Havard Bokko crashes speedskating Euros, Sven Kramer in position to win 4th straight title

Bokko of Norway crashes at speedskating Euros

HAMAR, Norway — Havard Bokko of Norway crashed in the opening 500 meters of the European all-round championships Saturday.

That put Sven Kramer of the Netherlands in position to possibly win a record fourth straight title.

Kramer was in fourth place after the 500, with his three favored races still coming in the two-day championship. With a time of 36.60, he even kept an edge of 0.04 seconds over main rival Enrico Fabris of Italy.

Bokko had a lightning start at the Viking Ship stadium, but slid into the protective covers during the final bend. He held his arm when he got up, but it was unclear whether he was seriously injured.

Kramer, a long-distance expert and triple world champion, used his giant strides to finish close behind Konrad Niedzwiedzki of Poland, who clocked 36.07, and Italy’s Matteo Anesi and Sweden’s Daniel Friberg.

In the women’s championship, Czech favorite Martina Sablikova was in seventh place after the opening 500, three places below challenger Ireen Wust of the Netherlands.

Another Czech, Karolina Erbanova, won the event in 39.54, with Wust clocking 39.77 and Sablikova 40.45. Sablikova is the reigning world champion and a favorite to take double gold in Vancouver over the 3,000 and 5,000.

Kramer is favored to take the lead in the competition after the 5,000 later Saturday. He holds the world record in the event and is unbeaten over the past two years.

Kramer is using the European championships as a last warmup for the Vancouver Olympics, where he is favored to win gold in the 5,000, 10,000 and team pursuit.

The 23-year-old Dutchman could become the first skater to win the European championships four times in a row.