Winter Olympics: Cross-Country Skiing
The sport of the
Vikings
by John Gettings and Christine Frantz
The
Vikings were the world's first cross-country skiers. There is evidence
that the Scandinavian warriors used
skis for transportation, especially while hunting.
Originally, the
sport of cross-country skiing was simply one half of the Nordic combined event
made popular by the Norwegian ski festivals of the late 1800s.
Separate
cross-country-only competitions gained popularity quickly, and two men's events
were included at the first Winter Olympic Games
in 1924. Cross-country skiing is one of seven winter sports that have
been contested at every Winter Games.
The first women's cross-country
event, however, was not added until the 1952
Games in Oslo, Norway.
- Men's events: 1.4-km sprint; 15-km freestyle; 50-km mass start classic;
team sprint; combined pursuit; and 4 x 10-km relay.
- Women's events: 1.2-km sprint; 10-km freestyle; 30-km mass start classic;
team sprint; combined pursuit; 4 x 5-km relay.
There are two styles of cross-country skiing at the Olympics.
- Classical: similar to ski-exercise machines, skiers use a straight
stride and must stay within predetermined parallel tracks; this was the only
style allowed at the Olympics until 1988.
- Freestyle: reminiscent of speed skaters; skiers push off with each
ski on each stride; this type of skiing is much faster than classical.
The sprint competition is a single-elimination tournament that
begins with 16 skiers grouped into four heats. The top two finishers in each
heat advance. The process is repeated until there are four semifinalists competing
for the three medals.
The combined pursuit is a classical race followed
by a freestyle race.
The mass start event was introduced at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Skiers start simultaneously, lined up in an arrow format, with the best-ranked skiers positioned at the arrow's point. The women's event is 30 km and the men's event is 50 km. The first athlete across the line wins. It is not uncommon for 10 skiers to be fighting for the line, often resulting in a photo finish.
The relay is similar to those run
in track and field. Except instead of passing a baton, skiers must simply
touch their teammate with their hand to initiate the next leg.
Until 2006, the
United States' lone cross-country medal was a silver won by Bill Koch in 1976. U.S. skiers took home two golds and a bronze in the 2006 Torino Winter Games.
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