Count on Dutch to Stride Long, Fast

The men’s 5,000 meters is the most grueling of the long-track events, and the king of the rink is likely to be from the Netherlands. The talent pool is so deep that Gianni Romme, the defending Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder, failed to qualify for the Dutch team at the Games. Bob de Jong and Carl Verheijen are now the favorites in the event. Derek Parra, who grew up in San Bernardino, is the highest ranking American in the World Cup standings at 15th place. Parra was supposed to be an alternate in 1998 but was bumped because of an error on his entry form.