5,000 metres, Women

After their display in the 3,000 m, Gunda Niemann and Heike Warnicke-Schalling were again picked to finish 1-2 in the 5,000 m. At the only international competition of the season, at the European Championships in Heerenveen, they had also placed in that order. Niemann had moreover won the distance at the past four European Championships, as well as the 1991 World Championships. At all tournaments, she had also taken the overall title. The world record holder was Yvonne van Gennip, with her winning time at the 1988 Olympics, but the Dutch skater had had poor showings in Albertville and withdrew from the 5,000 m due to a fever.

Warnicke started in pair three, racing against Carla Zijlstra of the Netherlands. Zijlstra had recently impressed with a third place in this distance at the European Championships, and was an outsider for a medal. She was no match for Warnicke, however, as the German quickly distanced herself from the Dutch skater. She finished in 7:37.59, versus 7:41.10 for Zijlstra. After an ice preparation, Niemann started. Taking advantage of the good conditions, she easily defeated her teammate and friend, with 7:31.57. Medals seemed divided, but the third German, Claudia Pechstein, still had to race. The 19-year-old had fallen at the longest distance in Heerenveen, but in Albertville she was in top shape. Chasing Zijlstra’s splits for the first half of the race, she opened a gap, increasing it to 1.3 seconds at the finish line. This gave the Germans a complete sweep of the medals. As in 1984, when German skaters won all medals in the 3,000 m, all three skaters were from East Germany. For Pechstein, her upset bronze medal would be the start of a successful Olympic career. She would win the 5,000 m in 1994, 1998 and 2002, scoring upset victories on the first two occasions.