NOTEBOOK

Lyubov Egorova of Russia won the women’s five-kilometer classical-style cross-country ski race Tuesday, beating Italian Manuela Di Centa by 19.5 seconds. That reversed their positions of Sunday, when Di Centa defeated Egorova in the 15-kilometer freestyle.

Egorova, winner of three gold and two silver medals in the 1992 Winter Games, led most of the way and finished in 14 minutes 8.8 seconds. Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi of Finland was third in 14:36.0.

Kirvesniemi, 38, is competing in her record-tying sixth Olympics. She was a triple champion at Sarajevo in 1984 as Marja-Liisa Hamalainen.

Anita Moen of Norway just missed a bronze before the home crowd, finishing fourth, and another Norwegian, Inger Helene Nybraaten, was fifth.

Nina Kemppel of Anchorage, Alaska, 28th in the 61-skier field, was the top American. Leslie Thompson of Stowe, Vt., was 40th; Ingrid Butts of Park City, Utah, 53rd, and Kerrin Petty of Townshend, Vt., 59th.

The race was the first of the two-day pursuit that ends with the 10-kilometer freestyle Thursday.

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Music blares in the background as mogul skiers charge down their bumpy slope, and occasionally, it turns out to be particularly appropriate.

Patricia Portillo of Spain had just wiped out on her run Tuesday when the singer on the background record belted, “Nobody’s perfect . . . “