U.S. speedskater overcomes odds, wins gold medal

SALT LAKE CITY -- For the U.S. Olympic team, 78 years have passed without a Nordic combined medal, 46 without one in the bobsled.

For U.S. speedskater Chris Witty, it was a mere four years between medals -- and this time, against all odds, she won gold.

Witty, who was diagnosed with mononucleosis before the Winter Games, set a world record Sunday with a stunning victory in the 1,000 meters. Teammate Jennifer Rodriguez won the bronze as the Americans took medals for the ninth straight day of the games.

Her health woes led Witty to alternate her practice days with off days in an effort to keep her strength. But the schedule didn't appear to work; in her first race, the 500, the 26-year-old Witty finished 14th.

This time, she put on the best performance of her career in sailing around the Utah Olympic Oval. Four years ago in Nagano, Witty earned a silver in the 1,000 meters and a bronze in 1,500 -- America's only speedskating medals in those games.

It was the first medal for Rodriguez, a former in-line skater who stepped on the ice for the first time just 18 months before the Nagano Games.

With a week left in the games, the Americans are now just two medals short of their goal of 20.

Germany remained atop the medals table as the Olympics headed into its final week with 22 (6 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze). Next was the United States with 18 (4-7-7), followed by Norway (8-5-0) and Austria (1-3-9) with 13 apiece.

Highlights from Sunday:

BOBSLED: The U.S. team of Todd Hays and brakeman Garrett Hines was fifth heading into Sunday's two runs. They managed to move up one spot, but not enough to grab the medal that has eluded the Americans across the last half-century.

"I don't know if there's a worse place in sports than fourth place in the Olympics," Hays said. "It's going to sting for a long time."

The German team of Christopher Langen and Markus Zimmerman, with the fastest run in the fourth heat, won their country's first two-man gold in 18 years. The silver and the bronze went to the Swiss.

NORDIC COMBINED:

Even at an Olympics of unprecedented U.S. success, before wildly enthusiastic home crowds, the American Nordic combined team couldn't break its decades-old losing streak.

The Americans were third heading into Sunday's cross-country skiing portion of the event, but wound up fourth -- 1 minute, 11.9 seconds behind the winning Finns.

"We left it all out there," U.S. team member Bill Demong said. "It just didn't happen for us."

After Saturday's ski jump, the U.S. Nordic combined squad was third and talking medal. By the end of Sunday's event, the Americans were still 0-for-the-Olympics.

Germany captured the silver, finishing 3.5 seconds ahead of the bronze medal-winning Austrians.

WOMEN'S SUPER G: Italian skier Daniela Ceccarelli offered no explanation for her improbable gold medal run in the Super G.

"I don't know," the Italian skier replied when asked about her success -- an Olympic victory despite a career that does not include a single World Cup win.

Ceccarelli, 26, a military policewoman, seemed stunned when she looked up at the board to see her winning time. Her competition appeared just as stunned.

Janica Kostelic of Croatia, gold medalist in the combined, took the silver, while Italy's Karen Putzer won the bronze.

America's top medal hope, Caroline Lalive, suffered another disappointment. Lalive fell 10 seconds into her run, and has failed to finish nine straight Olympic or world championship races.

CROSS-COUNTY SKIING: Norway won its Salt Lake City-high eighth gold medal -- and it did so without its triple-gold winner, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.

The team decided not to include Bjoerndalen on its 40-kilometer cross-country squad because he had already raced more than 46 miles in competition in these games.

"It was not an easy decision because we have so many good skiers," teammate Anders Aukland said.

The silver went to Italy, while Germany won the bronze. The United States took fifth, its best-ever showing in the event.

MEN'S HOCKEY: Goalie Tommy Salo outdueled Dominik Hasek as Sweden beat the defending champion Czech Republic 2-1 for its second consecutive impressive victory.

Mats Sundin scored his third goal in two games and Kim Johnsson had a power play goal as Sweden -- following up its unexpectedly easy 5-2 victory Friday over Canada -- opened up a 2-0 lead, then weathered a strong last two periods by the Czechs.

The victory all but assured Sweden of winning its four-team pool in the Olympic hockey tournament.