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| Event type

10 kilometres, Women

Date 6 February 1972 — 9:00
StatusOlympic
LocationMakomanai Cross Country Events Site, Sapporo
Participants42 from 12 countries
DetailsCourse Length: ?
Height Differential: 103 m
Intermediate 1: 5.0 km
Maximum Climb: 44 m
Total Climbing: 289 m

After a disappointing showing in the 1968 games with no gold medals, the Soviet women came back strongly at the 1970 World Championships in Vysoke Tatra, winning five out of six medals in the individual races in addition to the relay. The 10 km race was the opening race for women in Sapporo, and Alevtina Olyunina was reigning World Champion on the distance. At the halfway point her teammate Galina Kulakova had an 8-second lead over Olyunina, with the Finnish veteran of 34 years, Marjatta Kajosmaa another 3.5 seconds behind. Norway’s Aslaug Dahl, a 22-year-old skier from the Sami municipality of Nesseby in the far northeastern part of Norway, was close behind Kajosmaa. The third Soviet skier, Lyubov Mukhachova, was also involved in the medal fight, reaching the halfway point only half a second behind Dahl.

In the last part of the race Kulakova increased her lead and won by a clear margin, over 36 seconds. The fight for the other medals was very close. Olyunina could barely hold her second position, and Kajosmaa was able to split the three Soviet ladies, winning the bronze medal 2 seconds behind Olyunina and 2 seconds ahead of Mukhachova. Dahl faded over the last half of the race and ended as sixth.

PosNumberCompetitorNOCTime
136Galina KulakovaURS34:17.82Gold
211Alevtina OlyuninaURS34:54.11Silver
339Marjatta KajosmaaFIN34:56.45Bronze
423Lyubov MukhachovaURS34:58.56
525Helena TakaloFIN35:06.34
615Aslaug DahlNOR35:18.84
734Helena ŠikolováTCH35:29.33
819Hilkka KuntolaFIN35:36.71
937Renate FischerGDR35:46.96
108Nina ShebalinaURS35:54.59
1135Weronika BudnyPOL35:57.59
1229Inger AuflesNOR36:07.08
1332Barbro TanoSWE36:29.34
1441Berit Mørdre-LammedalNOR36:29.43
1530Anna DurajPOL36:32.65
1626Martha RockwellUSA36:34.22
1712Michaela EndlerFRG36:38.05
1821Gabi HauptGDR36:38.41
1931Meeri BodelidSWE36:41.52
2020Anni UngerGDR36:45.24
2116Józefa ChromikPOL36:45.39
222Marjatta MuttilainenFIN36:46.40
236Eva OlssonSWE36:46.50
2438Sharon FirthCAN36:52.49
2542Hiroko TakahashiJPN36:53.84
2618Milena ChlumováTCH36:59.87
2728Alena BartošováTCH37:01.73
2813Birgitta LindqvistSWE37:24.76
295Katharina Mo-BergeNOR37:33.16
309Milena CillerováTCH37:40.70
317Christine PhillipGDR37:51.76
3233Ingrid RothfußFRG38:03.69
3322Tokiko OzekiJPN38:07.24
341Władysława MajerczykPOL38:19.66
3540Alison OwenUSA38:50.05
364Margie MahoneyUSA39:27.95
3714Harumi ImaiJPN39:33.13
383Hideko SaitoJPN39:51.61
3917Frances LütkenGBR40:02.73
4024Hellen SanderCAN40:25.11
4110Trina HosmerUSA40:40.56
DNF27Monika MrklasFRG