Johaug Wins 1st Gold Medal Of Beijing Olympics In Skiathlon
Feb 5, 2022, 6:52 AM
(Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the women’s 15-kilometer cross-country skiathlon.
The Norwegian fought wind and frigid temperatures to ski away from a chase group of four.
Russian athlete Natalia Nepryaeva pulled away from the group on the last climb to take silver.
The first #gold medal of #Beijing2022 has gone to Therese Johaug of Norway in the #CrossCountrySkiing Women’s 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon.
Congratulations on the first medal of #Beijing2022.#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/yM4OUe5IBz
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 5, 2022
Teresa Stadlober of Austria followed just behind for the bronze medal.
The skiathlon is a mass-start race that began with 7.5 kilometers of classic skiing and finished with another 7.5 kilometers on skate skis.
Johaug has won 10 world championship titles but had never before won an individual Olympic gold medal.
Utah’s Rosie Brennan finished 14th.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
Beijing is the capital of China, with a population of more than 20 million people and the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic games. It is one of the largest cities in the world and 15 hours ahead of Mountain Time. There are 13 different venues in and around Beijing that will be used for the Winter Olympics. A total of 109 events will be held in 15 different sports, and there will be a lot of Utah locals competing for medals. Keep up to date with them at our Olympic headquarters.
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