Sochi Olympics: Martina Sablikova wins women’s 5,000-meter speedskating

SOCHI, Russia — Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic defended her Olympic speedskating title in the women’s 5,000 meters Wednesday, knocking the Dutch off the top step of the medal podium.

Sablikova set a track record at Adler Arena with a time of 6 minutes, 51.54 seconds.

The Netherlands didn’t earn a gold, but they did claim two more medals. Ireen Wust took the silver in 6:54.28, while Carien Kleibeuker grabbed the bronze in 6:55.66.

It was Wust’s fourth medal of the Sochi Games, added to a gold in the 3,000 and silvers in the 1,000 and 1,500.

Racing against Sablikova in the seventh of eight pairs, Wust pushed the pace with hope of hanging on. But she began to fade just past the midway point, and Sablikova never let up.

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