Northug reverses fortunes in difficult Games for stars (News Feature)

By John Bagratuni Feb 23, 2010, 17:38 GMT

Whistler, Canada - Petter Northug has managed to turn around his Olympic fortunes with a team sprint gold, a feat that can not be said of everyone at Whistler Olympic Park.

Northug can leave Canada as a three-time champion if he delivers as well in the 50km and the relay, just as he won three world titles last year with the help of his unrivalled finish.

His fate looked in serious danger when bad skis denied him a decent result in the 15km and his ski pole broke in the deciding stage of the 30km pursuit.

A sprint bronze was by no means a compensation for the success-hungry skier who was slammed at home for not talking to the media after the pursuit mishap.

'My plan was to use the final attack in the pursuit. I was very disappointed after that race. But it also motivated me for today. My biggest goal here was to win gold,' said Northug.

'I wanted this medal. It has been a little bit up and down here so now I have the gold medal. I am happy.'

Others have not been so lucky, most notably biathletes Helena Jonsson of Sweden and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway. This also applies to a certain degree to Polish cross-country skier Justyna Kowalczyk and Austrian ski-jumper Gregor Schlierenzauer.

They all came to the Olympics tipped to win multiple medals, if not multiple golds.

Schlierenzauer won a predictable team gold on Monday, but bronze on the normal and large hill were likely below the expectations of the 20-year-old who boasts 32 World Cup.

Kowalczyk insisted she is happy with a sprint silver and pursuit bronze because the considers the slopes too easy. However, as a two-time world champion and World Cup leader she must have had higher ambitions.

Bjoerndalen, whose 10 medal career haul includes five golds, went through the full spectrum of emotions. He was narrowly beaten for gold by compatriot Emil Hegle Svendsen in the 20km, only to crash to 27th with seven missed targets a few days later in the mass start.

'These Olympic Games are very disappointing for me. Horrible,' said Bjoerndalen, who had known all the way that everything must come together to be successful at the Games.

'I know how difficult it is to make the podium. I will give it my best. If things go really well more (than two medals) is possible. But if it is really bad it can be nothing as well,' he said ahead of the Games.

Jonsson, the World Cup leader with four season wins, did not have this experience from previous Games and was brutally brought down to earth in the Callaghan Valley, with 10th place in the mass start her best and 49th in the 15km the culmination of disaster.

'It was more difficult to succeed here than I thought it would be. I knew the Olympic Games would be harder than the World Cup, but not this hard,' Jonsson said.

'This was the first time I came into a major event as the favourite and that is a very new experience.'

Jonsson and others who failed to get gold may take heart from Norway's Marit Bjoergen, who rebounded from her personal 2006 disaster with just one silver (a year after getting three world titles) in stunning fashion.

Bjoergen made peace with the Olympics with sprint and pursuit gold, 10km bronze, and the 30km and relay are still to come.

'I am very satisfied, these are great Olympics for me,' said Bjoergen. 'I wanted to be back (on top) again because this is maybe my last chance at the Olympics.'

Bjoergen was not among the top contenders this time around which may have helped her as these Olympics have not been easy for the big favourites.

Swiss ski-jumper Ammann and German biathlete Magdalena Neuner were the only top billed athletes who truly delivered, with Ammann getting a unique second normal and large hill double and Neuner taking double gold and a silver.

'These Games have been very unpredictable. It is a surprise to see none of the hopefuls delivered, except for Magdalena,' said Russian biathlete Olga Zaitseva.