GALLIVARE, Sweden (AP) — Marit Bjoergen of Norway earned her 56th individual cross-country World Cup win Saturday by dominating the 10-kilometer freestyle event in the season opener in Gallivare, Sweden.
The 32-year-old triple Olympic champion crossed the finish line in 22 minutes and 31.8 seconds, beating teammate Therese Johaug by 12.6 seconds and Kikkan Randall of the United States by 25.9 seconds. Bjoergen called the performance “a perfect beginning” to the season.
Bjoergen said that despite the changing weather conditions that made the race a little tougher than she had expected, “I felt like going fast on the skis today and was curious to see whether my body would be with me.”
