The Men's 50 kilometre freestyle cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics

2006 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

in Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, was held on 26 February, at Pragelato

Pragelato

Pragelato is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km west of Turin, in the upper Val Chisone. The name Pragelato, meaning ‘icy meadow’, has been derived from the harsh climate and the fact that the ground is covered with ice for long periods...

. This was the final day of the Games, and the top three finishers were presented their medals as part of the Closing Ceremony.

The 50 kilometre had previously been skied only once as a mass start

Mass start

Mass start is a format of starting in some events in athletics , such as a marathon race, speedskating or a long-distance cross country skiing competition....

 event at the World Championships, in 2005, with Frode Estil

Frode Estil

Frode Estil is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He currently lives in Meråker with his wife Grete whom he married in the summer of 2001. They have two sons, Bernhard, born in August 2002, and Konrad. Estil was classical specialist and also a specialist at succeeding in World Championships...

 of Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 winning. However, that was in the classical style. The last 50 kilometre freestyle race at a World Championship was in 2003, and Martin Koukal

Martin Koukal

Martin Koukal is a Czech cross country skier and mountaineer who has been competing since 1996. He won two medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with gold in 50 km and a bronze in the team sprint...

 of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

 won that event. Mikhail Ivanov was defending Olympic champion on 50 kilometre, but that event was held in classical technique with individual start.

With a pack of 10–15 skiers coming together towards the finish, Giorgio Di Centa

Giorgio Di Centa

Giorgio Di Centa is an Italian cross country skier who won two gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics, including the individual 50 km freestyle race...

 won Italy's second gold medal in cross-country skiing. This was the closest Olympic 50 km ever (0.8 seconds), eclipsing the 4.9 seconds that separated Thomas Wassberg

Thomas Wassberg

Thomas Wassberg is a Swedish former cross-country skier. A fast skating style - push for every leg - is still called "Wassberg" after him in several countries....

 from Gunde Svan

Gunde Svan

Gunde Svan is a former Swedish cross-country skier and auto racing driver. During his career he won a total of four gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the Winter Olympics...

 (both from Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

) at the 1984 Winter Olympics

1984 Winter Olympics

The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...

 in Sarajevo

Sarajevo

Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....

.

A photograph of Di Centa in action during this event would be used as the pictogram

Pictogram

A pictograph, also called pictogram or pictogramme is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial in appearance.Pictography is a...

 for the cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics

The cross-country skiing competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were held at Whistler Olympic Park. The events were held between 15 and 28 February 2010.- Medal table :- Men's events :- Women's events :- Competition schedule :...

 events at the following Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

.

Results

The race was a 'mass start', with all 79 skiers starting at the same time. 13 skiers failed to finish the race, while 3 were originally entered, but did not start.

