Third gold for Bjoergen
ByReuters
Updated 25/02/2010 at 23:53 GMT
Norwegian Marit Bjoergen was appropriately watched by royalty when she laid claim to being the queen of the Winter Olympics by becoming the first athlete to win three gold medals at the Vancouver Games.
Marit Bjoergen
Image credit: Reuters
With Norway's King Harald V among the fans urging her on in a packed grandstand at Whistler Olympic Park, Bjoergen led her country to a commanding victory in the women's cross country 4x5km relay.
The 29-year-old held a slender 0.2-second lead when she set off for the final leg but she relentlessly pulled away from her rivals before coasting home 24.6 seconds in front.
Germany took silver and world champions Finland, anchored by Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, had to settle for the bronze.
"I had a dream of winning one gold medal and now I have three so this has been a wonderful Games for me," Bjoergen said after Norway won the Olympic relay for the first time in 26 years.
Asked whether she enjoyed being dubbed 'Queen of the Games', she replied: "It's great but I don't think about what others think.
"The feeling that I have with my goals is the biggest for me. If I am the 'Queen of the Olympics', that's great but for me the biggest meaning is to take the golds."
Bjoergen, who also struck gold in the 15km pursuit and the individual sprint classic, began smiling as she entered the stadium for what turned out to be a celebratory lap in front of raucous, banner-waving fans.
On the back stretch, she flashed a broad smile and pumped her right fist. She grabbed a Norwegian flag from the stands and waved it as she strolled to the finish line, only sporadically using the pole in her left hand.
"I knew this was going to go my way," Bjoergen said. "I knew that in the last lap, and it was fun."
After completing her five-kilometre leg of two loops, she jumped into the air in joyful celebration and let out an emphatic yell before being mobbed by her team mates.
The relay race began in intermittent drizzle and Norway maintained a top-three position for the first two legs of classical skiing through Vibeke W Skofterud and Therese Johaug.
Although Kristin Stoermer Steira began her freestyle leg in third place, 10.8 seconds behind pacesetters Poland, she skied superbly to make up the deficit and hand Bjoergen a slight advantage.
It was the ideal scenario for Bjoergen, a renowned sprinter who has won four gold medals at the world championships, and she duly delivered in champion style."
Follow the Winter Olympics 24/7 on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin 521) and EurosportHD (Sky 412). British Eurosport channels are streamed online via the Eurosport Player.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement