The russians could celebrate!

Russian Mikhail Ivanov won the last cross-country gold medal in Salt Lake City 2002. For the first event in Torino 2006 the Russians were not among the hottest favorites, but when the swede Anders Södergren and the Italians made their attack in the last climb, Yevgeni Dementiev was following in fourth position over the top. Dementiev has proved to have a great sprint at several occasions, and when the pack entered the finishing stretch noone could beat Dementiev, and the Russian crowd could cheer for their first gold medal of the Torino games.