CHANGCHUN, China, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Vinjar Skogsholm from Norway and Russian Marina Chernusova won the men's and women's 50km events respectively at the FIS Cross Country Skiing China Tour in the northeast Chinese city of Changchun on Saturday.
Skogsholm claimed the men's title with a time of two hours 20 minutes and 31 seconds, edging Russian Raul Shakirzyanov to the second place by a tiny advantage of half a length.
Another Russian skiier, Konstantin Glavatskikh, finished third with just one more second, and local favorite Zhu Mingliang was the seventh on 2:23:34.
"This is my first time in Changchun and winning the championship is exciting," said Skogsholm. "I was a little nervous in the first lap as I didn't raise the speed enough. But after adjusting to the track, I found my groove in the second lap."
Despite the outdoor temperature reading minus 13 degrees Celsius, around 1,500 professional athletes and skiing fans from over 30 countries and regions skied across the sea of forests to embrace the passion and fun of the sport.
"The atmosphere is great here. A lot of friends along the way cheered for me. I feel amazed," added Skogsholm.
On the women's side, Chernusova lifted the trophy with a time of 2:44:00, while her teammate Polina was the second at 2:33, and Ingeborg Dahl of Norway finished the third in 2:52:55.
