15 kilometres (Classical), Women

The 15 km was contested for the first time at the Winter Olympics, as the women had previously contested an intermediate distance race of 10 km. The event had been held twice at the World Championships, won in 1989 by Marjo Matikainen and in 1991 by Yelena Välbe, who would win again in 1993. But in 1992 this race was dominated by Lyubov Yegorova. She posted the fastest time at each checkpoint, the fastest intermediate split, the fastest final split, and won the gold medal by 1:09.1 over Finland’s Marjut Lukkarinen. Lukkarinen was only fifth at the first and second time checks, but finished strongly for the silver medal. Välbe had started well, was second at 1.9 km, but dropped to fourth at 7.7 km, trailing Yegorovoa, Matikainen, and Stefania Belmondo, but Välbe finished quickly to move onto the podium.

This was Yegorova’s first Olympic medal, but she would win three golds and medal in every event in Albertville, and would return in 1994 to win three more golds and four medals at Lillehammer. Four days later Lukkarinen would win gold in the 5 km. Välbe might be considered the greatest ever female cross-country skier. She competed in three Winter Olympics (1992, 1994, 1998), and won seven Olympic medals with three golds, but never an individual gold. In Albertville she won a bronze in all four individual events, but added a gold in the relay. But at the World Championships and World Cup, she was unparalleled among women. She won 17 World Championship medals, including 14 golds, and in 1997, Välbe won gold medals in all five events on the schedule.