Kuitunen takes bronze medal in Sapporo World Championships sprint

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Virpi Kuitunen got Finland onto the medals table on day one of the FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships in Sapporo, Japan on Thursday afternoon with a bronze  medal in the women's sprint event over 1.2 kilometres.
      The gold medal went to Astrid Jacobsen of Norway, and the silver to Petra Majdic of Slovenia.
     
Kuitunen had been the fastest competitor in the earlier qualifying events, and owing to her fine form in the FIS World Cup events this season, she was strongly fancied to take a medal.
      She was the only Finnish representative among the six finalists, but Pirjo Manninen won the B-final to finish 7th overall, and Mona-Liisa Malvalehto was 12th, after coming home last in the B-final.
     
Victory in the men's sprint event over 1.4 km went to Norway's Jens Arne Svartedal. Only two of the Finnish men made it as far as the B-final. Matias Strandvall was 9th overall, and Kalle Lassila  11th.
      Sweden's Mats Larsson took the silver and Norway's excellent opening day at the World Championships was consolidated by a bronze medal for Eldar Rönning.


Links:
  FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships, Sapporo, Japan

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