(LEAD) Russian, Polish skiers win skiathlon event at World Cup in PyeongChang

(ATTN: more info, comments)
By Joo Kyung-don

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- Petr Sedov of Russia won the men's skiathlon event at an International Ski Federation (FIS) competition here on Saturday.

Sedov claimed his third FIS Cross-Country World Cup victory after clocking a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 49.6 seconds in a 30km race at Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 182 kilometers east of Seoul.

Daniel Stock was second at 1:19:12.1, followed by his Norwegian compatriot Mathias Rundgreen at 1:19:31.7.

South Korea's cross-country skiing hopeful Kim Magnus, who grabbed two gold medals at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, missed the competition for the second straight day due to flu-like symptoms.

On the women's side, Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland took her first World Cup victory since 2014. The two-time Olympic champion finished the 15km race in 43:54.7, beating Elizabeth Stephen of the United States by 56 seconds. Japan's Masako Ishida was third at 45:09.5.

"I was a little bit afraid before the race, because I wasn't satisfied with my performance yesterday," said Kowalcyzk, who finished fourth in the 1.4km sprint classic Friday. "But now I think I'm ready for the upcoming World Championships."

On the home side, Lee Chae-won enjoyed the best World Cup performance by a South Korean, finishing 12th at 46:02.7. Her previous best finish at a World Cup was 43rd.

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is one of the test events for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. It is also the first time that South Korea is hosting World Cup races in cross-country skiing.

The FIS competition will conclude with team sprint races on Sunday.

kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)