WHISTLER, B.C. — Switzerland’s Dario Cologna won the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle cross-country race at the Vancouver Games in his Olympic debut.
Charlotte Kalla of Sweden led from start to finish to win the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race for her first Olympic gold medal.
Cologna collapsed across the finish line after completing the course in 33 minutes, 36.3 seconds Monday, then stayed down for several seconds while catching his breath and soaking it all in.
Italian Pietro Piller Cottrer won the silver, finishing 24.6 seconds behind Cologna, and Czech skier Lukas Bauer won the bronze to go with the silver medal he won in the 15-kilometer classical style race in Turin.
Bauer’s time was 35.7 seconds slower than Cologna’s.
Kalla led by more than 12 seconds with less than three kilometers to go in the interval-start race and then held off Kristina Smigun-Vaehi’s strong finish to win in 24 minutes, 58.4 seconds.
“It feels crazy right now,” Kalla said. “I can’t believe I am a gold medalist.”
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