5 kilometres, Women

The 5 km race tuned out to be a much closer race than the 10 km four days earlier. Sweden’s Toini Gustafsson, having the advantage of starting last of the 34 participants, won her second gold medal, but this time only 3.2 seconds ahead of Soviet’s Galina Kulakova. One km from home, Swedish team leaders informed Gustafsson that she was five seconds behind Kulakova, but a strong finish secured Gustafsson her second Olympic gold medal. Alevtina Kolchina, now aged 37 and competing in her fourth Olympics, snatched the bronze medal another 3.2 seconds behind, but only 1.3 ahead of another four-time Olympian, Sweden’s Barbro Martinsson. Only 18.2 seconds separated the first nine skiers.