TESERO, Italy, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Frida Karlsson of Sweden won the gold medal in the women's 10km+10km skiathlon at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics here on Saturday, as her compatriot Ebba Andersson took silver.
Karlsson clocked 53 minutes, 45.2 seconds to take the title, while Andersson finished second in 54:36.2. Norway's Heidi Weng claimed bronze in 55:11.9.
During the opening 10km classic portion, several Nordic skiers raced closely together in a tight group. As the freestyle segment got underway, Karlsson and Andersson gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. Karlsson crossed the finish line with a 51-second advantage and waved the Swedish flag in celebration.
The victory marked the first individual Olympic gold medal for the 26-year-old Karlsson.
American skier Jessie Diggins fell on a sharp downhill turn early in the race, also taking out Norway's Karoline Simpson-Larsen. Neither was able to rejoin the leading pack. Diggins ranked 14th in the first half of the race but made up ground in the freestyle segment, her strongest discipline, to finish eighth.
Seventy athletes from 26 delegations competed in the event. In the women's skiathlon, all skiers started together, racing the first 10km using the classic technique before switching skis and poles to race the final 10km in freestyle. The format tests athletes' versatility across both disciplines.
China fielded four athletes, Chi Chunxue, Wang Yundi, He Kaile and Dinigeer Yilamujiang, and none of them finished in the top 50.
The men's 10km+10km skiathlon will take place on Sunday. ■
