Injury-hit Norway take gold in world skiing team event

<p>CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy &mdash; Most talk about the Norwegian ski team at the world championships has been about its many injured stars.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, Norway made the headlines for winning gold at the team event.</p>
<p>“It’s going to be a major boost, having a gold medal. That’s fantastic,” head coach Steve Skavik said. “It’s great for the team. In the team event, they can do it together.” </p>
<p>Thea Louise Stjernesund, Sebastian Foss-Solevåg and Fabian Wilkens Solheim won their runs in the all-Scandinavian final against Sweden for a 3-1 victory.</p>
<p>The team also included Kristina Riis-Johannessen and Kristin Lysdahl.</p>
<p>“It’s nice,” Foss-Solevåg said. “We’re still a small but strong team and we showed them that we are strong without big stars.”</p>
<p>Norway arrived at the worlds without Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Adrian Smiseth Sejersted, Lucas Braathen and Atle Lie McGrath, who have all been ruled out for the season with knee injuries.</p>
<p>Still, the Norwegian team eased past Japan (4-0) before edging the United States in the quarter-finals and defending champions Switzerland in the semis as both ties ended 2-2.</p>
<p>In case of a tie, the lowest added times from the best man and best woman on a team decides the winner.</p>
<p>In the final, Foss-Solevåg stopped racing midway through his heat against Kristoffer Jakobsen when the Swedish skier made a mistake and appeared to invade his course. The jury opted for a re-run which Solevåg won.</p>
<p>“Jakobson got on his inside ski and I saw him in my vision, like falling in,” the Norwegian said. “I am not risking my health and my legs for this so I stopped right away.”</p>
<p>Jakobson immediately acknowledged his mistake. “He totally agreed with me so there was actually no discussion,” Foss-Solevåg said.</p>
<p>Going by the rules, however, Jakobsen should have lost the heat right away as “interfering with an opponent, accidentally or not” is a reason for disqualification, according to section 5 of the mixed team parallel rules.</p>
<p>The incident came one day after the women’s individual parallel ended in controversy following a tie in the final. Marta Bassino was initially declared the sole winner before the Italian skier’s opponent, Katharina Liensberger of Austria, was awarded a second gold medal half an hour later. </p>
<p>Germany beat Switzerland for bronze after a 2-2 tie in Wednesday’s team event, while Sweden eliminated three-time champion Austria in the quarter-finals.</p>
<p>The American team, without Mikaela Shiffrin, beat Russia in the last 16 before losing to Norway.</p>
<p>“It’s tough, tiebreaks are always hard,” said US skier Nina O’Brien, who is set to compete again in Thursday’s giant slalom.</p>
<p>“Today I am racing this and other girls are probably training GS. I don’t know which way would be an advantage. But at least it’s time on skis and in a race.”</p>
<p>Italian racer Lara Della Mea fell hard on her back after losing control during a first-round heat against Finland and was taken off the course on a sled.</p>
<p>The Italian team said Della Mea will be out for the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. </p>
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