Sochi Olympics roundup: Dutch finish domination of long-track speedskating

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Norway’s Marit Bjoergen wins gold as she crosses the finish line in the women’s cross-country skiing 30km mass start free. (Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)

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Norway’s Marit Bjoergen, Kristin Stoermer Steira and Therese Johaug compete in the women’s cross-country skiing 30km mass start free race. (Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP/Getty Images)

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Norway’s Therese Johaug leads the pack as she competes in the women’s cross-country skiing 30km mass start free. (Odd Andersen, AFP/Getty Images)

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Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (5-3) competes at the shooting range in the men’s biathlon 4x7.5 km relay at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center. (Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP/Getty Images)

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From left: Netherlands’ Ireen Wust, Marrit Leenstra and Jorien ter Mors compete in the women’s speed skating team pursuit final at the Adler Arena. (Antonin Thuillie, AFP/Getty Images)

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Great Britain’s 2 four-man bobsleigh, pilot Lamin Deen, pushman John Baines, pushman Andrew Matthews and brakeman Ben Simons compete in the bobsleigh four-man heat 1 at the Sanki Sliding Center. (Leon Neal, AFP/Getty Images)

By Jared S. Hopkins and John Cherwa

Feb. 22, 2014 5:36 PM PT

SOCHI, Russia — As the Dutch closed a record-setting Olympics in speedskating, the U.S. team could take solace in that they could lose no more races.

“My skating’s been very frustrating, so it’s nice to realize that it’s just skating and there’s a lot of other stuff to look forward to in life and to put this behind me,” said Jonathan Kuck, 23, who plans to retire. “So, in that sense it is nice to be done with it.”

Dutch long-track speedskaters finished with 23 medals — including a record eighth gold after Dutch men and women each won the team pursuit Saturday. The Korean men took silver and Poland got bronze. Poland’s women finished second, followed by Russia.

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The U.S. men finished seventh by beating France, and the women finished sixth after losing to Canada.

Sochi is the first Games since 1984, and second ever, where U.S. long-track skaters finished without a medal.

Cross-country: Marit Bjoergen of Norway became the most decorated female Winter Olympian when she won her sixth gold medal and third of these Games with a win in the women’s 30-kilometer race. It was her 10th total medal.

Norway showed its dominance by sweeping the podium. Therese Johaug picked up the silver and Kristin Stoermer Steira the bronze.

Liz Stephens was the highest U.S. finisher, in 24th. Also competing were Holly Brooks (27th), Kikkan Randall (28th) and Jessica Diggins (40th).

Biathlon: Russia’s 4 X 7.5-kilometer relay team put the host nation in a tie with Norway for most gold medals when it won its 11th of the Games. Alexey Volkov, Yevgeny Ustyugov, Dmitry Malyshko and Anton Shipulin made up the winning team. Shipulin rallied from third on the last lap and forced Germany to the silver position. Austria won the bronze.

The 16th-place U.S. team was composed of Lowell Bailey, Russell Currier, Sean Doherty and Leif Nordgren.