Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic has owned the distance events for three years after finishing fourth in the 5,000 metres in Turin.
EMAIL
| PRINT
| REPORT TYPO
| SEND YOUR FEEDBACK
|
Olympic preview: Women's 3,000 metres
- February 14, 2010 3:41 PM |
- By Erin Valois
Story provided by
Speed skating: Women's 3,000
The contenders
Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic has owned the distance events for three years after finishing fourth in the 5,000 metres in Turin. She is the world single-distance champion at 5,000 metres and the combined 3,000-5,000 World Cup standings champion for three straight seasons and has won three of the five World Cup 3,000s this season. Stephanie Beckert of Germany has the other two World Cup wins at the distance this season. Daniela Anschütz Thoms of Germany is in her third Olympics and this is her best distance.
The top five (Current World Cup rankings)
1. Martina Sablikova, Czech Republic, 460 points
2. Stephanie Beckert, Germany, 430
3. Daniela Anschütz Thoms, Germany, 315
4. Kristina Groves, Canada, 290
5. Masako Hozumi, Japan, 222
Canadian medal hopes
Canada's five-event hero, Kristina Groves, was the world single-distance champion in this event in 2008 but her best finish in the World Cup this season is third. She was eighth in this event in Turin.
Dark horses
Cindy Klassen, the medal machine from Turin, has bronzes in this event from both 2002 in Salt Lake City and 2006 in Turin. She is only 11th in the World Cup this season, though, upon her return from knee surgery. At 37, Clara Hughes's best days may be behind her but she has demonstrated her ability to perform on the Olympic stage for more than a decade. She comes in ranked seventh in this season's World Cup.
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
Recent Entries
- To Iginla, Crosby's call sounded like gold
- "Iggy!" It's a scream Jarome Iginla has heard many times in his career. But never this loudly, never with so much urgency.... Continue reading this post
- Olympic Memories: Heartbreak and triumph
- For all the moments that made you so damned happy you wanted to cry -- the triumph of Alex Bilodeau and his brother Frederic, the delirium of Marianne St-Gelais as she watched her boyfriend Charles Hamelin win gold, the pure... Continue reading this post
- Olympic Memories: The strength of a lion
- It happened in a blink. A skier was skittering down a steep and icy slope at Whistler Olympic Park and disappeared into the woods.... Continue reading this post
