Beth joins Eric in Olympic circle
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Beth Heiden, although failing to measure up to the dominating performance of her older brother, Eric, in the men's races, salvaged a bronze medal on her last chance, in the women's 3,000-meter speed skating event. Norway's Bjoerg Eva Jensen won the race, for her country's first gold medal of the 1980 Winter Olympics, while Sabine Becker of East Germany took the silver. Heiden's effort brought the US medal total to six -- all in speed skating.
The only other medal Wednesday went to the Soviet Union in the men's 4X10 -kilometer cross-country relay. Norway finished second and Finland third.
Hanni Wenzel of Liechtenstein, silver medalist in the women's downhill, had the fastest time in the first run of the giant slalom, with two West Germans, Irene Epple and Christa Kinshofer, second and third. The downhill champion, Annemarie Moser-Proell, of Austria was seventh. The second run will be held Thursday.