Bjoergen claims third gold, hosts net eighth

Vancouver: Norwegian cross country skier Marit Bjoergen became the first triple gold medallist of the Vancouver Olympics on Thursday as Canada joined Germany and the United States at the top of the medal standings.

The Canadians beat the US 2-0 in the women’s ice hockey final to trigger wild celebrations at Canada Hockey Place and add to the suffocating pressure on the men’s team to emulate their feat in the final event of the Games on Sunday. German Viktoria Rebensburg won the women’s giant slalom, which was delayed 24 hours because of fog, without her parents on hand to see her unexpected win as they flew home after Wednesday’s opening leg when she was in sixth place. American Bill Demong won gold in the Nordic combined to help make up for the US loss in the women’s hockey final that left the two North American rivals tied with Germany at the top of the table on eight golds each. The US led overall from Germany and Canada because they have more silver and bronze. Belarus collected their first Winter Olympic gold when Alexei Grishin won the men’s freestyle aerials at Cypress Mountain. Jeret Peterson of the US took silver and China’s Liu Zhongqing the bronze. The 13th full day of competition also brought the first arrest of an athlete. The United States Olympic Committee said American bobsleigh crew member Bill Schuffenhauer was detained by police who confirmed that an athlete was held on domestic assault charges and released on bail. Royal Approval Bjoergen, 29, skied the last leg of the 4x5km relay in front of a packed grandstand where Norway’s King Harald V was watching. She grabbed a Norwegian flag and skied without using poles in the final metres to her fourth podium finish in four events. “This has been so great. I had a dream of winning one gold medal and now I have three so this has been a wonderful Games for me,” said Bjoergen. With three in the top four after Wednesday’s first run, the Austrians had looked set to win their first Olympic gold in the Alpine events at Whistler mountain but again came up short. Austria’s Elisabeth Goergl was first after the opening leg but found a soft course on the second run and ended up with her second bronze of the Games. The silver went to Slovenia’s Tina Maze, who finished just 0.04 seconds behind Rebensburg, a former junior world champion yet to win a World Cup race on the senior circuit. Rebensburg weaved her way to the front with a dazzling second run to become Germany’s first women’s giant slalom champion in 54 years and second youngest Alpine gold medallist. “It sounds so strange, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “I think it’s going to take a few days for me to realise it.” Two Goals After Finland beat Sweden 3-2 to claim the women’s ice hockey bronze medal, Canadian forward Marie-Philip Poulin scored both goals in the first period of the final against the US. Canada’s men, watching from the stands, play Slovakia in Friday’s men’s semi-finals while the US face off against Finland. The last of six gold medals to be decided on Thursday was in the women’s figure skating. Six-times Canadian champion Joannie Rochette lay third behind South Korea’s Kim Yuna and Japan’s Mao Asada after the short programme, having skated with remarkable courage following her mother’s death earlier in the week. On the curling rink, Canada’s women continued to clean up, advancing to the final against Sweden by beating Switzerland in a tense semi. The Canadian men also booked their place in the final with a 6-3 win over Sweden to extend their unbeaten run. They play Norway, who have developed a cult following in Vancouver with their diamond-print pants, in the final. One of the leading women in the run-up to the Games may fall short of expectations due to spills and injury. American Lindsey Vonn will chase her third Olympic Alpine skiing medal in Friday’s women’s slalom, but with a modified glove after she fractured her little finger. Bureau Report