Hedrick leads Americans to upset of Dutch in pursuit

The Americans pulled one stunner in team pursuit, then another. When the upsets were done, Chad Hedrick was assured a fifth Olympic speedskating medal heading into retirement, and Jennifer Rodriguez had a shot at one more before she retires.

Hedrick, 32, teamed with three teenagers to lead the United States to a pair of victories Friday, including a shocker over Sven Kramer and the top-seeded Dutch in the semifinals. The Americans advanced to face Canada in Saturday's final, which means Hedrick will capture gold or silver in the final race of his career.

Rodriguez, 33, and the unheralded American women knocked off the host Canadians in the quarterfinals.

USA bobsled in firstDriver Steve Holcomb slid USA-1, the baddest-looking bobsled designed with NASCAR technology and powered by American muscle, into the lead after the first two runs of the four-man competition. Holcomb completed his two descents down the frighteningly fast Whistler Sliding Center course in 1 minute, 41.75 seconds - 0.40 seconds ahead of Canada's Lyndon Rush and 0.44 better than Germany's Andre Lange, the most decorated driver in Olympic history. Six bobsleds, including USA-2 driven by John Napier, crashed during the two runs. Each of the sleds overturned in the 13th curve. Russia-2, driven by two-time Olympic medalist Alexsandr Zubkov, along with Austria-1 and Slovakia-1 all dropped out before their second heats.

No drug bansNo athletes have been disqualified for positive drug tests, testament perhaps to the deterrent effect of the most stringent anti-doping program in Winter Games history. Out of nearly 2,000 planned tests, the only doping violation so far has been minor - a female Russian hockey player was reprimanded after testing positive for a light stimulant in a decongestant. - AP