Sweden sweep up sprints

ByEurosport

Published 14/02/2006 at 11:45 GMT

Sweden's cross-country camp enjoyed two gold medals on Tuesday as both the men's and women's team slid to victory in Pragelato. Lina Andersson powered home to give team-mate Anna Dahlberg and Sweden a well deserved medal while Bjoern Lind wrapped things u

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino - Sweden team sprint - Lina Andersson

Image credit: Reuters

A great display of sprinting power in the last 100 metres from the Swede Andersson gave Sweden their first Gold of the Games as she helped clock a time of 16 minutes and 36.9 seconds.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino - Sweden team sprint - Lina Andersson and Anna Dahlberg

Image credit: Reuters

Beckie Scott and Sara Renner brought Canada silver with a gutsy performance 0.6 seconds off the pace while Virpi Kuitunen crossed the line for Finland and team-mate Aino Kaisa Saarinen 2.3 seconds behind.

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It was a close affair on the penultimate lap with Sweden, Canada, Finland and Norway leading the way.

Saarinen stretched well up the last climb with Renner - who prior to the handover broke her pole and lost a bit of time - and Dahlberg in tow, while Norway's Ella Gjomle had fallen back slightly and looked tired.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino 6x1.2 km C Team Sprint Exchange

Image credit: dpa

Scott took over from Renner, Kuitunen from Saarinen and Andersson from Dahlberg and the stage was set for a final sprint.

Scott and Kuitunen were neck and neck as they went up the last hill with Scott digging deep, but as the women entered the final straight spectators witnessed the brilliant sprinting capabilities of the Swede Andersson.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino 6x1.2 km C Team Sprint Feature

Image credit: dpa

World silver sprint medallist Andersson looked extremely focused as she powered down the last stretch overtaking Scott and Kuitunen to grab gold.

Scott put in a good solid performance on the final lap to take silver pipping Kuitunen to post, but neither skier could match the sheer sprinting power of Andersson in the final 100 metres.

Marit Bjoergen just couldn't make up the time lost by Gjomle on the penultimate lap but worked well to claim fourth place but no medal.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino - Sweden team sprint - Lina Andersson and Anna Dahlberg

Image credit: Reuters

MEN HAND SWEDEN DOUBLE

Bjoern Lind and Thobias Fredriksson made it another gold for Sweden as Lind picked up the pace on the last 150 and slid to victory ahead of Norway's Jens Arne Svartedal and Tor Arne Hetland.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino - Sweden team sprint - Bjoern Lind

Image credit: Reuters

Lind crossed the line for his team in 17 minutes and 02.9 seconds, Tor Arne Hetland slid over the line 0.6 seconds off the pace for silver and Vassilli Rotchev grabbed bronze 2.3 seconds behind.

The Norwegians attacked the final from the off with Jens Arne Svartedal leading the way. But they came unstuck on the first changeover when he collided with Hetland who stumbled out of the exchange area losing time.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 2005-2006 Torino - Sweden team Sprint - Bjoern Lind

Image credit: Reuters

The skiers were relatively grouped for the first three laps but Fredriksson soon picked up the pace, a pace only to be followed by Norway and Russia.

Germany, Finland and Kazakhstan did a good job chasing the leaders down but cat and mouse tactics by the leading three soon proved too much for the stragglers.

Svartedal led the front runners into the last changeover with Ivan Alypov and Fredriksson hot on his heels.

On to the last lap went the big guns of the discipline, Tor Arne Hetland for Norway, Vassilli Rotchev for Russia and Bjoern Lind for Sweden.

It was evident that no one was going to catch the front three but who was going to win gold was difficult to call.

Hetland started the last lap with confidence and strength and immediately took the reins at the front with Rotchev tucked up closely behind and Lind poised at the back.

The tension could have been cut with a knife with 150 metres.

Rotchev was the first to attack the group but it was too early and the Norwegian and Swede changed gears and kicked into sprint mode.

Hetland looked to be on for gold with 30 metres to go but Lind impressed once again with his sprinting power and overtook his Norwegian rival to take the first Olympic men's team sprint gold.