February 10, 2014 (Krasnaya Polyana, Russia) – Switzerland’s Dario Cologna stole the show on Sunday in the men’s 30km Skiathlon coming back from ankle surgery last November to repair a torn ligament – read more. Super Dario showed the world his determination to win with a decisive move on the final climb to pass defending champ, Marcus Hellner (SWE), and capture the second Olympic gold medal of his career.

Cologna takes the gold © Nordic Focus

Hellner settled for the silver as Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) edged out local star Russian Maxim Vylegzhanin for the bronze but the Russian Ski Federation protested as Sundby changed lanes just before the finish line and seemed to obstruct Vylegzhanin. The jury awarded Sundby the bronze but the matter may not be over yet as the Court of Arbitration for Sport may become involved – read more.

Sundby in Vylegzhanin's lane ©

Canadian Alex Harvey, who was on fire coming into the Games and is in the hunt for a podium to secure the first men’s Olympic medal for Canada, was the top North American in 18th as slow skis took him out of contention by the end of the second lap in the classic leg.

“I was losing one or two position every downhill,” said Harvey. “On some of the climbs on the first lap I was muscling it up even though the pace was slow. I could see that it was a rough day for classic.”

His teammate Ivan Babikov was also affected. “It was just one of those days,” said Babikov. “I can’t really tell what was wrong. The body wasn’t feeling great. The first two laps I felt comfortable and I thought I had it today, but when the pace picked up and it got warmer we had some struggles with the kick and it was too fast for me.”

Babikov (#18) and Harvey (#4) © Nordic Focus

He tried to push as hard he could on the skate leg but started cramping up a bit. “I just didn’t have it today.” Harvey also tried to bridge to the leaders with a valiant effort but the gap and the pace of the lead group were too much after spending too much energy in the classic leg.

“I felt good, but it was so hard to make the skis work during the classic stage. In skating I still felt really good and dropped the group I was with instantly but it was hard to make up the 45-second deficit. I was gaining but a lot of energy was given in the classic and too much time lost.”

It was a tough day as well for American Noah Hoffman, who was as high as 7th but crashed around the 9.2km mark while in 12th  and broke a pole during the tumble.

“Coming into the stadium after 3 of 4 classic laps I got tangled in the loose snow around a sharp corner. I broke a pole in the fall. It was not a good place to break a pole because in the entire stadium there’s no coaching zone,” the Hoff told Trax post race. The Aspen skier had to ski out of the stadium with only one pole before receiving a new one.

Sundby leads Poltoranin © Nordic Focus

The race started with brisk pace with Sundby and Northug at the front but the pack remained intact. All of the favourites were near the front as Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) took over at the 5.4km only to be replaced by Hannes Dotzler (GER). Hellner a Cologna kept themselves well-placed as did Alexander Legkov (RUS) and Vylegzhanin.

At the 7.5km mark about 30 skiers containing most of the stars was the first sign of things to come. Sundby retook the lead and by the 12.9km mark there were 20 skiers leading with no North Americans up front as the USA’s Erik Bjornsen moved into 34th just behind Harvey and Babikov while Hoffman sat in 38th followed by Kris Freeman two positions further back.

After a smooth transition Vylegzhanin took the lead out to start off the skate course. Double Olympic champion Petter Jr. Northug of Norway showed he was still in contention worked his way up from 25th to bridge the gap and hover around 14th place.

By then Harvey knew well he was in trouble with a 47sec deficit as a lively group of 17 skiers now at the front would not be easy to catch. Sundby took over the lead on the killer downhill again with speeds of 72.4km as conditions slowed things down a touch compared to the women on day one.

Vylegzhanin © Nordic Focus

As Harvey gained ground attempting to bridge in vain the pace was quickening ahead. First Sundby and then Johannes Duerr (AUT) exchanged the lead as lead pack contained four Swedes, three Russians, two Norwegians and two Germans along with Italian legend Giorgio di Centa.

Northug popped out to the front with Hellner and Legkov alongside as the skiers were stealing sideways glances at each other to see who would take the lead. Cologna was marking every move and with two to go four leaders emerged as Sweden’s superstar Hellner, the defending Olympic Skiathlon champ, was forcing the pace taking Sundby, Vylegzhanin and Cologna with him. During this crucial phase of the race where every second and burst of power counts, Legkov had the misfortune of braking a pole.

