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Dutch grab 1,000m gold

Russians Tatiana Navka, right, and Roman Kostomarov during the Original Dance portion of the Ice Dancing Competition in Turin, Italy, on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA

Italy won its third gold and the everpresent Dutch speedskating fans cheered Marianne Timmer to a gold in the women's 1,000m.

Italy's gold came from its men's cross country team, which moved up from behind in the 4x10km relay to beat the Germans and the Swedes.

But it was a race tainted by scandal. The normally competitive Austrians -- kept up late by the police -- finished last.

Carabinieri paramilitary police swooped on Austria's cross-country and biathlon team accommodation overnight in the Italian Alps after blood doping equipment linked to the team's Nordic team coach Walter Mayer was found in Austria.

The International Olympic Committee also tested at least 10 Austrian cross-country skiers and biathletes.

Mayer had been banned from the Olympics until after 2010 for suspicion of performing blood transfusions at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He'd visited the team in Italy but was not located in the Carabinieri raids.

Mayer crashed his car into an Austrian police roadblock about 25km on the Austrian side of the border on Sunday evening.

Germany 1 pilot Andre Lange, right, and brakeman Kevin Kuske celebrate after crossing the finish line to win the gold medal in the two-man bobsled competition at Cesana pariol, Italy, on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

He was taken into custody but it was unclear whether he would face criminal charges, and authorities declined to say whether they searched his vehicle.

Austrian officials and athletes expressed outrage at the allegations.

"We were surprised in our room," cross-country skier Juergen Pinter said. "Suddenly the police came in and didn't let us leave on the night before the competition. This happened without any positive result from doping control in the team. There's definitely no doping in the Austrian team. It's crazy."

On the speedskating ice, the Netherlands proved unbeatable.

Timmer won gold in the 1,000m, repeating her winning performance eight years ago in Nagano.

Timmer set an early time of 1 minute, 16.05 seconds and then had to wait for seven more pairs of skaters to go before she was assured of gold. Cindy Klassen of Canada was second, .04 seconds behind, and pre-race favorite Anni Friesinger of Germany lost over 1,000m for the first time this season and finished with bronze.

The Germans were luckier on the bobsled track.

Germany's Andre Lange and Kevin Kuske won the gold in 3 minutes, 43.38 seconds, edging Canada's silver-medal duo of Pierre Lueders and Lascelles Brown -- a Jamaican-born pusher who got his new citizenship last month -- by 0.21 seconds.

Switzerland's Martin Annen and Beat Hefti won the bronze, another 0.14 seconds back.

Even here, however, there were allegations of cheating, with Lueders accusing the Germans of artificially enhancing the runners on their high-tech rides, creating an unfair edge.

Lange wrote that off as he collected his gold.

"A lot of nonsense is said," he shrugged. ``And after awhile you just stop listening.''

The win put Germany ahead of the US in the medal standings with seven gold and 18 overall. The Americans had seven gold and 13 medals overall. Russia had six golds and 13 medals overall.

It was a brutal night in figure skating with three of the final five couples taking spills, including local favorites Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. Two-time world champions Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov of Russia surged into the lead.

The Italians awkwardly stared at each other on the ice after their fall, then tried to smile for the crowd when the music finished. Fusar Poli broke down in tears while waiting for their scores to appear, covering her face with her hands.

The gold was to be decided last night.

Canadian pair Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon had a serious fall and were in doubt for the free dance. Dubreuil fell hard on her right hip and knee and had to be carried from the ice by Dubreuil.

While snow on the ground in downtown Turin gave the northern Italian city a Winter Games for the first time since the opening ceremonies, heavy snow in the Alps disrupted skiing.

The women's super-G was postponed until yesterday.

That delay could open the door to another medal for Croatian star Janica Kostelic, who had earlier announced she would not start in the race. Kostelic complained of ill health and planned to sit out the super-G to rest for the giant slalom and slalom.

If she does race, she would be a favorite.

She won both technical events four years ago at the Salt Lake City Games, and was the silver medalist in the super-G. On Saturday, Kostelic shrugged off illness to become the first woman to win four career Olympic Alpine gold medals with a victory in the combined.

"Maybe there's a better chance now," Croatia ski team spokesman Ozren Mueller said. "She wants to do the best she can, but it's not her duty to race all disciplines."

The women's super-G is one of five medal events was to be held, including the women's hockey semifinal between defending champion Canada and surprise finalist Sweden.
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