‘94 WINTER OLYMPICS / LILLEHAMMER : NOTEBOOK

Norwegian speedskating hero Johann Olav Koss did it again here Sunday.

He not only won again, becoming the first triple-gold medalist of the Games, but he set another world record, also his third.

Koss trimmed 12.99 seconds from his world record in the 10,000 meter, skating it in 13 minutes 30.55 seconds to become the first skater to set world records in three events in one Olympics.

The 25-year-old Oslo medical student also set records last week in the 5,000 and 1,500 meters.

“I don’t know if I know what I’ve done,” Koss said. “It was unbelievable. I did not know it was possible to skate so fast.”

Once again performing before a packed house of about 12,000, Koss went out fast and finished fast, to the thunderous chants of “Johann! Johann! Johann!”

He was 18.70 seconds faster than countryman Kjell Storelid, who had also skated second to Koss in the 5,000. Bart Velkamp of the Netherlands, the 10,000 gold medalist in 1992, was third, 26.18 seconds behind Koss.

There was a change in the procedure for the 10,000. Usually, the better skaters go first, but, in an effort to build drama, Koss was sent off in one of the late pairs. That meant most of the crowd stood for more than 1 1/2 hours, waiting for him. And he didn’t disappoint, becoming the first three-time speedskating gold medalist since Eric Heiden swept all five of the men’s events for the United States in 1980.