Monday's Olympic Highlights

SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Highlights from Monday's action at the Winter Olympics:

-- This was to have been the day that Norway's Ole Einar Bjorndalen would set a career record with 13 Olympic medals, but trouble on the shooting range prevented that from happening. Bjorndalen missed three targets during the 12.5-kilometer biathlon pursuit race and finished fourth, barely missing out on a bronze medal despite having to ski 300 yards farther than the man who edged him for third place. Bjorndalen still shares the all-time record of 12 Olympic medals with countryman Bjorn Daehlie.

-- With Bjorndalen unable to set the record, the big splash came at the speed skating oval. Twin brothers Michel and Ronald Mulder of the Netherlands won the gold and bronze medals in the men's 500-meter race. The silver went to another skater from the Netherlands, Jan Smeekens. It was the second sweep of speed skating medals at these Olympics for the Netherlands and the second time siblings have shared the podium at the Games. Sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour LaPointe finished first and second in freestyle skiing moguls.

-- The haul in speed skating for the Netherlands gives them seven medals, all in speed skating. Canada and the Netherlands both have three golds and both have seven medals overall, as does Norway.

-- Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany repeated as Olympic champion in the alpine combined. After finishing fifth in the downhill portion of the event, she swept from behind with a typically strong showing in the slalom. American Julie Mancuso won her fourth Olympic medal by finishing third after turning in the fastest downhill time. Hoefl-Riesch has won three gold medals in her career, equaling the most by any German alpine skier.

-- Alex Bilodeau became the first freestyle skier to repeat as Olympic champion, winning the men's moguls for the second time in a row.

-- Martin Fourcade of France captured the biathlon pursuit race in which Bjorndalen failed to medal. When Fourcade completed a perfect round of shooting in his fourth and final trip to the range, he was so sure of victory that he took an extra moment to salute the crowd even though he had two more kilometers to ski. He wound up winning by 14 seconds.

-- The first short-track gold medal of the Games went to Canada's Charles Hamelin. In the always out-of-the-ordinary world of short track, the defending champion fell in the semifinals and the bronze medal winner is a former three-time Olympic from South Korea who is now a citizen of Russia. As such, he brought Russia its first Olympic short-track medal.

-- Erin Hamlin moved into position to produce the first Olympic women's luge medal for the United States. She was third behind two Germans after the first two of four runs. The event will be completed on Tuesday.

-- Both the United States and Canada won in the women's hockey tournament by different methods. The Americans scored five times in the first period and crushed Switzerland 9-0. Canada did not score until the third period, but eventually downed Finland 3-0. Team USA will meet Canada on Wednesday, the winner moving into the semifinals and the loser needing to win another contest to get to the final four.