Russia's Nikita Kriukov has brought the country its first Olympic gold coming first in the men's cross-country individual sprint race at the Winter Games in Vancouver.
The 24-year-old Russian finished the 1.6-kilometer distance in 3 minutes 36.3 seconds.
"I believe that the Russian team will take fresh heart and will be winning gold medals until the end of the Olympics," the champion said.
Another Russian, 20-year-old Alexander Panzhinskiy, took the Olympic silver.
Norway's Petter Northug came in third, with the result of 3 minutes 45.5 seconds.
Russia's curling success
Russian women's curling team won 7:3 over Denmark in its second Olympic match in Vancouver.
The day before, Russia lost 5:9 to Germany. On Thursday, Russia is to play with the British team, which defeated world champions China but lost to Sweden during the Olympic tournament.
New Olympic record in women's short-track speed skating belongs to China
China's Wang Meng sets two Olympic records in a day in women's 500 meters short-track speed skating event at Vancouver Games.
The Chinese skater finished the distance in 42.985 seconds in the semifinals race. Her previous record set in the second quarterfinals race was 43.284 seconds.
MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti)