As Hellner powered up the final steep climb opening all cylinders only Cologna was able to keep pace delivering his own counter-strike. The Swiss dynamo moved to the right and passed Hellner to take the lead and as they crested the hill there was a 3-metre gap between himself and Hellner.

Final Sprint (l-r) Hellner, Cologna, Sundby, Vylegzhanin © Nordic Focus

Hitting the finishing straight, Cologna was masterful in his victory as Hellner sprinted hard but couldn’t catch his Swiss rival. This was the second Olympic gold medal for Cologna who became the first Swiss cross-country skier to claim Olympic gold in the men’s 15km FR at Vancouver 2010.

In the dash for the final podium spot Sundby edged out Vylegzhanin in a controversial battle for the bronze. Ilia Chernousov  (RUS) who had grappled with a pole in the transition surged back to claim fifth. Sixth went to Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) who overtook Daniel Richardsson (SWE) in the stadium. Duerr finished in eighth followed by the dark horse of the pack Maurice Manificat (FRA) in 9th with Lars Nelson (SWE) in 10th.

Russian star Legkov battled back to take 11th as Northug limped over line in 17th, spent after his attempt to stay with the sprint at the top of the hill. Harvey followed in 18th with Babikov and Graeme Killick in 25th and 45th, respectively. Killick echoed his teammates sentiments. “It was really tough. Skis were fine but just a really tough day.”

Canada's Killick © Nordic Focus

Hoffman was the first American to cross the line in 35th place. “The race today was definitely a little disappointing. I was really happy with the way it started. I was sitting in a very good position and feeling comfortable. The pace was fast and the pack was stringing out.

Hoffman had a photo finish against Sergei Dolidovich (BLR). “The conditions were great and my skis were very good. I finished strong and almost caught Dolidovich who was fading, but I didn’t quite get him,” the Hoff added.

Hoffman will be preparing for the the 15km classic on Friday. “Racing in the Olympics is really fun. It is cool how much attention is focused on these races. It’s an incredible experience. My energy heading into the race was good, but not great. I think I can do a better job in the coming days of resting and conserving energy. There has been a lot going on here in the Olympic Village, so it would be good for me to build in a little more down time.”

For the U.S.A. Bjornsen finished in 42nd followed by Brian Gregg in 47th with Kris Freeman placing 54th.

“There’s a lot of racing ahead, so the goal is to just use this as a start race,” said Bjornsen at his first Olympic Games. “The sprint and the 15km classic are my big races. I had a good 15km today so that was a confidence builder. It’s the Olympics and it’s so much fun to be here.”

USA's Bjornsen behind Roethe © Nordic Focus

Reflecting on inaugural trip to the Games and his first race Gregg felt that the course was perfect. “Imagine ideal skiing conditions and that is what we had. The classic flowed really well. The skate was unique in that most of the climbing came from the main continuous climb. Climbing is my favourite and I enjoyed that. My skis were really good. The body on top of then felt good too bit I need to focus a bit more on my classic technique.

“Skating has always been stronger for me. I really focused on my skating in most all of my intervals this summer and fall. My fitness is great but I struggle to maintain the pace in classic. I focused on skiing relaxed and smooth and tried to remember the race is 30km long. The first few km of the skate my legs were on fire but I settled in to a good rhythm on the main climb.”

Men's Podium (l-r) Hellner 2nd, Cologna 1st, Sundby 3rd © Nordic Focus

Of the Olympic experience he added, “The staff and volunteers do an amazing job here. Everything is dialed and we can just focus on our races. It so nice to not have to cook, clean or wax skis. The Olympic Village crew and Team USA support is really awesome. The whole team is working very hard. The Olympics are amazing.  It is a dream come true to be here. I am so grateful for all of my friends, believers sponsors, friends, and family who have been a part of this journey.”

Gregg says that for the last eight years he has had his heart set on the 50km Freestyle at the Games in Sochi.

Full results here.
Results detail here.