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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cross-country drama

Men’s down-to-the-wire battle proved the sport can be captivating on TV

Noah Trister Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – At the Olympics, no sport has a monopoly on drama.

Even cross-country skiing, an event that doesn’t always make for riveting television, featured one of the most exciting moments of the Vancouver Games on Wednesday when Nikita Kriukov edged Russian teammate Alexander Panzhinskiy in a photo finish.

“It was really unbelievable. In fact, Nikita is my roommate and we’ve trained together many years,” Panzhinskiy said after the race. “It is really a dream for us to be together on the podium and we didn’t know it was going to happen today.”

NBC can only hope the remaining cross-country races are as compelling as that one. The women’s 15-kilometer pursuit will be televised today, and the men’s 30-kilometer pursuit will follow Saturday.

Unlike some other athletes at the Olympics, cross-country skiers stay close to the ground in a grueling but not always thrilling trek in the woods. The sport isn’t a candidate for too many play-of-the-day awards, so check elsewhere for graceful jumps or excessive speeds.

As an endurance test, though, the event stands out, rivaled only by its cousin, the biathlon, and some of the longer speedskating races. It’s not uncommon for cross-country skiers to collapse in exhaustion after crossing the finish line, giving the viewer a clear picture of the price paid in pursuit of Olympic glory.

In recent years, cross-country skiing has become better suited for television.

Also today, NBC will televise the men’s Alpine super-G, with American Bode Miller trying for his second medal of these Olympics. Miller was the world champion in that event in 2005 but slammed into a gate and failed to finish at the Turin Games the following year.

The other two medal events on a relatively light day are in the skeleton, with competitors hurtling down an icy track headfirst at speeds approaching 100 mph. NBC will show the skeleton, the super-G, ski jumping and ice dancing’s compulsory program in prime time. The women’s cross-country race is earlier in the day.