5/10 kilometres Pursuit, Women

Larisa Lazutina had won the 5 km classical three days earlier in a driving snow. The freestyle pursuit was held in a heavy rain. Lazutina, the 1995 World Champion, started first, with a 5-second lead over Kateřina Neumannová. Neumannová chased hard, but could never catch the Russian, who won her second gold medal in Hakuba. Near the end of the pursuit, her teammate, Olga Danilova passed Neumannová and won the silver medal. Danilova would later add two golds in Hakuba, winning the 15 km and skiing on the winning Russian relay team with Lazutina. Lazutina won five medals in 1998, including three golds. Four years later, things would not be as good for the Russian lasses, as both were disqualified in Salt Lake City for doping, when their tests were positive for darbopoietin, an erythropoietin analogue. Neumannová would fare better, adding two silver medals in 2002 and a gold and silver in 2006, giving her six Winter Olympic medals, all in individual events. She also competed in mountain biking at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, finishing 18th.