Norway’s Bjoergen wins gold in skiathlon

Marit Bjoergen won the women's 15-kilometre skiathlon at the Sochi Olympics, giving the Norwegian cross-country skier her fourth career gold medal (AP/Dmitry Lovetsky).

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — Marit Bjoergen won the women’s 15-kilometre skiathlon at the Sochi Olympics, giving the Norwegian cross-country skier her fourth career gold medal.

Bjoergen pulled away from Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla on the final straight Saturday to win in 38 minutes, 33.6 seconds and defend her title from the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Heidi Weng of Norway took bronze.

Whitehorse’s Emily Nishikawa was 42nd in 42:04.7, Brittany Webster of Caledon, Ont., finished 51st in 43:25.6, while Amanda Ammar of Onoway, Alta., was 55th in 44:24.3.

Kalla and Bjoergen pulled away from the leading pack of five skiers on the final uphill section coming into the stadium, but the Swede couldn’t match Bjoergen’s strong finish.

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