By Philip O’Connor
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) -Alexander Bolshunov, representing the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), recovered from an early spill to win the gold medal in the men’s 2×15 km skiathlon in a dominant performance at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday.
His ROC team mate Denis Spitsov took the silver medal, finishing one minute and 11 seconds behind, with Finland’s Iivo Niskanen taking bronze just over two minutes behind the winner.
Bolshunov took a tumble at the eight-minute mark but was quickly back up and battling Niskanen, the reigning Olympic 50 km classic champion, for the remainder of the classic portion of the race.
When the pair switched skis at the 15 km mark, Bolshunov came out in second place but quickly blew past his rival and powered away, building an insurmountable lead and cruising through the rest of the race.
Niskanen, better known for his classic skiing than his freestyle, appeared to struggle and was passed by Spitsov but gradually found his rhythm and was able to hold off the chasing pack.
Spitsov survived a spill of his own late on, losing his footing as he took a drink in the closing stages, but by that point Niskanen was too far behind to exploit the slip.
It was Bolshunov’s day, however, and the 25-year-old, who won three silvers and a bronze medal in Pyeongchang four years ago, enjoyed the final kilometres as they turned into a victory parade.
He spent the final lap pumping his fist, waving to the crowd and high-fiving his coaches and support team as he blazed his way to his first Olympic gold medal.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
