Sochi, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - The Netherlands continued its quest for another speedskating gold at the Sochi Olympics Friday, securing a spot in the semifinals of the men's team pursuit.
The Dutch trio of Jan Blokchuijsen, Sven Kramer and Koen Verweij posted a time of 3 minutes, 44.48 seconds to win the fourth quarterfinal heat by nearly 10 seconds over France.
The Dutch have won four of the five golds awarded in men's speedskating in Sochi so far.
Canada, which edged the U.S. for gold in the team pursuit at Vancouver, topped the Americans again in the first quarterfinal heat with a time of 3:43.30. Denny Morrison, who already has a silver and bronze medal in Sochi, leads the Canadian squad.
Korea posted the top overall time in the quarterfinals, crossing the finish line in 3:40.84 to down Russia in the second heat.
The semifinals will take place later on Friday, with Canada squaring off against Korea before Poland takes on the Netherlands in the other semifinal to determine the teams competing in Sunday's final.
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