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Renewed rivalry: Norwegians edge Italians, and team USA is 5th
By Jesse Hyde
Deseret News Olympic specialist
SOLDIER HOLLOW — The "USA!" chant from the 1980 hockey miracle, which has been revived as the rallying cry since Sept. 11, rose like a hymn Sunday morning at the most unlikely of Olympic spots.
As the first leg of the men's cross country 4x10 km race came to an end, American John Bauer climbed into third place, and for a brief moment, the spirit of 1980 descended upon Soldier Hollow.
Ultimately, there was no medal and no miracle, but Team USA did walk away with a fifth-place finish, its best Olympic relay result ever and a dramatic improvement over its 17th place finish at Nagano. Keeping up with the Norwegians and Italians, who finished first and second, would have been as monumental as the American 1980 hockey upset of the Soviet Union.
For the third consecutive time, the relay ended in a thrilling sprint between Norway and Italy. At Lillehammer in 1994, more than 200,000 Norwegians — 5 percent of the population — applied for tickets to the men's relay, only to be stunned when Italian Silvio Fauner beat Bjorn Daehlie, the greatest cross country skier ever, in a sprint to the finish line.
Four years later at Nagano, Norway's Thomas Alsgaard avenged the loss in another sprint, lunging across the line just before Fauner.
After two legs Saturday, another sprint between Italy and Norway didn't seem likely. Anders Aukland and Frode Estil, a two-time silver medalist at these games, had opened a 23-second lead over the Italians.
Then Italy's Pietro Cottrer Piller, one of the world's best freestyle skiers, exploded on the third leg — moving his team from seventh to second, less than a second behind the Norwegians.
Once again, the hopes of an entire nation rested on the shoulders of Alsgaard, who would ski the final leg for Norway. Alsgaard, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and Zorzi, a sprint specialist, skied stride for stride until the last hill, where Zorzi briefly took the lead.
Zorzi and Alsgaard both then slowed down and stood up, nearly stopping, before the final descent into the stadium, hoping the other would take the lead. Finally, Alsgaard relented, crouched into a tuck and led the pair into the stadium.
Whipping down the hill and around the final corner, Zorzi overtook Alsgaard. As the two skiers charged down the straightaway — legs churning, lungs bursting — the largest crowd ever at Soldier Hollow rose to its feet and cheered.
Alsgaard crossed first, raising his hands and smiling in relief as Zorzi swatted at the snow with his pole in disgust. Moments later both skiers were smiling as they embraced their teammates. The German team finished third.
"On paper the Norwegians are very strong, but in the relay it's different. It's very hard to get a gap. It almost always comes down to a sprint," Alsgaard said. "Everybody in Norway is happy. We could've lost it and it would've been disastrous."
Alsgaard and his teammates were impressed with the Americans and recognized them as factors before the race began. American Justin Wadsworth called the compliment an honor and said the race proved the U.S. team can compete with Europeans.
For stretches in the race, Bauer and 21-year-old Kris Freeman skied with the leading pack, a group of decorated Olympians. Bauer once led the race, and when it ended Carl Swenson came flying to the finish just behind Austria's Christain Hoffman."This is the biggest thing ever for me," Swenson said. "Coming into this I thought a top-10 finish, a top-5 possibly, but this is amazing."
With six top 25 finishes, the U.S. team is well on its way to its best overall Olympic effort ever.
E-MAIL: jhyde@desnews.com
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February 18, 2002
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