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SALT LAKE CITY — A thief broke into the Utah Olympic Oval overnight and stole several items out of lockers on Thursday.
The lockers belonged to members of the U.S. Speed Skating Team and now some of their most valuable equipment is gone.
"Speed skates are custom made," said US national speed skater Patrick Meek. "They're made for each individual athlete and as a result they're not easy to produce. They take several weeks in a factory over in Europe to crank out."
Due to the custom nature of the skates, they cost around $3,000 a piece, and athletes often do not have insurance on them. This is also bad timing for the athletes, since summertime is when the skaters do most of their training.