Northug takes men’s 30K at Nordic skiing worlds

Photo: www.liberec2009.com

Petter Northug (23) from Mosvik in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway won the men’s 30-kilometer skiathlon pursuit Sunday Feb. 22 at the Nordic skiing world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. This is his first ever individual world champion title.

Northug pulled away from a four-man group in the last downhill section leading into the ski stadium and had a comfortable lead going into the final sprint.

Northug finished in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 52.4 seconds, with Anders Sødergren of Sweden 3.1 seconds behind in second. Giorgio Di Centa of Italy took bronze, 11.9 seconds back, after Alexander Legkov of Russia fell shortly before the finish to settle for fourth.

The race started with a 15-kilometer classical section before switching to freestyle over the final half.

Northug won his first gold medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan as a member of the 4 x 10 km relay in 2007.