December 17, 2008 (Davos, Switzerland) – At last Saturday’s distance races in the classic technique, Virpi Kuitunen (Fin) scored her fourth victory under blue skies and great winter conditions in Davos. Controlling the race, she beat her teammate and World Cup leader Aino-Kaisa Saarinen.

In the men’s race, 28-year-old Johan Olsson (Swe) claimed his first World Cup victory in an exciting race on the 3×5 km course in Davos. The Swede won with a 10.5-second advantage over runner-up Axel Teichmann (Ger).

In Sunday’s sprint, Petra Majdic (Slo) and Ola Vigen Hattestad (Nor) confirmed their great shape by also winning the season’s second sprint competition in the free technique. Majdic claimed victory on the challenging 1.4km course ahead of youngster Celine Brun-Lie and ski veteran Marit Bjoergen – both from Norway.

For Majdic, it was her first Word Cup victory and podium ever in a free technique race. The 20-year-old Brun-Lie also reached her first World Cup podium. In the women’s overall World Cup, Saarinen (Fin), is now in the lead with a 108-point margin over of Majdic who leads the Sprint Cup competition.

Hattestad won the tight men’s race over his teammate Johan Kjoelstad and Italian Renato Pasini. The hometown favourite Dario Cologna (Sui) finished in fourth.

So the men’s overall World Cup is now led by Switzerland’s Cologna, the only skier so far who has earned points at all World Cup races this season and also made history as the first Swiss to ever wear the yellow World Cup leader’s jersey at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup.