Olympics Update – Marit Bjoergen Wins Gold

In an incredible display of endurance, Norway’s Marit Bjoergen has won the gold medal in the Ladies’ 15km Pursuit with a time of 39:58.1. Sweden’s Anna Haag will bring home the silver, and Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk narrowly edged out Norway’s Kristin Sotermer Steira in a photo finish for Bronze.

Bjoergen’s gold medal performance in the 15km Pursuit adds to her list of medal-earning performances at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She also won a gold medal in the Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic, and earned the bronze in the Ladies’ 10km freestyle.

The 15km pursuit exemplifies the difference between classic and freestyle cross-country skiing. In classic skiing, the skis used are long and thin, sometimes referred to as “skinny skis”. This allows for speed, but does not offer much for lateral movement. In freestyle cross-country skiing, also known as skating, the skis are slightly wider, and curved on the edges. This allows for more lateral motion, or a motion that more closely resembles ice-skating.

During the combined pursuit event, the Olympians exchange their skis halfway through the race. They begin with classic skis, and exchange them in the middle for the freestyle skis. This exchange proves to be a pivotal point in the race, as Bjoergen’s smooth transition allowed her to keep pace as the leader.

In both types of cross-country skiing, the boot is attached to the ski at the toe, but not at the heel. This allows for a gait that can closely resemble walking, especially when the skiers are racing up hill. It is clear to see that the heel is coming off of the ski during the race, which is characteristic of cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiing in general consists of both uphill and downhill movement, and the heel lift is essential for the uphill portions of the race.

The event is truly a test of endurance, as the 15km race is roughly equally to almost 9.5 miles! You can see while watching the event that the skiers grab water and sports drinks during the race, much like a runner in a marathon. This is to keep hydrated and keep a steady supply of energy, as muscle glycogen stores (the way that our bodies keep a reserve of fast-acting energy) can become depleted very quickly during such a long event.

The men’s pursuit race, which is a distance of 30km (15km classic and 15km freestyle) is scheduled for February 20 at 1:30pm PST.

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