Florence Baverel-Robert of France has won the women's biathlon 7.5-kilometer sprint after gold medal favorite Olga Pyleva of Russia was kicked out for a failed drug test.
Baverel-Robert completed the slushy course in 22:31.04 Thursday. She was 2.4 seconds ahead of Anna Carin Oloffson of Sweden, while Lilia Efremova of Ukraine took bronze (22:38.0). Pyleva, the first athlete to test positive at the Turin Games, was also stripped of the silver medal she won in the 15-kilometer event on Monday.
Estonia's Kristina Smigun captured her second gold medal of the Turin Winter Olympics, with a victory in the women's 10-kilometer classical cross-country ski event. Smigun, who won the 15-kilometer pursuit on Sunday, finished more than 21 seconds ahead of Marit Bjoergen of Norway, who took the silver medal. Hilde Pedersen, also from Norway, won the bronze.
Reigning world champion Seth Wescott of the United States captured the gold medal in the Olympic debut of men's snowboard cross. Radoslav Zidek of Slovakia took the silver medal. French snowboarder Paul-Henri Delerue captured the bronze.
Austria won gold in the weather-delayed men's Nordic Combined event, emerging as the best team in ski jumping off the large hill and in the 4x5-kilometer cross-country race. Germany took silver, while Finland won bronze. Medal favorite Norway did not compete because several team members fell sick to a virus earlier this week.
Germany won gold in the women's speedskating team pursuit, defeating silver medalist Canada in a tight six-lap championship race. Russia defeated Japan in the bronze medal race.
The men's speedskating team pursuit is among three other gold medals at stake Thursday at the Turin Games. Women will compete in skeleton singles.
The free program will complete men's figure skating. Spectacular three-time world champion Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia enters the final with a huge 10.66-point lead over American Johnny Weir. Russians have captured the past four men's golds in the event.
The United States is the current leader in gold medals with six. Germany has five, while Russia has four.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
