SOCHI — Dutch dominance of the Sochi Olympic speed skating medals continued Wednesday as veteran Stefan Groothuis clinched the gold medal in the 1,000 meters.
Groothuis, 32, put together a winning time of 1:08.32 minutes at the Adler Arena to lock down a fourth gold medal for the Netherlands out of five events to date.
Vancouver team pursuit gold medalist Denny Morrison of Canada was second with 1:08.36, while Michel Mulder, who timed 1:08.74, adds bronze to his gold medal in the 500 meters, which was a total Dutch sweep.
"It's unbelievable," said Groothuis. "When I started, I didn't even know what the best time was and when I crossed the finish line, I was really surprised. It was the best time I've ever skated on a low-altitude track."
The Netherlands has so far collected 10 of 15 available medals in speed skating.
Groothuis, the 2012 world sprint champion and 2012 world single distances champion in the 1,000 meters, narrowly missed the podium in Vancouver four years ago, finishing fourth.
"It's great but it's also very strange. The last few days I've been thinking about it and suddenly I am Olympic champion. It's strange but I will get used to it," Groothuis added.
Morrison was a late addition to the field after teammate Gilmore Junio gave up his spot.
"After what he did, it made it even more special. Giving up your spot is unprecedented," Morrison said. "I feel like getting my medal and cutting it in half because he deserves it."
An expected strong challenge from reigning champion Shani Davis never materialized, with the American star finishing eighth, 0.73 seconds off the pace. The 31-year-old misses out on a third Olympic gold in the event.
Another anticipated medal contender, South Korea's Vancouver silver medalist Mo Tae-bum, had a second disappointment in Sochi, finishing 12th nearly a second back.
Mo was bumped off the podium in the Dutch 500-meter sweep, which also saw Mulder's twin brother Ronald take the bronze and Jan Smeekins the silver.
The Netherlands' other gold medal winners in Sochi are Sven Kramer in the men's 5,000 meters and Ireen Wust in the women's 3,000 meters.
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