Italy claim team gold

Zorzi along with Renato Pasini won a dramatic final in 17:50.6 with the Czech Republic surprise winners of the bronze after favourites Norway fell.

Defending champions Norway saw Tor Arne Hetland crash on a descent on the third leg and despite the best efforts of Petter Northug they had to settle for seventh.

The top six teams were seperated by just two seconds at the fifth and final exchange with Kazakhstan's chances going when Yevgeniy Koschevoy tumbled at the same point as Hetland.

Zorzi led coming around the final corner but Rotchev, who was partnered by unheralded Nikolay Morilov, came with a late burst only to fall agonisingly short.

The Czech team of Milan Sperl and Dusan Kozisek were seven tenths further back, holding off 2005 runners-up Germany and the fancied pairing of defending World Cup champion Tobias Angerer and Axel Teichmann.

Sweden's Peter Larsson tripped and fell on the final leg of the first semi-final as the Olympic champions failed to reach the showpiece.