SOCHI, Russia – The Norwegian women revived their cross-country skiing dominance at the Sochi Olympics on a day when the games were hit by a third doping case.
Marit Bjoergen won her sixth career gold medal Saturday by leading a Norwegian sweep in the women's 30-kilometer cross-country race. A week ago, Norway's heavily favored women's relay team finished a disappointing fifth, touching off a mini-crisis in the ski-crazed Scandinavian country.
Also, Vic Wild of Russia captured his second gold of the games by winning the Olympic debut of men's parallel slalom snowboarding. Julia Dujmovits of Austria won the women's race.
The Ukraine Olympic Committee said Saturday that cross-country skier Marina Lisogor had failed a doping test, the third athlete to test positive for banned substances in two days. The 30-year-old Lisogor competed in two cross-country events in Sochi, and did not win a medal.
On Day 16 at the Sochi Olympics, medals also were being awarded in four other sports: Alpine skiing, biathlon and speedskating.
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CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Bjoergen is now the most decorated female Winter Olympian in history with 10 total medals and six gold, including three in Sochi and three from Vancouver. Her career total puts her one ahead of Russian cross-country skier Lyubov Egorova, who had six golds and three silvers. Two other women — Stafania Belmondo of Italy and Soviet skier Raisa Smetanina — also have 10 medals, but fewer golds. Therese Johaug took silver in the 30K race, while Kristin Stoermer Steira completed the Norwegian sweep by winning bronze.
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SNOWBOARDING: The American-born Wild, who became a Russian citizen in 2011 after marrying Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina, won gold in parallel giant slalom earlier this week. Wild and another adopted Russian, former South Korean short track speedskater Viktor Ahn, have won half of Russia's 10 gold medals in Sochi. Zan Kosir of Slovenia took silver behind Wild, and Karl Benjamin of Austria won bronze. In the women's parallel slalom, Dujmovits edged Anke Karstens of Germany at the finish. Amelie Kober of Germany won bronze.