Dutch skater Irene Schouten snatched her third gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics after winning the women's mass start here on Saturday.
The 29-year-old, who has won two golds and a bronze, added another gold to her tally in the last event held at the National Speed Skating Oval by finishing the 16-lap race with 60 sprint points.
"My dream was after these Games to be called an Olympic champion, and now I am a three-time champion. I am living the dream," said Schouten after the race. Ivanie Blondin of Canada seized the silver with 40 points, while Francesca Lollobrigida finished third with 20 points.
"I am really happy. Getting on the podium is an honor for me at this point," Blondin noted. "I said before this race it would be great for the three of us to get on the podium, since we have shared it so many times in the past few years," said Blondin on sharing the podium with Schouten and Lollobrigida.
Chinese skater Guo Dan ranked 13th, while her teammate Li Qishi, who initially ranked 10th in the race, was disqualified due to a foul play after an official review.
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