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Spanish sensation Muehlegg takes men's 15-K cross country race
Posted: Friday December 10, 1999 05:49 PM
SAPPADA, Italy (AP) -- Johann Muehlegg, a German competing for Spain, stunned the favorite Scandinavian entries Friday in the men's 15-kilometer freestyle race to capture his first ever World Cup victory -- and the first ever for Spain in cross country skiing. Estonian Kristina Smigun beat Russian rivals Larissa Lazutina and Julia Tschepalova in the women's 10-kilometer freestyle in another surprise finish. It was Smigun's second World Cup career victory and gave her 160 points and the lead in the overall Cup standings. Muehlegg led throughout intermediate times as he competed under a snowfall and completed the distance in 34 minutes, 12.7 seconds. Liechtenstein's Stephan Kunz placed second, 42 seconds behind the winner. Austrian Christian Hoffmann came in third, with a gap of 45 seconds. Jari Isometsa of Finand eged Sweden's Magnus Ingesson for fourth place, in 35:05.6. U.S. teammates Marcus Nash and Justin Wadsworth placed 77th and 84th respectively, more than three minutes behind. Norway's Thomas Alsgaard, who finished seventh in the race, took command in the World Cup standings, after two events, with 116 points. Muehlegg moved to second place, at 100 point, in a tie with Norway's Odd-Bjorn Hjelmeset, winner of the season opener in Kiruna, Sweden and a distant 55th in Sappada. Norwegian superstar Born Daehlie is out for the entire season following a lower back injury suffered in training. In the women's race Smigunclocked a winning time of 27 minutes, 35 seconds. Lazutina trailed the winner by 5.8 seconds. Tschepalova finished 31.3 seconds behind. Italy's Stefania Belmondo placed fourth, nearly one minute behind the winner. Defending World Cup champion Bente Martinsen of Norway placed fifth in the race and moved to second overall, 15 points behind Smigun. Friday's races opened three days of World Cup events in Sappada, including men's and women's pursuit events over the weekend.
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