Sweden crowned as ice hockey champs
27/2/2006 15:42
In a first-ever Olympic gold medal game between two Scandinavian
countries, Sweden edged out Finland 3-2 at the Turin Winter Olympics in Turin
yesterday.
Finland forward Kimmo Timonen scored the first goal, power-
playing the puck past Sweden's goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist at 14: 45 of the
first period.
The joy was short-lived as Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas
Kronwall scored, both through power play, at 24:42 and 33:24 for the Swedes in
the second period.
However, the Finns still saw a slim hope looming ahead
after Ville Peltonen leveled the score at 2-2, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and
Olli Jokinen.
The Finns' hopes were dashed 10 seconds into the third period
as Nicklas Lidstrom made the decisive shot, helping the Swedes onto the top
podium.
It's Sweden's first men's ice hockey gold since 1994 when Sweden beat
Canada 3-2 in the final.
Italian Giorgio di Centa seized the penultimate gold
of the Turin Games - also his second - as he finished the grueling men's 50km
cross country skiing in two hours, six minutes and 11.8 seconds.
Cheered on
by a loud crowd, the 33-year-old sprinted ahead on the final straight to give
Italy its third medal and second gold in the cross country events following the
team relay victory.
Russian Eugeni Dementiev, 50th at halfway point, rallied
to take silver, edging Austrian Mikhail Botwinov by 0.8 seconds.
Olympic
chief gave the thumbs-up to the Turin Games, praising the organizers for
providing world-class athletes with venues that enhanced performance.
"I can
tell you that the IOC is happy with the Games," said International Olympic
Committee President Jacques Rogge.
"I refer specifically to probably the best
ever quality of sports infrastructure ... security worked extremely well. The
athletes are happy ... We are very pleased that the athletes in the competition
came to a very high level."
Germany regained its top status following a
second-place finish to Norway four years ago, sweeping 29 medals including 11
golds.
The United States was runner-up with 25 medals including nine golds
and Austria, which also bagged nine golds, placed third with 23
medals.
Doping clouds over Austria haven't been cleared as a three-men panel
appointed by Rogge will look into equipment and drugs confiscated by Italian
police during the joint raids to the living quarters of Austrian biathletes and
cross country skiers last week.
The only confirmed doping case in Turin was
from Russian biathlon Olga Pyleva, who was stripped of her 15km silver medal
after being tested positive for the stimulant carphedon.
Russia finished
fourth on the medal table with eight golds, followed by Canada with
seven.
South Korea won the Asian battle for No. 1 with six golds, all from
short track speedskaters.
China, which sent its biggest delegation ever to a
Winter Games, has clinched two golds, leveling its 2002 haul.
But the world's
most populous nation did make a breakthrough with Han Xiaopeng becoming the
first Chinese to win a gold on snow with victory in the men's freestyle
aerials.
Women's short tracker Wang Meng claimed China's other gold.
Japan
went without gold in 2002 but this time round Shizuka Arakawa skated to the most
coveted honor by winning Asia's first ever Olympic figure skating title.
The
next Games will be held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.
Xinhua News
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