Rank	Name	Country	Time
	Giorgio Di Centa Giorgio Di Centa Giorgio Di Centa is an Italian cross country skier who won two gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics, including the individual 50 km freestyle race...		2:06:11.8
	Eugeni Dementiev Eugeni Dementiev Yevgeny Alexandrovich Dementyev is a retired Russian cross-country skier. He attended Children and Youth Sports School of Sovetsky District, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, where his first trainer was Valery Ukhov. Dementyev's first international success was in 2001 at the Junior World Championship...		2:06:12.6
	Mikhail Botwinov		2:06:12.7
4	Emmanuel Jonnier Emmanuel Jonnier Emmanuel Jonnier is a French cross country skier who has been competing since 1998. His best finish at the Winter Olympics was fourth in the 50 km event at the 2006 games in Turin....		2:06:13.5
5	Pietro Piller Cottrer Pietro Piller Cottrer Pietro Piller Cottrer is an Italian cross-country skier who won gold medal in the 4 x 10 km relay at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He was born at Sappada, province of Belluno....		2:06:14.0
6	Anders Soedergren		2:06:14.1
7	Martin Koukal Martin Koukal Martin Koukal is a Czech cross country skier and mountaineer who has been competing since 1996. He won two medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with gold in 50 km and a bronze in the team sprint...		2:06:14.9
8	Jiri Magal Jirí Magál Jiří Magál is a Czech cross-country skier. Magál has appeared in four Winter Olympics and at every World Championship since 1999.-Olympic Games:* 1998 - 30 km classic, 22nd* 1998 - 50 km freestyle, 47th* 2002 - 30 km freestyle, 42rd...		2:06:15.1
9	Vincent Vittoz Vincent Vittoz Vincent Vittoz is a French cross-country skier. He grew up in the town of La Clusaz in the Northern French Alps and has been competing since 1982...		2:06:16.4
10	Mathias Fredriksson Mathias Fredriksson Mathias Fredriksson is a Swedish cross country skier who has competed since 1993. He earned a bronze medal in the 4 x 10 km at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin...		2:06:17.1
11	Jean Marc Gaillard Jean Marc Gaillard Jean Marc Gaillard is a French cross country skier who has been competing since 2000. His best finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was 7th in the 50 km event at Sapporo in 2007...		2:06:19.9
12	Sergei Dolidovich Sergei Dolidovich Sergei Dolidovich is a Belarusian cross country skier who has competed since 1994. His lone World Cup victory was in a 60 km event in Finland in 2001....		2:06:22.4
13	Maxim Odnodvortsev		2:06:23.4
14	Martin Bajcicak Martin Bajcicák Martin Bajčičák is a Slovakian cross country skier who has been competing since 1994. His best finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was fourth in the 15 km + 15 km double pursuit in 2005....		2:06:24.9
15	Tord Asle Gjerdalen Tord Asle Gjerdalen -Career:In his early career, he finished ninth in the 30 kilometres event at the 2003 Junior World Championships. He made his debut in the World Cup in February 2004 in Trondheim, where he finished 67th in the sprint race. He also competed in the 50 kilometre event in Oslo the same month, where he...		2:06:26.2
16	Lukáš Bauer Lukáš Bauer Lukáš Bauer is a Czech cross country skier who has competed since 1996.On February 17, 2006, he won the Winter Olympics silver medal for the 15 km cross-country classical....		2:06:29.0
17	Jens Filbrich Jens Filbrich Jens Filbrich is a German cross-country skier who has been competing since 1998. He won two medals in the 4 x 10 km relay at the Winter Olympics with a silver in 2006 and a bronze in 2002...		2:06:31.1
18	Nikolai Pankratov		2:06:33.9
19	Fabio Santus Fabio Santus Fabio Santus is an Italian cross country skier who has competed since 1995. His best World Cup finish was second in a 4 x 10 km event in Switzerland in 2007 while Santus's best individual finish was fifth in a 15 km + 15 km double pursuit event in Sweden in 2004.Competing in two Winter Olympics,...		2:06:38.2
20	Alexander Legkov Alexander Legkov Alexander Gennadiyevich Legkov is a Russian cross country skier who has been competing since 2002...		2:06:39.7
21	Remo Fischer Remo Fischer Remo Fischer is a Swiss cross country skier who has competed since 2000. He competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, finishing 21st in the 50 km and 36th in the 15 km + 15 km double pursuit events....		2:06:40.9
22	Juan Jesus Guiterrez		2:06:43.3
23	Diego Ruiz Diego Ruiz (skier) Diego Ruiz Asín is a Spanish cross-country skier who has competed in the World Cup since 1998. Ruiz competed at three Winter Olympics and in four FIS Nordic World Ski Championships from 2003 to 2009. His best Olympic result is a 23rd place in the 50 km event in 2006...		2:06:51.6
24	Tobias Angerer Tobias Angerer Tobias Angerer is a German cross country skier, and skies with the SC Vachendorf club. He graduated from the Skigymnasium Berchtesgaden in 1996. His occupation is "Sports Soldier"...		2:07:00.3
25	Johan Olsson		2:07:00.9
26	Alexandre Rousselet Alexandre Rousselet Alexandre Rousselet is a French cross country skier who has competed since 1998. His best individual finish at the Winter Olympics was 19th in the 15 km event at Turin in 2006....		2:07:01.5
27	Milan Sperl Milan Šperl Milan Šperl is a Czech cross country skier who has been competing since 2000. He won a bronze medal in the team sprint at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo...		2:07:01.9
28	Frode Estil Frode Estil Frode Estil is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He currently lives in Meråker with his wife Grete whom he married in the summer of 2001. They have two sons, Bernhard, born in August 2002, and Konrad. Estil was classical specialist and also a specialist at succeeding in World Championships...		2:07:06.1
29	Andrey Golovko Andrey Golovko Andrey Golovko is a Kazakhstani cross-country skier. He competed at the Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City, and in Turin in 2006, placing 29th in the 30 km and 29th in the 50 km.-References:...		2:07:19.6
30	Fulvio Valbusa Fulvio Valbusa Fulvio Valbusa is an Italian cross country skier who competed from 1992 to 2006. He won two medals in the 4 x 10 km relay at the Winter Olympics with a gold in 2006 and a silver in 1998...		2:07:22.5
31	Nejc Brodar		2:07:24.5
32	Toni Livers Toni Livers Toni Livers is a Swiss cross country skier who has competed since 2000. His best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was ninth in the 15 km + 15 km double pursuit at Sapporo in 2007....		2:07:25.4
33	Tor Arne Hetland Tor Arne Hetland Tor Arne Hetland is a professional Norwegian cross-country skier.Hetland was born in Stavanger. He now lives in Trondheim and is with the Byåsen IL ski club there. Hetland is and...		2:07:36.2
34	Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (skier) Andrew Johnson is a cross-country skier from the United States. He was born and raised in Greensboro, Vermont, and is a member of the U.S. 2006 Olympic Cross-Country Ski Team. He has been a Junior National Champ, an Overall "Supertour Champ," and a 3-Time All American...		2:07:56.3
35	Aivar Rehemaa Aivar Rehemaa Aivar Rehemaa is an Estonian cross-country skier. He competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He represents Estonia at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver...		2:08:00.8
36	René Sommerfeldt René Sommerfeldt René Sommerfeldt is a German cross-country skier who competed from 1994 to 2010. He won 2 medals in the 4 x 10 km relays at the Winter Olympics with a silver in 2006 and a bronze in 2002...		2:08:03.0
37	Denis Krivushkin Denis Krivushkin Denis Krivushkin is a Kazakhstani cross-country skier. He competed at the Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City, and in Turin in 2006.-References:...		2:08:05.3
38	Ivan Babikov Ivan Babikov Ivan Babikov is a Russian-born Canadian cross country skier who has been competing since 2002...		2:08:07.9
39	Markus Hasler Markus Hasler Markus Hasler is a cross country skier from Liechtenstein who has competed since 1992. His best World Cup finish was third in a sprint event in Italy in 2001....		2:08:29.0
40	Alexander Lasutkin		2:08:40.4
41	Jan Egil Andresen Jan Egil Andresen Jan Egil Andresen is a Norwegian cross-country skier, born in Mo i Rana. He competed at the Winter Olympics in Turin in 2006, placing 27th in the 30 km and 41st in the 50 km.-References:...		2:08:43.7
42	Vicente Vilarrubla		2:09:03.1
