The Netherlands is now the single greatest speed

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The Netherlands is now the single greatest speed skating team at an Olympic Games after sweeping the womens 1,500-metre race at the Adler Arena Skating Center in Sochi. Ibrahim Afellay Barcelona Jersey . Jorien ter Mors set an Olympic-record time of one minute 53.51 seconds to win her first Olympic gold medal. Ter Mors just missed a short track medal Saturday, finishing fourth in the 1,500m. "It is bizarre that I can do this," said Ter Mors, who had to wait nearly an hour to know the gold was assured after skating in the ninth of 18 pairings. Veteran Ireen Wust failed to defend her Olympic title but still managed to win silver in 1:54.09. Wust now has six Olympic medals, including three gold and a victory in the womens 3000m in Sochi. "I admit Im a bit ticked," Wust said. "I had [a gold medal] in me. Maybe I was too keen, too concerned about lap times. You have got to be loose out there on the ice, and then the lap times will come. But I dont begrudge Jorien the gold." Lotte van Beek made it a 1-2-3 Dutch finish with a time of 1:54.54. The Dutch team actually had the top-four skaters as Marrit Leenstra finished with a time of 1:56.40. The Netherlands has dominated the proceedings, taking five gold and 16 medals so far in only eight races, eclipsing the record set by East Germany in the 1988 Games in Calgary. It also as swept events in the mens 500 and 5,000m in Sochi. No Canadian women were able to crack the top 10. Reginas Kali Christ placed 16th in 1:53.51. Christine Nesbitt, of London, Ont., finished 17th with a time of 1:58.67, Winnipegs Brittany Schussler was 26th in 2:00.65, while Brianne Tutt of Calgary, ended up 35th in 2:03.69. It was another disappointing event for Nesbitt, who finished ninth in the 1,000m — her signature event — on Thursday. Nesbitt won gold in that distance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She was the 1,500m world champion in 2012, and dominated the World Cup circuit two years ago. But injuries, a battle with coeliac disease and admittedly feeling the pressure of defending Olympic gold have all contributed to Nesbitts dismal season, where she failed to medal in any of the World Cup events. "I think one of the hardest things about winning is that because youve done it once people expect you do it again and again and again," said Kristina Groves, CBC Sports speed skating analyst and four-time Olympic medallist. "I think they forget how hard it is to do that. Nesbitt has had some struggles with injuries, with coeliac disease and that takes a toll over time. But I think she should be proud of this race. I know she was probably expected more but shes been through so much this season. "I thought she looked solid, just a little slow tempo toward the end. I think she should be proud of herself for coming here and giving herself the best chance she possibly could to win a medal for Canada." Ivan Rakitic Barcelona Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. Dani Alves Barcelona Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at the continuing saga of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball involving Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Kerry, Im sure its been asked a million times but during the Habs game Manny Malhotra was ejected out of the face off in the dying seconds of the first that resulted in the Stars winning the faceoff and scoring. Then as I continue to watch the game, or any NHL game in my life for that matter, the linesmen are ejecting guys out of the dot or waiting longer to drop it. My question: what are these guys looking for to drop the black rubber thing on the ice? John Cobb John: In one word, the linesmen are looking for fairness! They want to conduct a fair drop to ensure that one player doesnt gain a distinct advantage over the other by cheating. With the multitude of face-off markings that are on ice, in addition to the procedure spelled out in Rule 76 (face-offs) it really shouldnt be all that difficult for the centers to stand squarely with their stick on the ice in the shaded area of the dot. It all sounds good in theory but as Dale Hunter once told me, Frase, if you aint cheatin you aint tryin! Manny Malhotra is without a doubt the premier face-off expert in the NHL. I can tell you that Manny is also a real solid citizen and a class act. Those fine qualities, however, do not prevent the Habs player from subscribing to Hunters theory whenever he can get away with it. With 2.5 seconds remaining in the first period and a face-off to the right of Carey Price, Malhotra keyed on Mike Cviks hand once the big linesman presented the black disc in preparation of dropping it. As Honda applied finger pressure to the puck just prior to releasing it, Manny jumped prematurely with a stick swing that eliminated opposing center Jason Spezzas stick before drawing the puck cleanly on his backhand. Malhotra beat Cvik to the draw by exerting contact to his opponent and the linesman had no alternative but to eject the Montreal specialist from the face-off. (Here is a test for you. Hold your thumb and pointer-finger together and apply pressure. The fine muscles in your hand will twitch and your thumb nail will even change color at the tip. That creates the trigger switch for an expert like Manny Malhotra to move on. Each linesman can grip the puck a little differently and demonstrate a tell as to the moment he will drop the puck. Experts like Manny Malhotra study these iindividual tendencies) Players must adhere to the following guidelines and enforced by the linesmen as per Rule 76. Ibrahim Afellay Youth Jersey. 4, which states that when the face-off takes place in any of the end face-off circles, the players taking part shall take their position so that they will stand squarely facing their opponents end of the rink, and clear of the ice markings. The sticks of both players facing-off shall have the blade on the ice, within the designated white area. The visiting player shall place his stick within the designated white area first followed immediately by the home player. It really shouldnt be all that difficult for players to follow those clear instructions. Violations that result in an ejection are: i) One or both centers are not positioned for the face-off, ii) One or both centers refrain from placing their stick on the ice, iii) Any player has encroached into the face-off circle, iv) Any player makes physical contact with an opponent, or v) Any player who lines up for the face-off in an off-side position. A referees best friend is a moving puck. Trust me when I tell you I wanted face-offs to be conducted by the linesmen as quickly and efficiently as humanly possible. I respect their need for maintaining the integrity of an end-zone face-off because, as we saw in this situation, a goal resulted just prior to the horn sounding. Fans get frustrated and frequently blame the linesmen when players are ejected from the face-off circle or it seems to take forever to drop the puck. The last thing any linesman wants is to become the goat when a flawed face-off results in a goal. As much as I respect their position, I have to admit that I stood on the goal line many times and uttered under my breath, just drop the puck! One night in the Joe Lewis Arena, my friend and colleague linesman Dan McCourt was taking forever to drop the puck for an end zone face-off. I finally skated into the face-off circle from my opposite side goal-line position and said to Chief, The artist sitting in the first row just informed me that he has finished your still portrait and its okay for you to drop the puck now. Just open your hand and let gravity take over! You can imagine what linesman Chief Dan McCourt told me to do. I still chuckle how the two centers just about fell over laughing as I skated back to my position. The puck eventually fell and another perfect face-off was conducted. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '