Japan's Nitta takes 10-km standing gold; Ukraine's Kononova wins 5-km classic

Canwest News Service 


Yoshihiro Nitta of Japan leads Jinyou Wang of China during the Men's Standing 20km Cross Country race at Pragelato Plan.

Bryn Lennon / Getty Images


WHISTLER — Yoshihiro Nitta has taken gold for Japan in the men's 10-kilometre cross-country (standing) race at Callaghan Valley, beating out Russia's Kirill Mikhaylov.

Nitta finished at 26:29.5, while Mikhaylov (27:01.7) just slipped in ahead of Ukraine's Grygorii Vovshynskyi to take silver.

Canada's Mark Arendz and Tyler Mosher finished 12th and 23rd, respectively.

In the women's five-kilometre classic, the Ukraine notched gold and silver as Oleksandra Kononova finished first at 16:01.3, with Iuliia Batenkova right behind her at 16:03.7.

Larysa Varona, of Belarus, got bronze.

Canada's Jody Barber was sixth and Mary Benson 14th.

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Paralympic cross-country skiing was included as an event at the first Paralympic Winter Games in 1976, at Örnsköldsvik, with classical technique events only. Free technique was introduced in 1992 at Albertville.

In both biathlon and cross-country skiing, athletes are categorized as standing, sitting or visually impaired and compete against athletes with similar disabilities. Visually impaired skiers use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers but ski with a guide. Standing skiers are skiers with a locomotive disability and who are able to use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers. Sit-skiers usually have no use of their legs (paraplegic) and use a special made sit-ski (a specially built chair, called a sledge, attached to a pair of skis).

Paralympic cross-country skiers compete in men’s and women’s individual events over short, middle and long distances ranging from 2.5 kilometres to 20 kilometres. Each race has an interval start with skiers starting every 30 seconds.

In the relay event, each team member skis one leg. Teams are made up of skiers from different categories but with the total percentage for each team being equal. This means that no time calculation is required and the first team across the finish line wins.

(Vanoc website)

