championships. Around the arena, people were waving flags from Canada, Italy and Norway, but the Dutch supporters, almost eponymous with speedskating at this point, took over a whole section of the stands. Orange was everywhere, from bulky ski parkas to umbrella hats.

Only two events, the men's 5,000m and the ladies' 1,500m, were scheduled to start off the competition, and the orange-bearing Dutch fans got their money's worth when their athletes won both events.

For all the talk about the new faces on the U.S. speedskating team leading up to this week's competition, Thursday's races were peppered with veterans, including Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick and Catherine Raney, who have six Olympics between them. The upheaval the team has been going through was in evidence in the final results, however, with the highest-placing American, Davis, finishing 10th in the men's 5,000m. It was also punctuated by Hedrick's nasty fall in the middle of his race.

Hedrick was coming around the outer turn on the south end of the arena when his skate lost its edge and he crashed to the ice, aggravating an already hurting knee.

"I had an MRI on Monday, and it showed fluid in my meniscus," Hedrick said. "I just stepped on the marker out there and landed right on my knee cap, probably the worst place I could have hit."

Hedrick got up and finished the race but ended up dead last in the standings with a time of 6:48:02. He was obviously limping following his race, but he still hopes to compete in his other events, the 10,000m and the 1,500m.

"I just really wanted to skate this week," Hedrick said.

Sven Kramer from the Netherlands won the men's 5,000m with a time of 6:10:70. Kramer finished second to Hedrick at the Torino Olympics just over a year ago.

"He's won every race this year," Norway's coach Peter Mueller said. "The best man won today."

Mueller, a 1976 speedskating gold medalist for the United States and the former coach of speedskating stars Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen, has revitalized Norway's speedskating program in recent years and had two athletes place in the top 10 of the men's 5,000m.

Italy's Enrico Fabris took second in the 5,000m with a time of 6:12:53 and Carl Verheijen from the Netherlands rounded out the top three with a 6:15:21.

In the ladies' 1,500m, Ireen Wust from the Netherlands nipped the competition, finishing first with a time of 1:52:71. Two Canadians — world record holder Cindy Klassen (1:53:40) and Kristina Groves (1:54:39) — took second and third.

Raney was the highest-placing American woman, finishing 12th with a time of 1:58:56. Fellow Americans Anna Ringsred (1:59:85) and Maria Lamb (2:00:43) finished 15th and 16th, respectively.

In today's competition, American Tucker Fredricks, competing against teammates Kip Carpenter, Chris Needham and Davis, is expected to contend for the world record in the men's 500m while Raney and Maria Lamb are set to challenge the competitors in the ladies 3,000m.

---

E-mail: hbruce@desnews.com