Hanevold Barely Recovers in Time to Win the Gold

Norway’s Halvard Hanevold scored a surprise in the men’s 20-kilometer biathlon Tuesday, edging Italy’s Pier Alberto Carrara for the gold medal in a final burst of skiing power.

Aleksei Aidarov of Belarus took the bronze in a contest that saw many of the favorites falter on the firing range.

The only one of 72 competitors with a perfect 20-for-20 shooting score, Carrara looked like a certain winner, finishing in a time of 56 minutes, 21.9 seconds.

But the 28-year-old Hanevold, who was 46th at the last Winter Olympics, overcame a one-minute penalty for the single target he missed with inspired skiing on the final stretch. He crossed the line in 56:16.4, and collapsed.

Competitors in this event start at 30-second intervals, and thus final results are not known until all biathletes finish.

Aidarov, 23, who ranked 16th in World Cup standings, missed his next-to-last target to take the bronze in 56:46.5.

World Cup leader Ricco Gross of Germany was sixth, while the heralded Russians shot poorly, with Sergei Tarasov, the 1994 gold medalist, managing only a 15th after missing four targets.

France’s Raphael Poiree, heavily favored to win the gold, was 22nd, missing twice and skiing indifferently on a tough course.

Unlike Sunday’s women’s 15K, which was raced in thick snowfall, Tuesday’s conditions were superb--a clear sky, no wind and generally consistent snow conditions throughout the race.

American Jay Hakkinen, 20, of Kasilof, Alaska, skiing his first Olympic race, finished 42nd, while teammate Robert Rosser, 28, of Plattsburgh, New York, finished 69th of the 72 starters.

Hanevold, a civil engineering graduate, ranked 13th in World Cup standings, and below three of his countrymen in Norway’s powerful biathlon team. His best performance in world championships was fourth, in a relay in 1996.

Carrara, 31, a forest guard, was skiing in his fourth Olympics, having never done better than 15th in an individual event. He ranked 30th in the World Cup before the race.

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MEDALISTS

Biathlon: Men’s 20-Kilometer

Gold: Halvard Hanevold, Norway

Silver: Pier Alberto Carrara, Italy

Bronze: Aleksi Aidarov, Belarus