43	Teemu Kattilakoski Teemu Kattilakoski Teemu Kattilakoski is a Finnish cross country skier who has been competing since 1996. His best finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was sixth in the 4 x 10 km event in 2007 while his best individual finish was eighth in the 50 km event in 2003.Kattilakoski's best individual finish at...		2:09:26.2
44	George Grey George Grey (skier) George Grey is a Canadian cross-country skier.Grey made his World Cup debut in 2001, with his best finish coming in early 2009, when he teamed with Alex Harvey to win a bronze medal in the team sprint. His best individual performance thus far is 16th place, which he achieved at Canmore in 2005 and...		2:09:38.4
45	Michal Malak Michal Malák Michal Malák is a Slovak cross-country skier who has been competing since 1998. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 12th in the 4 x 10 km relay at Vancouver in 2010....		2:09:38.7
46	Zsolt Antal		2:10:06.7
47	Ivan Batory Ivan Bátory Ivan Bátory is a Slovak cross-country skier who has competed at the international senior level of cross-country skiing since 1993...		2:10:32.2
48	Li Geilang		2:10:36.9
49	Katsuhito Ebisawa Katsuhito Ebisawa is a Japanese cross country skier who has competed since 1995. Competing in three Winter Olympics, he earned his best career and individual finishes at Nagano in 1998 with a seventh in the 4 x 10 km relay and 21st in the 10 km + 15 km combined pursuit, respectively.Ebisawa's best finish at the FIS...		2:10:39.6
50	Christian Stebler		2:11:13.0
51	Joergen Brink		2:11:19.2
52	Olli Ohtonen		2:11:54.7
53	Qiung Zhang		2:12:13.0
54	Andrey Kondroschev		2:13:24.2
55	Joze Mehle		2:13:37.1
56	Mikhail Gumenyak		2:13:44.6
57	Dan Roycroft Dan Roycroft Dan Roycroft is a Canadian cross country skier who has been competing since 1998. He has competed in the 2003, 2005, and 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with his best placings being 29th in the 50 km event in 2007 and 31st in the 50 km in 2005.Roycroft competed in the 2006 Winter...		2:13:47.5
58	Chris Jeffries Chris Jeffries Chris Jeffries is a Canadian cross-country skier.Jeffries made his World Cup debut in 2001, with his best finish coming in 2004, when he teamed with George Grey to finish 9th in team sprint at Lahti...		2:13:49.5
59	Shunsuke Komamura		2:14:08.8
60	Olegs Maluhins Olegs Maluhins Oļegs Maļuhins is a former Latvian biathlete.He retired after the 2006 Turin Olympics, but announced comeback in 2008 stating that in his plans is to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics. In fact, in Torino he didn't make the Latvian biathlon team, so he participated in cross-country skiing...		2:15:10.6
61	Kris Freeman Kris Freeman Kris Freeman is one of the United States's most elite cross-country skiers. Born October 14, 1980 in Concord, New Hampshire, he is a member of the U.S. Ski Team, along with his older brother Justin Freeman....		2:15:32.6
62	Vladimir Olschanski		2:16:14.7
63	Ren Long		2:16:15.0
	Carl Swenson		DNF
	Ville Nousiainen Ville Nousiainen Ville Nousiainen is a Finnish cross country skier who has been competing since 2002. He finished fifth in the 4 x 10 km event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver....		DNF
	Nobu Naruse Nobu Naruse is a Japanese cross-country skier. He competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He represented Japan at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver....		DNF
	James Southam James Southam James Southam is an American cross country skier who has competed since 1998. His best individual World Cup finish was 22nd in a 15 km + 15 km double pursuit event at Whistler Olympic Park in January 2009...		DNF
	Olexandr Putsko Olexandr Putsko Olexandr Putsko is a Ukrainian cross-country skier who has competed since 2000. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 52nd twice, both in the 30 km mixed pursuit events ....		DNF
	Xia Wan		DNF
	Aleksej Novoselkij		DNF
	Jung Eui Myung		DNF
	Sabahattin Oglago		DNF
	Francesc Soulie		DNF
	Valts Eiduks		DNF
	Intars Spalvins		DNF
	Aleksandar Milenkovic		DNF
	Olegs Andrejevs		DNF
	Oliver Kraas Oliver Kraas Oliver Martin Kraas is a South African cross-country skier who has competed since 2003. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 57th in the individual sprint event at Turin in 2006....		DNF
	Noureddine Bentoumi		DNF
	Mihai Galiceanu		DNS
	Edmond Khachatryan		DNS
	Hovhannes Sargsyan		DNS