SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2014 From Nepal to Peru, no-hopers inspire in Sochi SOCHI: Struggling alone on the tracks long after the Cologna. Wearing a pair of sunglasses more adept for ‘I was in a lot of pain’ years old is quite difficult. The level is very high here.” leaders finished but never giving up, heroic mountaineering than skiing, his final lap around the He had picked up a respiratory infection which “I will stay here until the closing ceremony. I’m not Olympians from Nepal to Peru again showed that it’s Laura cross country ski centre above Sochi was a made it hard for him to breathe, coming on top of a just coming here to finish my race and go away, this is the taking part that counts. study in torture and solitude. Staring exhausted into rib injury. “It was a very difficult race for me. There are not my habit and not my mind.” The time trial event in the cross country, with large the sky as he waded through the tracks, Carcelen people with flu at the village and it was hard for me to Lacking the waxing specialists employed by the fields and individual start times, is traditionally the must have wondered when it all might end. breathe. I was in a lot of pain in my right ribs.” top team, the low-ranking athletes stuck to the snow moment in the Winter Olympics where athletes from But end it did and Carcelen was granted a huge He did not expect to stay for the closing ceremony. with almost no glide on their skis. Proving that cross lesser known ski nations have their chance to shine. ovation from the stands as he crossed the line carry- “I think I’ll head back home earlier because I want to country skiing knows no boundaries, other lowly fin- And so it was in the men’s 15 km cross country ing a Peruvian flag. He was also granted the honour at see my doctor.” Carcelen competed in the 15 kilome- ishers included Nadeem Iqbal of India and Tucker classic style time trial at Sochi, a gruelling race against the finish of a hug from the triumphant Cologna who tre event in Vancouver 2010, where he became the Murphy of Bermuda, definitely not a place known for the clock made particularly tough by hot tempera- strode over from the winners’ enclosure to embrace first Peruvian athlete to take part at the Olympic snow-covered tracks. tures and agonisingly slow snow. the man who came last. Winter Games. But he thinks Sochi will his last. The women’s race on Thursday saw a similar diver- The never-say-die performances of athletes from Cologna’s supreme act of sportsmanship recalled “I’m retiring now. I want to dedicate myself to a sity with racers including Mathilde Amivi Petitjean of nations such as Nepal, India and Peru became almost how legendary Norwegian skier Bjoern Daehlie had cross country development project and to work with Togo. A huge cheer was given to Farzaneh Rezasoltani as much of an attraction as the dominant power of waited for Philip Boit of Kenya at the Nagano kids to get them to the Olympics.” Second last in 86th of Iran, 28, who finished 73rd. the race winner, Dario Cologna of Switzerland. Olympics in 1998. Carcelen, the only athlete repre- place was Dachhiri Sherpa, 44, of Nepal who was also As other athletes raced in T-Shirts, Rezasoltani The biggest cheer was reserved for Roberto senting Peru at the Games said, afterwards that it was given a hug by Cologna at the end of his race. “I’m wore an Islamic headscarf underneath her hat, as well Carcelen of Peru, 43, who finished the race last in “a big honour to make history. Hopefully I’ll inspire quite happy because now I am 44 years old and at this as a light coat in line with her country’s Islamic dress 1hour 6min 29.9sec, some 28 minutes behind people in Peru.” age to make a competition with those less than 30 rules. — AFP Cologna wins 15K classical race for second Sochi gold KRASNAYA POLYANA: After a season blighted Sundby of Norway had a disappointing race, fin- “Then all I could do was sprint and hope for by an ankle injury, Dario Cologna is finally hav- ishing 1:37.7 behind the winner. the best,” Richardsson said. “I heard that Iivo was ing his day in the sun. Wearing short sleeves and The 22-year-old Niskanen was surprisingly in really tired at the end, and that was the thing sunglasses in the spring-like weather, the Swiss the lead early in the race and then second just that improved my own power.” cross-country skier won his second gold medal behind Cologna at the 8K mark, but he faded Norway dropped Petter Northug for the race of the Sochi Olympics on Friday with a