European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 16, 1994 Winter olympics the stars and stripes Page 33 wins s Dicenta women s 5-km by Stephan Nasstrom Lillehammer Norway apr Lyubov Egorova of Russia taking advantage of a late starting number won the women a 5-Kiometer classical style Cross country ski race tuesday at the olympics. She won by 19.5 seconds Over Manuela Dicenta of Italy who took the first Gold medal of the Winter games in the 15k freestyle sunday. Egorova who won three Gold medals and two silvers in the 1992 olympics clocked 14 minutes 08.8 seconds after leading the sprint event most of the Way. Third went to Finland a 38-year-old Maija Liisa Kir ves Niemi in 14 36.0. Kirves Niemi the 1984 triple olympic Champion is competing in her sixth olympics tying a the All time record in the Winter games held by swedish bobsled Der Carl Erik Eriksson and australian Speed skater Colin Coates. Egorova who finished second behind Dicenta in the 15k, posted the fastest intermediate time of 5 50 at the 1.9k checkpoint. Kirves Niemi usually a slow starter surprised with a 5 54 for second at that Point while Dicenta clocked 5 56. But Kirves Niemi slowed Down late in the race and finished 27.2 seconds behind. Egorova started 60th out of 62 faces thus benefiting from a faster track and knowing what Pace she needed to overtake her top rivals. A the fans were fantastic a said Egorova who now has won seven medals in the last two olympics. A they gave me great support. 1 Felt much better today than in the first race Here. I Felt much stronger and i have much More Confidence now for the next  Kirves Niemi said she had no strength left in the last Kilometre of the race. A it was probably the toughest Kilometre in be Ever had a she said. A but in a pleased with the Bronze medal. It Means a lot. Nothing beats the three Gold medals in Sarajevo of course but this comes close. Egorova a Triumph snapped a three race winning Streak by finns in the shortest olympic Cross country event Kirves Niemi known in 1984 under her Maiden name As Hamalainen started the Streak in Sarajevo 10 years ago Marjo Matikainen won in the 1988 Calgary games and Maikut Lukkarinen prevailed two years ago in the Albertville olympics. \ Anita Moen of Norway missed a Bronze before her Home fans placing fourth 30.6 seconds behind. Fifth went to another norwegian Inger Helene a Braaten 34.8 seconds behind. Rounding out the top 10 were Larissa Lazutin of Russia Trude Dybendal of Norway Katerina Neu Man Nova of the czech Republic Pirkko Maatta of Finland and Antonina Ordina of Sweden. Elena Valbe of Russia who shared the world cup Overall Lead with Egorova going into the olympics did t compete. She was a disappointing sixth in the 15k. Nina Kemppel of Anchorage Alaska was 28th out of 61 finishers for the top american performance. She was 1 36 off Egorova space. Leslie Thompson of Stowe it. Was 40th Ingrid Butts of Park City Utah 53rd and Kerrin Petty of Townshend vt.,59th. Finland Smika Mia Minen celebrates teammate Annne Jonn Cne a goal in shocking 5-0 Triumph Over Russia monday finns stun russians 5-0 hockey by Beth Harris Lillehammer Norway apr the reign of the russians is Over. Finland a no. 7-ranked hockey team shocked a Young and inexperienced Russia 5-0 monday in the worst olympic loss and first olympic shutout suffered by the squad formerly known As the soviet Union and unified team. All of the current members of the top seeded russian squad Are olympic rookies once unimaginable Lor a team with a 60-6-2 record in 10 olympics. A Russia is going through now what the other teams went through a few years ago Quot finnish right Winger Mikko Makela said. A they re losing players to the  a a a a a a a. A the soviet Union won seven of nine Gold medals from 1956 through 1988, losing Only to the United Stales in 1960 and 1980. The unified team won the Gold in 1992, but 19 of the 22 players on that club went to the National hockey league. With just two years Between olympics the russians had Little time to restock. Another Drain on their resources is the country a new National tournament a which some players deem More important than the olympics. A we expected to have difficulty in the olympic games but our team got a Good lesson a assistant rus Sian coach Igor Dmitriev said. Until monday the russian soviet team had had Only one defeat by More than one goal a an 8-5 loss to Canada in 1960. In another game monday the czech Republic rebounded from an opening game upset with a 7-3 Victory Over Austria. The czechs broke a 2-2 tic with four goals in less than 10 minutes of the second period. Second seeded Sweden beat eighth seeded Italy 4-1 tuesday out shooting the italians 16-5 in the last period including two goals in the first four minutes. Tuesdays later games were the United states is. Slovakia and Canada is. France. While the russians remain a Gold medal contender there a greater parity in the 12-Tcam tournament. A the swedish team is really Strong a Makela said. A a there a the russians czechs canadians americans. Now the Gap is much smaller Between the first place and last place  the finns with six nil veterans scored two goals within 10 seconds in the second period and held Russia to just four shots in the third. They held a 29-13 advantage for the game including 11-2 in the second period. Finland beat the third seeded czech Republic 3-1 in its opener and has now Defeated the top two teams in Pool a. The finns Are tied with Germany with a 2-0 record. The czechs and russians arc 1-1. Turn 13 strikes . By John kek1s Lillehammer Norway a one Day after turn 13 of the Hunder Fos sen track sent Duncan Kennedy a sled slipping and sliding out of medal Contention it reared its icy head and did the same to the women steam. Erin Warren was the first victim tuesday. She was not expected to medal a after All it is her first olympiad. But she too was on the run of her life much like Kennedy on monday seemingly headed for the sixth Best time of the first run. Then came 13. Warren the ninth Slider lost control at almost the same spot Kennedy did. Her crash was even More spectacular. She bounced off the Walls three times then flipped upside Down and Slid face Down with her sled draped across her shoulders. When she came to a halt Warren sat up Shook the cobwebs out of her head and groggily made her Way off the track. She suffered some bumps and ice Burns but the biggest Bruise appeared to be to her ego. A i Felt i was really going for it a said Warren 22, of Somerville mass. A i was really relaxed. I did no to feel any pressure for this race. I Felt really Calm going in a a i thought i was being really smooth the whole Way Down a said Warren who crashed in the same spot Here before the olympics. A i went into curve 12, thought i had a Good steer there really put the head Back All the Way. I made the line in 12 a Little too Flat and had a Little too much pressure. It threw the sled into a skid right at 13.�?� Kennedy watched it All and winced. A her problems started in curve 12�?z�?� said Kennedy who grabbed Warrens sled after the crash and carted it away. A she went in too Low and entered too High on 13, so the sled  Cammy Myler was the next victim. Myler the top remaining Hope for the . Teams first olympic medal in the sport was eighth after her first trip Down the snaking 16-turn course. But that was Only a Quarter of a second behind Gabi Kollisch of Germany who had the third Best ride of the first round. Three More solid runs and the . Teams first olympic medal in the sport would be within reach. Myler escaped 13 on run no. 2 a barely. She bounced off one Wall and had to put a foot Down. She did no to lose the sled but she lost a Chance for a medal. Her combined total for the two runs a 1 minute 38.964 seconds a dropped her to 11th, More than a second behind the Leader Gerda Weisse Steiner of  fails doping test Lillehammer Norway up a austrian bobs cd Driver Gerhard Rainer has been expelled from the 17lh Winter olympics after failing a pre games doping test. Rainer a 33-year-old policeman from Innsbruck tested positive to steroids. He was sent Home from the olympic Village last wednesday but it did not become Public knowledge until late monday night. Austrian officials said tuesday that Rainer was tested at the end of january by the austrian National olympic committee along with the rest of the squad. He now faces a mandatory two year ban