5/10 kilometres Pursuit, Women

This was the second women’s Olympic pursuit race. It was held on 13 February, with the 5 km classical skied in the morning, and the 10 km freestyle in the afternoon. Lyubov Yegorova, third in the 1993 World Championships, had won the 5 km in the morning and started 56 seconds ahead of Stefania Belmondo, who had won the 1993 World title in the pursuit. The second starter was Belmondo’s teammate, Manuela Di Centa, who was 20 seconds in back of Yegorova. In the pursuit, Belmondo would post the fastest time but she started too far behind to catch the leaders, eventually winning the bronze medal. Di Centa slightly outskied Yegorova in freestyle, but the Russian held on to win the gold medal by 8.3 seconds. This was Yegorova’s fifth Olympic gold medal, and she would add a sixth six days later in the relay. Di Centa would win a medal in all five cross-country events in Lillehammer, with golds in the 15 km and 30 km. Belmondo first competed at the Winter Olympics in 1988, and would compete through the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, eventually winning 10 Olympic medals, only the second woman to do so in the Winter Olympics.