Gold and bronze delight Estonia

TALLINN - Cross-country skiers Andrus Veerpalu and Jaak Mae have brought Estonia gold and bronze medals respectively in the men's 15-kilometer classical-style race.

Veerpalu held the leader's position from the start, eventually finishing first with a personal record of 37 minutes, seven seconds.

Frode Estil of Norway won silver, finishing 36 seconds after Veerpalu.

Mae, 29, who stayed in the first 10 during the race, snatched a narrow seven seconds from Norwegian Anders Aukland, who came in fourth.

Veerpalu, 31, one of Estonia's strongest Olympic hopes, said he will now concentrate on the 50-kilometer marathon and the relay race.

He won gold last year in the World Skiing Championships classical-style 30-kilometer race in Lahti, Finland, and silver in the classical-style 50-kilometer race in Ramsau, Austria in 1999.

As The Baltic Times went to press Feb. 13, the medals were the only ones for the Estonian Olympic team had in the medal basket after six days of the Games.

Kristina Schmigun, 24, Estonia's cross-country skiing favorite, failed to win a medal in the women's free-style 15-kilometer race on Feb. 9, finishing eighth, 40 seconds behind Italy's Stefania Belmondo, the gold medal winner. "I find it difficult to focus when training here (in Salt Lake City)," she said, referring to the doping scandal she experienced at home two weeks ago.

After testing positive in January for the illegal substance 19-norandrosteron, a second B-test on the medal favorite two weeks later proved her innocence.

Kristina's younger sister Katrin came 24th in the same race.

Schmigun had to quit the 10-kilometer classical-style race on the afternoon of Feb. 12 as she felt she could not go on with the skis she had selected.

Other results for Estonian athletes have not been impressive.

Pavo Raudsepp, 28, finished 62nd in the men's 30-kilometer free mass-start contest.

Dimitri Borovik, Indrek Tobreluts, Janno Prants and Roland Lessing represented the Estonian biathlon team in the 20-kilometer men's race. In a tough competition they all failed to cross into the top 40. Lessing came 45th, Tobreluts 53rd, Borovik 56th, and Prants 63rd.