IRELAND’S THOMAS MALONEY Westgaard produced one of the performances of his career to finish a fantastic 14th in the cross-country skiing 15km classic at the Winter Olympics.
Westgaard, 26, finished the two-lap course in Beijing in 40:01.5, hitting his pre-Games target of a top-15 finish in a field of 99 athletes.
Finland’s Iivo Niskanen won gold in a time of 37:54.8, with the Russian Olympic Committee’s Alexander Bolshunov taking silver (38:18.0) and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway in bronze (38:32.3).
“The main goal was to do two quite even laps,” Maloney Westgaard said afterwards.
“I knew it was going to be one of the toughest races, with nearly 600m of total climbing. So I tried to pace it really well and I started quite safe and I wasn’t too stressed, even though I heard I was a bit too far off.
“I tried to go good technically and just improve over the race and, yeah, I just felt better and better and the feedback was better and better.
“It was just fantastic especially with the season I’ve had. It hasn’t really gone my way so far, and to pull off the best race I’ve done in a year with the preparations I’ve had. With Covid, without even knowing if I would reach the Olympics.
“Yeah, to prepare for a course like this with everything I’ve had, it’s unbelievable, it’s just fantastic.”
In the Super-G, Tess Arbez finished 42nd in a time of 1:25.18.
“It was a really fun race, I really enjoyed it,” she said.
“I wish I could do one more now but it’s over. I think I could be a little be faster, straighter on the gates, keeping a little bit more of the speed position.
“But I’m happy to finish because it is the first time and Irish girl to ride the speed event, it was easier than I thought.”
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Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella hit record for the second time in one day after news of Johnny Sexton’s injury, with Illtud Dafydd joining the lads on the line from Paris to give great insight into all things les Bleus.
