Olympics-Cross-country skiing-Johaug dominates ladies’s 30km to win Norway’s sixteenth gold

By Philip O’Connor

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Norway’s Therese Johaug powered to victory within the ultimate race of her Olympic profession, profitable the ladies’s 30km freestyle mass begin in a show of huge power and self-discipline and netting her third particular person gold of the Beijing Video games.

American Jessie Diggins got here in second 1:43.3 behind Johaug to gather the silver medal, with Kerttu Niskanen of Finland making a late burst to take the bronze.

Diggins needed to be carried from the end line, certainly one of many racers overcome by the chilly and exhaustion.

Nevertheless, none of that would dispel Johaug’s pleasure as she closed out her Olympic profession with a gold – her nation’s sixteenth of the Beijing Video games and a document for a single nation at a Winter Olympics.

The race was moved ahead by three-and-a-half hours as as soon as once more excessive winds whipped by way of the mountains in Zhangjiakou at speeds of as much as 15 km per hour over the 4 7.5km laps, however the Norwegian was undeterred.

Johaug wasted no time getting out in entrance, taking management after the primary 2km and stretching the sector out with Sweden’s Ebba Andersson shadowing her in a breakaway group of seven racers that was rapidly decreased to 4.

France’s Delphine Claudel battled gamely to hold on to the leaders however they had been quickly whittled right down to a trio, and Johaug took her probability simply earlier than a 3rd of the race had elapsed.

As Andersson briefly paused for a drink across the 9km mark, Johaug noticed her alternative and made one other break, dropping the Swede and leaving the chief with solely Diggins on her tail, however the American dash specialist couldn’t reel her in.

Johaug’s lead over Diggins was quickly as much as 27 seconds and he or she pressed on relentlessly, often wanting behind her however solely seeing the snow being whipped throughout the course by the brisk, freezing wind.

By then, World Cup chief Natalya Nepryaeva representing the Russian Olympic Committee had lengthy since departed, gliding off the course and giving up earlier than the tip of the primary lap.

Round a minute behind Johaug and one other minute forward of Andersson in third, Diggins ploughed a lonely furrow in second spot however couldn’t shut the hole as time started to expire and the wind elevated in power.

In the long run it was all too straightforward as Johaug, who missed the 2018 Olympics on account of a doping suspension, cruised throughout the road waving a Norwegian flag with the remainder of the sector nowhere to be seen.

(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Modifying by Himani Sarkar)