In Brief : Sweden’s Svan Skis to Victory

Sweden’s Gunde Svan out-sprinted teammate Torgny Mogren and Norway’s Pal Mikkelsplass to win a 30-kilometer men’s World Cup cross-country ski race today.

Svan, who placed second behind Mogren in the season’s first World Cup race, posted a winning time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 34.6 seconds. Mogren finished 34.7 seconds behind the winner and Mikkelsplass was 1:01.1 off the pace.

“The course was rather difficult. It was unusually icy, especially on the downhill slopes, but I must have no complains since I won,” Svan told the Associated Press.

It was Svan’s 21st World Cup victory and eighth in a 30-kilometer race.

Svan and Mogren share the overall lead in the World Cup with 45 points each after this season’s two races. Mikkelsplass is third with 21 points.