TOP THREE. Gold medalist Marit Bjørgen (R) of Norway, Silver medalist Anna Haag (C) of Sweden and Bronze medalist Justyna Kowalczyk (L) of Poland celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony of the Women’s 15km Cross Country Skiing competition at the Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, Canada, 19 February 2010.
She was thrilled when she won her first Olympic gold on Wednesday. On Friday Marit Bjørgen added to her collection (which also includes a bronze) by winning the Ladies 15-kilometer Pursuit (7.5 Classic+7.5 Free).
She was ahead of the pack all along, finishing the race (which involved a change of skis) in 39 minutes, 58.1 seconds, well ahead of the silver medal winner, Anna Haag of Sweden who had a time of 40 minutes seven seconds.
It was a photo finish for the bronze medal, and Norwegian Kristin Størmer Steira thought she’d won, only to lose out by a matter of centimeters and a tenth of a second to Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland. Bjøergen’s gold medal was the second in a matter of hours for the Norwegians, bringing Norway’s total medal count up to 10: Five gold medals, three silvers and two in bronze.
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
