Klassen gold, Groves silver in 1,500
Last Updated: Wed Feb 22 13:23:29 EST 2006
CBC Sports

Winnipeg's Cindy Klassen skated to gold in the women's 1,500 metres Wednesday in Turin. (Getty Images/Torsten Silz)

 

Cindy Klassen's fourth medal of the Torino Olympic Winter Games was pure gold as she and teammate Kristina Groves placed 1-2 in Wednesday's women's 1,500 metre long-track speed skating event.

Up against German rival and defending champion Anni Freisinger in the penultimate pairing, Klassen pulled away over the final 400 metres to finish in one minute, 55.27 seconds.

"She is so strong," CBC Sports analyst Catriona Le May Doan said of the Winnipeg native, who set a world record of 1:51.79 in World Cup competition last Nov. 20.

It was the second big whoop-up for Canada Wednesday as earlier in the day 22-year-old Chandra Crawford, in her Olympic debut, won gold in the cross-country sprint.

Groves, from Ottawa, skated brilliantly in the 15th of 18 pairings to take the silver medal in a swift 1:56.74.

Freisinger, who claimed the gold in Olympic-record time (1:54.02) at Salt Lake City four years ago, settled for fourth behind bronze medallist Ireen Wust of the Netherlands.

Klassen has won four medals at Turin - one gold, silvers in the 1,000 and team pursuit and bronze in the 3,000 - to set a new Canadian record for a female athlete in a Winter Games.

Swimmers Anne Ottenbrite and Elaine Tanner both earned three medals in a single Summer Olympics.

Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., clocked 1:59.15 to finish seventh overall.

Winnipeg's Shannon Rempel came 28th in 2:02.24.

Ailing American Chris Witty withdrew and likely will retire.

Witty, who owns the world record in the 1,000 and toted the flag for the United States in the opening ceremonies, won Olympic bronze in the 1,500 at the 1998 Nagano Games.

She finished 27th in this past Sunday's 1,000.

 

 

CINDY KLASSEN 4 MEDAL MOST WON BY CANADIAN WOMAN IN HISTORY..