5 things to know about the Sochi Olympics

Gold medallist Poland’s Zbigniew Brodka holds his national flag and celebrates after the men’s 1,500-meter speedskating race at the Adler Arena Skating Center during the 2014 Winter Olympics in in Sochi, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014. AP

SOCHI, Russia — Fast Five, Saturday edition: Five things you’ll want to know about the 2014 Winter Olympics.

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USA BEATS RUSSIA IN SHOOTOUT: With Russian President Vladimir Putin watching, the United States beat Russia in a preliminary round men’s hockey game in a shootout. T.J. Oshie of the St. Louis Blues hit the game-winner in a match that electrified Olympic Park and lit up Twitter and other social networks.

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SKIER HURT: Russian skicross racer Maria Komissarova sustained a broken and dislocated spine in Olympic training Saturday and was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery. The Russian freestyle federation said in a statement that the 23-year-old skier would not compete next week after having emergency surgery.

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SWEDEN WINS FIRST GOLD: Charlotte Kalla erased a massive deficit of 25 seconds on the last leg of a women’s cross-country relay to win the race. It’s the first gold medal of the Sochi Olympics for Sweden.

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DOWN TO THE THOUSANDTH: Poland won its first gold medal in Sochi thanks to three thousandths of a second. Zbigniew Brodka won the men’s 1,500 meters, the tightest finish in that race in Olympic history.

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MIDWAY POINT: The Olympics was reaching its midpoint Saturday with seven gold medals to be awarded. Switzerland picked up two golds and a silver in six competitions Friday to be the biggest medal mover of the day. Right behind it was Belarus, which won two golds and a bronze.

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