Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer successfully defended his gold medal in the men's 5,000 meters on Saturday, winning the event at the Sochi Games with an Olympic-record time.
Kramer earned his fifth Olympic medal and second gold after crossing the finish line in six minutes, 10.76 seconds. The Netherlands swept the event with Jan Blokhuijsen finishing 4.95 second behind his countryman for silver and Jorrit Bergsma placing third with a time of 6:16.66.
In addition to winning gold in the 5.000 four years ago in Vancouver, the 27- year-old Kramer also helped Netherlands take bronze in the team pursuit at the 2010 Olympics. He also would have won gold in the 10,000 meters in Vancouver, but was left without a medal after being disqualified for an incorrect lane change, a mistake that allowed Lee Seung-Hoon of South Korea to claim gold instead.
Lee placed 12th in Saturday's competition.
Blokhuijsen earned his second Olympic medal after winning bronze in the team pursuit in Vancouver.
Belgium's Bart Swings finished 1.13 seconds behind Bergsma in fourth place.
American Emery Lehman, a 17-year-old high school senior, finished 16th with a time of 6:29.94. Jonathan Kuck and Patrick Meek placed 19th and 20th for the U.S.
Mathieu Giroux was the lone Canadian participant in the 5,000. He finished in 22nd place.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.