Cross-country skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics – Women's team sprint explained

Event:Women's team sprint
Games:2006 Winter
Venue:Pragelato
Dates:February 14
Competitors:32
Nations:16
Gold:Anna Dahlberg & Lina Andersson
Goldnoc:SWE
Silver:Sara Renner & Beckie Scott
Silvernoc:CAN
Bronze:Aino-Kaisa Saarinen & Virpi Kuitunen
Bronzenoc:FIN
Win Value:16:36.9
Next:2010

The Women's team sprint cross-country skiing competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was held on 14 February, at Pragelato. This was the first time the team sprint was contested in the Winter Olympics. Each race featured teams of two, with each skier completing 3 laps of a 1145 metre course.

This event had been held once previously at the World Championships, but then as a free technique event, which Hilde G. Pedersen and Marit Bjørgen won for Norway. The last classical style team sprint in the World Cup was held in Canmore on 18 December 2005 and won by Germany, with Manuela Henkel and Viola Bauer.

Results

Semifinals

Eight teams were entered in the two semifinals, with the top five in each advancing to the final.[1]

Semifinal 1
Rank Country Athletes Time Notes
1 17:16.8 Q
2 17:19.3 Q
3 17:32.6 Q
4 17:33.1 Q
5 17:36.3 Q
6 17:54.5
7 18:53.5
8 19:14.3
Semifinal 2
Rank Country Athletes Time Notes
1 17:14.4 Q
2 17:32.3 Q
3 17:33.5 Q
4 17:34.7 Q
5 17:51.4 Q
6 18:11.6
7 18:18.4
8 19:13.6

Final

The top three teams clearly separated themselves, with Sweden pulling away in the final metres to finish ahead of Canada and win the gold.[1]

Rank Country Athletes Time Deficit
16:36.9
16:37.5 +0.6
16:39.2 +2.3
4 16:48.1 +11.2
5 17:03.5 +26.6
6 17:08.5 +31.6
7 17:24.8 +47.9
8 Madoka Natsumi
Nobuko Fukuda
17:27.6 +50.7
9 17:42.8 +1:05.9
10 18:06.9 +1:30.0

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Torino 2006 Official Report - Cross Country Skiing . https://web.archive.org/web/20120612013304/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2006/Results/CrosscountrySki.pdf . dead . 2012-06-12 . Torino Organizing Committee . LA84 Foundation . March 2009 . Jun 17, 2009 .