ROUNDUP | Friday's other events

CROSS-COUNTRYWomen's30km
PRAGELATO, Italy -- Katerina Neumannova surprised the two skiers ahead of her with a powerful surge through the final stretch and the Czech Republic won its first gold medal of the Turin Games. Just when it appeared favorite Julija Tchepalova and Justyna Kowalczyk would fight until the finish for the top medal in the 30km, Neumannova double-poled past them on the right side to add a gold to the silver she won in the 15km pursuit on the first day of action. She collapsed across the finish and raised her arms in triumph while still on the ground. She eventually got up, then quickly hoisted her young daughter into her arms. Neumannova crossed in 1 hour, 22 minutes, 25.4 seconds to edge silver medalist Tchepalova by 1.4 seconds on the final day of women's Olympic cross-country competition. Tchepalova, the Russian star and leader for most of the race, earned her second medal of these games after taking gold in the 4x5km relay today. She won this race at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and might have done so again had it not been for a fall while climbing a hill in the final 10 kilometers. Kowalczyk, who appeared headed for victory when she entered the stadium, took the bronze for Poland's first medal of the games.
ICE HOCKEYMen's
Sweden 7, Czech Republic 3Finland 4, Russia 0
TURIN, Italy -- It's an all-Nordic final for gold in men's hockey: Sweden versus Finland. Peter Forsberg set up a goal 34 seconds into the game and Sweden was on its way to a rout of the Czech Republic. Not too shabby for Forsberg, the Philadelphia Flyers star who was doubtful for the Olympics. The Swedes are guaranteed an Olympic medal for the first time since taking gold in 1994, when Forsberg scored the winning goal to beat Canada in a gold-medal shootout and the country put his image on a postage stamp. Fredrik Modin scored on the game's first shot and set Sweden off and running. P.J. Axelsson and Daniel Alfredsson each had a goal and an assist. Saku Koivu and Ville Peltonen each scored a goal and set up another as Finland took out another of hockey's biggest names by beating Russia in the other men's semifinal. Much like the Swedes did against the Czechs by scoring on their first shot, Finland seized the momentum early on Peltonen's goal at 6:13 of the first and never let go. With a trapping-style defense, they refused to let Russia's fleet forwards get the time or space to create the numerous odd-man rushes they enjoyed in beating Canada 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Flyers rookie Antero Niittymaki, supposedly only the third-best goalie on Finland's roster but one of the surprise stars of these Winter Games, made 21 saves in outplaying fellow NHL rookie Evgeni Nabokov, who had previously allowed only two goals in five games. Niittymaki became the starter only because goalies Miikka Kiprusoff and Kari Lehtonen pulled out with injuries.
BOBSLEDMen'sFour-Man
CESANA, Italy -- Todd Hays, who won the U.S. bobsled team's first Olympic medal in 46 years at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, said Friday that he will retire following his final two slides at the Turin Games today. Hays had a disappointing outing Friday, completing his two runs in 1 minute, 50.99 seconds and is .49 seconds -- a sliding eternity -- behind Germany's Andre Lange, the gold medalist in two-man, who has found an icy groove on a course with high-banking curves and head-rattling chicanes. "Tomorrow will be my last two bobsled runs and you'll see every ounce of energy that I have in this sport," said Hays, in seventh after his first two runs. "Unfortunately it didn't go as I'd hoped, but fortunately I know there's a lot worse things in life than not finishing the Olympic Games with a medal. "I've got to try to do a lot better job for my teammates." Unless Hays can find some speed today, the 36-year-old will leave Italy without a medal after arriving as a favorite in two events.
The course proved treacherous for some. Brazil's four-man bobsled team appeared to be uninjured after crashing and sliding through several curves upside down on its opening trip. The next-to-last sled on the first run, the Brazilians tipped on their side near the bottom of the 19-curve course and driver Ricardo Raschini was unable to get Brazil-1 back on its front runners. Brazil is the only tropical nation in the two-day competition.
Associated Press
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