Norway Sweeps Cross-Country Event at Sochi Olympics






Norwegian skiers have swept all three medals in the first of seven gold medal events Saturday at the Sochi Olympics in the penultimate day of the Winter Games.

Marit Bjoergen won the gold in the women's cross-country 30-kilometer mass start freestyle race, trying a record with her sixth gold in Winter Olympic competition.

American-born Vic Wild took the gold - for Russia - in the men's snowboard parallel slalom - the first time the event has ever been held in the Olympics. Snowboarders from Slovenia and Austria came in second and third respectively.

The women's title in the event went to Austrian Julia Dujmovits, with Germans taking the silver and bronze medals.

Gold will also be decided in the men's 4 by 7.5-kilometer biathlon relay Saturday. And the men's and women's speed skating team pursuit medals will be awarded at the Adler Arena.

The men's slalom of Alpine skiing is the last scheduled gold medal event of the day.

After three events Saturday, host Russia and the United States lead in total medals with 27, followed by Norway with 25. Norway has the most gold medals with 11, followed by Russia with 10, and the U.S. and Canada with nine each.



The U.S. men's hockey team faces Finland in a bronze medal game Saturday.

On Sunday, Canada will face Sweden in the men's hockey gold medal game.

On Friday, athletes from Italy and Germany tested positive for drugs in the first announced doping cases of the Sochi Olympics. On Saturday, it was announce a Ukrainian skier has also tested positive for a banned substance.