China's Zhang Dan (L)/Zhang Hao during the final of pairs figure skating at Turin Winter Olympics, Feb. 13, 2006.

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin extended Russia's rule in the Olympic figure skating. putting up an impeccable show to win the pairs gold on Monday.

"Tot and Max" beat Chinese silver medalists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao by 14.75 points, a margin large enough to convince everybody.

A Russian or Soviet pair has claimed the pairs crown in every Olympics since 1964.

Zhang and Zhang showed incredible courage to complete their routine after Zhang Dan fell and injured her knee while trying an unprecedented throw quad salchow.

Medal winners of pairs figure skating pose for photos at the awarding ceremony at Turin Winter Olympics, Feb. 13, 2006.

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were another story of courage. The former world champions took their second Olympic bronze, six months after Zhao ruptured his Achilles' tendon.

Earlier, world champion Joey Cheek won the men's 500m speedskating with the two fastest runs, becoming the second American to capture Turin speedskate gold with a combined time of 1:09.76 seconds. Teammate Chad Hedrick won the 5,000m title on Saturday.

World Cup leader Dmitry Dorofeyev of Russia took the silver in 1:10.41, with the bronze going to South Korean Lee Kang-Seok.

The United States once again showed its strength and bravery in the daredevil sport of snowboard, adding a women's halfpipe gold to Sunday's men's gold.

Hannah Teter, 19 and as young as men's winner Shaun White, set a standard too high for the others, scoring an unbeatable 46.4 points in her first effort in Bradonecchia.

Norwegian Kjersti Buaas prevented a clean sweep by the United States by finishing third after American Gretchen Bleiler.

Svetlana Ishmouratova of Russia put up a nearly perfect run to gold in the women's 15km biathlon.

The 33-year-old, who only won the first World Cup race of her career two months ago, missed just one of her 20 targets to clock a winning time of 49 minutes, 24.1 seconds. Fellow Russian and 2002 Olympic pursuit champion Olga Pyleva took the silver and German Martina Glagow picked the bronze.

In nearby Sestriere, a treacherous downhill slope claimed several victims.

Defending Olympic champion Carole Montillet-Carles of France and gold medal contender Lindsey Kildow of the United States both slammed into the snow after losing control and had to carried away on sleds. Kildow was airlifted to a hospital in Turin.

A third racer, Allison Forsyth, crashed and also had to be taken off on a toboggan.

Crashes also happened in the luge course as American Samantha Retrosi was taken away in an ambulance after losing control of her sled and appearing to be sliding underneath her sled through at least two curves of the track.

Source: Xinhua