dominant toward the end and just missed out on a medal. after the two-time Olympic gold medalist from performance in the 15-kilometer classical-style The Finn has competed only once on the World Vancouver struggled in the opening two men’s race. Cup this season, finishing eighth in a 15K race in races. Russia, meanwhile, surprisingly dropped Cologna is a three-time overall World Cup Italy two weeks ago. He won the under-23 world both Alexander Legkov and Maxim Vylegzhanin, winner, but had ankle surgery in November and championship title in the discipline in January. who had been seen as the country’s top medal only returned to competition in January. “It’s Richardsson said he was given reports by his candidates. amazing. I couldn’t believe the first gold medal, coaches that he was gaining time on Niskanen, The way Cologna is skiing, though, it’s unlike- after being injured, and now the second,” and coming up to the final uphill section he was ly anyone would have caught him. “For me, it Cologna said. “The first gold was emotional after only five seconds behind. was just a perfect race,” he said. — AP coming back from injury, the second is unbeliev- KRASNAYA: Silver medalist Switzerland’s Selina Gasparin, left, gold medalist Belarus’ Darya able.” Domracheva, center, and bronze medalist Belarus’ Nadezhda Skardino pose after the women’s Cologna also won the opening 30-kilometer biathlon 15k individual race, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, yesterday, in Krasnaya Polyana, skiathlon race on Sunday, but had a disappoint- Russia. — AP ing freestyle sprint where he fell twice in his quarterfinal and was knocked out. Yesterday, no one could match his speed over the last half of Domracheva wins the race and he beat silver-medalist Johan Olsson of Sweden by 28.5 seconds. Another Swede, Daniel Richardsson, took 2nd biathlon gold bronze after his strong finish put him 0.2 sec- onds ahead of Iivo Niskanen of Finland - to the KRASNAYA POLYANA: Darya Gabriela Soukalova of Czech Republic, delight of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Domracheva’s unmatched pace at skiing who won this season’s World Cup title in the Queen Silvia, who were in attendance. earned the Belarusian biathlete her second discipline, seemed heading for a podium It made for a podium that few would have gold medal of the Sochi Olympics yester- finish before missing a second target in her expected just a couple of months ago. Olsson is day. In the women’s 15-kilometer individual final shooting. The two penalty minutes the reigning 50K world champion but hadn’t race, Domracheva missed one target - the saw her drop to fourth, missing out on a competed since mid-December because of an fourth in her opening round of the standing medal by 19.7 seconds. illness and rib injury, and said he nearly gave up shooting - but she easily made up the Kaisa Makarainen of Finland also blew hope in January of making it to Sochi. penalty minute for a comfortable victory. her medal chances in the last shooting. She Richardsson, who like Olsson won gold in the Domracheva, who also won the 12.5K had faulted once in the second round but relay in Vancouver in 2010, had an even tougher pursuit three days ago, finished in 43 min- was still on course for silver until she missed time getting here. The Swede was involved in a utes, 19.6 seconds - and would still be in two more targets in her final round before traffic accident last July that killed one of his front had she missed another target. placing ninth. Krystyna Palka of Poland was It was Domracheva’s third career the third top-10 finisher who shot flawlessly close friends. The two were changing a tire on a road in Sweden when another vehicle struck KRASNAYA: From left, silver medalist Sweden’s Johan Olsson, gold medalist Switzerland’s Dario Cologna Olympic medal. She also won bronze in the but she trailed Domracheva by over three and bronze medalist Sweden’s Daniel Richardsson wave as they follow hostesses prior to the flowers cere- individual race in Vancouver four years ago. minutes. In an individual race, biathletes them both. Richardsson escaped with a serious knee injury, but needed months of rehab to get mony for the men’s 15K classical-style cross-country race at the 2014 Winter Olympics, yesterday, in Selina Gasparin of Switzerland shot cleanly who miss a target don’t ski an extra loop Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. — AP and finished 1:15.7 behind to take silver. like in other disciplines, but they get a back to skiing.