Record setters

Uytdehaage wins men's 5,000; Parra second for U.S.

Jochem Uytdehaage broke Gianni Romme's Olympic record of 6:22.20, set four years ago. AP

KEARNS, Utah (AP) -- American Derek Parra stunned the powerful Dutch speed skating team at the Utah Olympic Oval, winning a silver medal in the 5,000 meters Saturday.

Parra set a world record of 6 minutes, 17.98 seconds - beating his personal best time by more than 15 seconds and eclipsing Gianni Romme's former mark of 6:18.72.

Parra held the record for about 20 minutes on the fast ice of the Utah Olympic Oval. Jochem Uytdehaage of the Netherlands shattered Parra's mark in 6:14.66 to win the gold medal.

"To break the record is an incredible feeling," Parra said. "To be on the medal podium for a 5K is definitely a surprise for me. The Dutch are dominant in this sport."

Parra's time held up for second place, a shocking performance by a former inline skater whose best event is the 1,500.

"I was waiting for him to tire. I just couldn't match his speed at any time in the race," said Canada's Dustin Molicki, who skated in the same pair with Parra. "He really deserves it. He works hard. It was an honor to race with him."

Another unheralded skater, Germany's Jens Boden, took the bronze in 6:21.73. That was 15 seconds ahead of his former best time.

The diminutive Parra -- at 5-foot-4, he is the shortest male on the American long-track team by a good 5 inches -- was dwarfed by Uytdehaage and Boden as they walked to the podium.

Parra didn't mind a bit. Family members and friends, wearing "Team Parra" sweat shirts made up by his father, cheered the remarkable accomplishment.

The Dutch were expected to sweep the top three positions in the 5,000, even though Romme didn't even qualify for their team in that event.

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Speed skating is a passion in the small, European nation -- especially the long-distance races. But Uytdehaage was the only skater who came through for the Dutch.

Carl Verheijen finished sixth and Bob de Jong was 30th out of 32 skaters, burying his head in his hands as he crossed the line, totally exhausted.

Parra's reaction to his record was pure elation. He blew kisses to the crowd and waved his arms while the home-country crowd chanted "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and the song "Unbelievable" blared from the speakers.

On the backstretch, he finally seemed to grasp the enormity of his accomplishment.

"Wow!" he said.

Parra's performance wasn't the only surprise for the home team. KC Boutiette of Tacoma, Wash., who led the inline-to-speed skating invasion that has bolstered the winter sport in America, finished fifth in 6:22.97 - nearly nine seconds better than his old U.S. record.

Parra and Boutiette got the Americans off to a brilliant start in the Salt Lake City Games, where they hope to bring home more speedskating medals than ever.

Romme, the defending Olympic champion, failed to make the Dutch team after finishing fifth at his country's trials. His only Olympic race is the 10,000.

Romme took the day off, relaxing at his apartment in nearby Sandy. He refused to watch the race on television.

"It is too painful for me," Romme said.

Not so for Parra, whose life has changed dramatically over the past two months. His first child, Mia Elizabeth, was born just before the U.S. trials in December. Now, he's an Olympic medalist.

The 31-year-old Parra is a Mexican-American who grew up in a working-class neighborhood of San Bernardino, Calif. He shunned more traditional sports, becoming one of the country's top inline skaters.

When he realized that inline skating wasn't going to be added to the Summer Games anytime soon, he switched to the ice in 1996.

Parra, who eats fig cookies the night before a race, endured a bitter disappointment at the Nagano Games four years ago.

Originally set to race in the 5,000, he was bumped from the field when international officials allowed Kazakhstan to fix its application form after the entry deadline had passed, putting a higher-ranked skater into the field instead of Parra.

He came back more determined than ever, capping his improbable journey with a medal.

The other American in the race, Jondon Trevena of Fort Collins, Colo., finished 15th.

 

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