Norway Gets Gold and Silver

Not even a snowstorm could keep Ole Einar Bjoerndalen from becoming an Olympic champion.

The Norwegian star picked up where he left off 24 hours before, winning the men’s 10-kilometer biathlon with flawless shooting and superb skiing in a race that was restarted after a snow postponement the previous day.

Bjoerndalen led the race when it was halted in the first weather-related postponement of an Olympic biathlon in 26 years. He was upset, but not for long.

“I was really angry,” he said. “But five minutes later I was ready for the new race.”

The silver went to teammate Frode Andresen, while a third Scandinavian, Ville Raikkonen of Finland took the bronze Wednesday.

Taking extra care with each of his shots, the 24-year-old Bjoerndalen hit all 10 targets and finished in 27 minutes 16.2 seconds.

“I had perfect skiing and the best shooting I’ve ever done,” said Bjoerndalen, who grew up in a small town where soccer and biathlon were the only sports.

Andresen was timed at 28:17.8, having to overcome two penalty shots, while Raikkonen missed one target and crossed the finish line in 28:21.7.

The race was held under cloudy skies but with no snow and a very light wind, a sharp contrast to the roiling fog and heavy snow that forced officials to stop the race Tuesday after 16 competitors had finished.

It was Norway’s second gold medal in biathlon, double the number for traditional biathlon powers Germany and Russia.

Dan Westover of Colchester, Vt., finished 49th in a field of 71, while Jay Hakkinen of Kasilof, Alaska, was 60th. Westover missed only once for a finish time of 30:39.5, while Hakkinen failed to hit three targets and was clocked at 31:31.6.

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MEDALISTS

Biathlon

MEN’S 10-K

Gold: Ole Bjoerndalen, Norway

Silver: Frode Andresen, Norway

Bronze: Ville Raikkonen, Finland