Vancouver Games: Day 5

Vancouver Games: Day 5

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Evgeni Plushenko of Russia (pictured) won the short program on Tuesday and will go into the free skate Thursday night in a tight race with American world champion Evan Lysacek and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi.

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Plushenko came out of retirement to attempt to become the first man since Dick Button to repeat as Olympic champion. Button won in 1948 and '52.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Evan Lysacek of the U.S. is in second place after the men's short program. He's trying to become the first American since Brian Boitano in 1998 to win gold.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Daisuke Takahashi goes into the free skate knowing no Japanese skater has ever won the men's gold.

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Three-time U.S. figure skating champion Johnny Weir is in sixth after the short program and figures to be out of medal contention.

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Looking to redeem herself after giving away a victory four years ago in Italy, Lindsey Jacobellis' return trip to the Olympics was even worse as she failed to make the medal round in snowboard cross. She veered off course in a semifinal race and was disqualified.

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Canada's Maelle Ricker easily defeated Deborah Anthonioz of France in the snowboard cross final to win gold. Olivia Nobs of Switzerland won the bronze.

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Jacobellis acknowledged she was having difficulty with a slushy, slippery course full of ruts, courtesy of rain and warm weather that has plagued Cypress all month.

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The U.S. men's hockey team avoided a repeat of its opening-game letdown in Turin by defeating Switzerland 3-1 on Tuesday. During the 2006 Games, the Americans began with a 3-3 tie against Latvia and never challenged for a medal.

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Ryan Miller, considered the key to the U.S. chances to reach the podium, made 14 saves. The U.S. will play Norway on Thursday

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Bobby Ryan (center), best known for being the player chosen No. 2 behind Sidney Crosby in the 2005 NHL draft, gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead late in the first period.

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Tatjana Huefner (pictured) gave Germany its ninth women's singles luge gold in 13 Olympic competitions. With Felix Loch's winning the men's event, Germany has swept gold for the sixth time, something no other nation has ever done.

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Erin Hamlin of Remsen, N.Y. was the top U.S. finisher in luge, a disappointing 16th. The 2009 world champion fell far from contention after struggling from a reconfigured start ramp throughout the competition.

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Germany's Magdalena Neuner won the women's 10-kilometer biathlon pursuit on Tuesday, holding off Slovakia's Anastazia Kuzmina - the pair exchanging podium places after the first two women's races. Kuzmina beat Neuner for gold in the 7.5K sprint, on Saturday, the first day of full competition.

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Bjorn Ferry (No. 8) is Sweden's gold man in biathlon pursuit. Ferry became the first Swedish man to win a Winter Olympic gold since Klas Lestander won the 20K race at Squaw Valley in 1960.

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Fans at the women's luge final.

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The U.S. curling team lost twice on Tuesday, 7-5 to a strong German squad and 6-5 to Norway in an extra end.

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The U.S. women blew a three-point lead in their curling match and lost 9-7 to Japan.

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Jenny Potter (scoring) had another hat trick as the U.S. women's hockey team clinched a spot in next week's playoffs by virtue of its 13-0 rout of Russia.

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German world-record-holder Jenny Wolf (right) and China's Wang Beixing had won the eight World Cup races this season in the 500-meter speedskating event, but both were upstaged on Tuesday by Lee Sang-hwa of South Korea (left), who walked away with the gold.