Dutch speedskating star Sven Kramer wins 5,000, his third gold medal in the event

As always, when his rivals felt that pain in their legs, that burning in their lungs, Sven Kramer kept his mighty, unmatched stride going.

"I never saw that wall," he said.

Kramer won the 5,000 meters at the 2018 Olympics on Sunday in Gangneung for his third consecutive gold medal over the distance, becoming the first man to achieve that streak.

The only thing that really burned inside the Dutch speedskater was ambition, untamed at 31. And even when the gold was surely his, Kramer still shot that skate across the line to ensure he got the Olympic record, too. He finished in 6 minutes, 9.76 seconds, beating the Olympic record he set four years ago by exactly 1 second.

"It never gets old. The Games never get old," he said.

It was his fourth career gold medal and eighth overall spread over a dozen years, putting him among the greats of the Winter Games.

Yet there's little time for celebration, with at least two more golds to chase. And one he previously let slip away in a blunder for the ages: the 10,000.

"It's not a secret that it's really important to me," he said. "I've won a lot at the Olympics, but I've lost a lot as well."

Dutch-born Canadian Ted-Jan Bloemen kicked past Norwegian Sverre Lunde Pedersen for silver.

The women's giant slalom was postponed because of strong wind, the second Alpine skiing race called off at the Olympics.

The giant slalom, which was set to be U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin's first event of these Winter Games, was put off until Thursday (late Wednesday night in the Twin Cities).

The race that was supposed to open the Alpine schedule Sunday, the men's downhill, also was moved to Thursday (late Wednesday in the Twin Cities). It was postponed Saturday.

The Norwegian untangled his legs and his skis from the two Russian competitors he wrecked, grabbed his broken ski pole and stormed up the hill to get back in contention. Then he passed 63 other skiers to take the lead and win the gold medal, crossing the line in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 20 seconds.

"Here it is my first ever Olympic race, and it starts in the worst possible way," he said.

Norway swept the medals, with Martin Johnsrud Sundby taking silver and Hans Christer Holund getting bronze. Sundby praised Krueger's determination.

"I think we have a deserving Olympic champion," Sundby said.

Perrine Laffont, whose first Olympics were in Sochi when she was 15 years old, grew into an Olympic champion. Laffont gave France its first gold medal of these Games, taking the women's moguls title.

Justine Dufour-Lapointe of Canada finished second, and Yulia Galysheva of Kazakhstan finished third.

The Americans had a rough time. None made the six-woman final, and top-ranked Jaelin Kauf was the best finisher, in seventh.

Laffont scored a 79.72, landing both of her jumps, a 360-degree spin and a back flip with her skis crossed. She beat Dufour-Lapointe by two points.

NBC has apologized to South Koreans for an on-air remark by an analyst who cited Japan as a positive force in South Korea's history. The remark was made by analyst Joshua Cooper Ramo during NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony. He was noting the significance of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit.

"Every Korean will tell you that Japan is a cultural and technical and economic example that has been so important to their own transformation," Ramo said.

• Japanese forward Rui Ukita was suspended one game by the International Ice Hockey Federation for kicking at an opposing player late in Japan's 2-1 loss to Sweden in preliminary play in women's hockey.

• Canada will compete for a gold medal after an 8-4 victory over Norway in the mixed doubles curling semifinal. Switzerland and Olympic Athletes from Russia were to play for the other spot.

• Another 19 cases of norovirus were reported, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 177 since Feb. 1. Of the new cases, three are among security staff at a youth training center where most of those who got sick are staying.