Richmond, BC (My Sportsbook) - Germany edged Japan by just two-hundredths of a second to win a gold medal Saturday in the women's speedskating team pursuit race.

Even with that slim a margin of victory, Germany's gold medal win couldn't match the earlier drama found in a victory over the Unites States.

During a semifinal race, Germany beat the U.S. by .23 seconds despite one of its skaters falling before the finish line.

Anna Friesinger-Postma grabbed her left hip coming around the final turn and lagged behind her two German teammates, then stumbled forward and slid to the finish line on her stomach.

As Friesinger-Postma used her hands to paddle herself to the line, she bent one of her legs forward. Her skate crossed the line before the final American skate, giving Germany the dramatic win.

Not that the Germans realized it.

Friesinger-Postma remained on her stomach, slamming her hand down onto the ice. Her teammates -- Daniela Anschutz Thoms and Stephanie Beckert -- pulled the hoods back on their track suits and skated with their heads down.

When Friesinger-Postma finally looked up at the times, she erupted in celebration.

"My feelings are up and down," said Friesinger-Postma, who won her fifth Olympic medal and third gold, despite not racing in the final. "It was like a carousel. I nearly messed it up."

Katrin Mattscherodt replaced Friesinger-Postma in the final race and the Germans posted a winning time of 3 minutes, 2.82 seconds against Japan. They came from more than a second down at one point in the race to win Germany's fourth speedskating medal of the Vancouver Olympics.

"Anni's fall gave us the courage to go on," said Anschutz Thoms.

It was the third medal won here by Beckert, but first gold. She picked up two silvers earlier in the Games.

Japan won silver for its third speedskating medal here, while Poland went on to beat the United States in the bronze medal race by 1.57 seconds.

The U.S. -- anchored by veteran Olympian Jennifer Rodriguez -- earned fourth place and ended the Vancouver Games without a medal in women's speedskating. Still, it was a surprising finish for the Americans, who had knocked off a favored Canadian team in the quarterfinals on Friday.

"It was a miracle we were even in the medal rounds," said Jilleanne Rookard, who was part of the American team that included Rodriguez, Catherine Raney- Norman and Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr.

Canada finished fifth.