This is why Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo came back.

The Chinese pair finally won the Olympic gold medal that eluded them for so many years, a prize so compelling it lured them out of the cozy life of a happily retired married couple. It wasn’t the best skate of their careers, but it was good enough for gold — and that was all that mattered. Their score of 216.57 points was more than three points ahead of teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian.

* Meghan Agosta scored two goals, Hayley Wickenheiser added her first of the Olympics and Canada steamrolled another overmatched opponent, beating Switzerland 10-1.

* Switzerland’s Dario Cologna collapsed across the finish line after winning the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle cross-country race. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla led from start to finish to win the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race.

* Mo Tae-Bum of South Korea won a gold in men’s 500-meter speedskating. Japan took the next two spots.

* A brief, private memorial service was held at a Vancouver funeral home for the Georgian luger killed in a crash during training. The father of 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili told the Associated Press in Georgia that shortly before the fatal run he spoke to his son, who said he was worried about the track’s speed.