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World record:
Martina Sábliková, Salt Lake City, Mar 11, 2007
20,07 - 51,31 - 1.23,32 - 1.55,05 - 2.26,82 - 2.58,59 - 3.30,64 - 4.02,85 - 4.35,35 - 5.07,53 - 5.40,17 - 6.12,71 - 6.45,61
Lowland record:
Martina Sábliková, Heerenveen, Feb 7, 2007
20,11 - 51,73 - 1.24,05 - 1.56,58 - 2.29,13 - 3.01,83 - 3.34,37 - 4.07,01 - 4.39,67 - 5.12,42 - 5.44,74 - 6.17,31 - 6.49,31
Olympic record:
Claudia Pechstein, Salt Lake City, Feb 23, 2002
19,79 - 51,50 - 1.23,89 - 1.55,95 - 2.28,33 - 3.00,47 - 3.32,87 - 4.05,35 - 4.37,67 - 5.10,01 - 5.42,49 - 6.14,86 - 6.46,91
Rink record:
Martina Sábliková, Mar 14, 2009
20,51 - 52,53 - 1.25,01 - 1.57,95 - 2.30,72 - 3.03,69 - 3.36,60 - 4.09,66 - 4.42,91 - 5.16,30 - 5.49,78 - 6.23,84 - 6.57,84
Season best and lowland season best:
Martina Sábliková, Hamar, Nov 21, 2009
20,11 - 51,69 - 1.23,87 - 1.56,23 - 2.28,56 - 3.01,09 - 3.33,70 - 4.06,25 - 4.38,93 - 5.11,63 - 5.44,21 - 6.17,04 - 6.50,07
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Best nation:
Germany has four golds, by Gunda Niemann 1992 (7.31,57) and Claudia Pechstein 1994 (7.14,37), 1998 (6.59,61) and 2002 (6.46,91). The Netherlands and Canada have one each.
Best individual skater:
Claudia Pechstein by far, with her three golds, half of the ones awarded so far. And dearly would she like to have a fourth. Sorry Claudia, maybe next time.
Biggest win:
Gunda Niemann, 6.02 seconds ahead of Heike Warnicke in Albertville 1992.
Narrowest win:
In Nagano 1998, Gunda was first in the world to skate below 7 minutes in the 7th pair with her 6.59,65. But her laps were slowing after 3000 m, and in the next and last pair, Pechstein followed her laptimes tentatively and found the strength to set in an attack at 3000, dipping below at 3400 and building a lead of 17, then 68, then 79 hundreds. But she was tiring and her laptimes rising. At 4600, her lead had diminished to 70 hundreds, and struggling with a last lap above 34, she only just made it, finishing in 6.59,61, 4/100 ahead of Gunda.
Most surprising win:
The most surprining win perhaps was the one of Pechstein in 1994. The super favourite to three golds, Gunda Niemann, had won nothing when she started the last distance in the 6th pair. But after all this was her best distance, and another accident like the one in the 3000 m was not likely. Pechstein was then in the lead with her time 7.14,37, close behind the OR. Claudia had opened fast and slowed near the end. Gunda started much faster, passing the 2200 m 4.04 seconds ahead. But then her lead diminished: 3.65 - 2.93 - 1.99 - 1.11 - 0.44, at the bell she was 11/100 behind, and the finish line, she crossed at 7.14,88. Thus the 6 year old Olympic record of van Gennip, only beaten as world record earlier that season, survived surprisingly 4 more years.
I wish everyone a happy 5000 m, and 4 more years of happiness, grace and good laptimes.
LEF