LAHTI, Finland — Russia won the men’s cross-country skiing team sprint at the world championships Sunday after a dramatic last-lap crash wrecked the chances of the two leading teams.
Norway’s Emil Iversen was fighting for the lead with Finland’s Iivo Niskanen but they collided as the Finn moved to overtake on the inside of the final bend.
Sergei Ustyugov took the win for Russia, overtaking Italian Federico Pellegrino on the final stretch to win by 2.2 seconds. Niskanen recovered to take third, 6.5 seconds further back.
It was the second win in two days for Ustyugov, who also won Saturday’s skiathlon, and his third medal of the championships.
Canada’s team of Alex Harvey of St-Ferreol-des-Neiges, Que., and Toronto’s len Valjas was sixth.
Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla and Heidi Weng won the women’s team sprint by 5.6 seconds for Norway’s third win from three women’s cross-country events at the championships. Russia’s Yulia Belorukova and Natalia Matveeva were second.
Jessica Diggins of the United States lunged at the line to beat Sweden to third place by a fifth of a second.
Diggins and partner Sadie Bjornsen were 12.8 seconds behind Russia.
The team sprint is a 6×1.3-kilometre relay, with each country’s skiers alternating to race three legs each.
Bjornsen fell after completing the second exchange and was struck in the face by Belorukova’s ski, but was able to continue.
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