Australian Ben Sim has finished inside the top 50 in the Men’s Cross Country 30km Pursuit, as Sweden enjoyed great success winning gold and bronze.

Glorious sunshine greeted competitors at Whistler Olympic Park, as a field of 64 athletes took on the challenging 30km distance, consisting of eight laps of a 3.75km course, the first four using the classical style of skiing in tracks and the second 15 kilometres in freestyle.

Sim finished 47th in a total time of 1 hour 23 minutes 25.8 seconds, a little more than eight minutes off the pace, in his first 30km Pursuit event of the season. Eight skiers failed to complete the event, while three others were lapped.

The 24-year-old New South Welshman said both the pace and the temperature were a little hotter than he would have liked.

“Today was so-so. My first event at the Games (the 15km Freestyle) I performed well, but today I hoped for a bit better,” Sim admitted.

“I was happier with my classical leg, which is unusual for me, as I usually prefer the free.

“My equipment was good. We got the waxing right on my skis, but the warm conditions are always tough. It was a bit like skiing back home in Australia,” he added.

Sim performed well in the ‘pit stop’ at the halfway mark, where skiers switch skis and stocks, recording the 11th fastest time in the field.

“I like to have a good transition. I think why waste even a few seconds? I also find it motivates me for the next leg.”

Swede Marcus Hellner won the gold in a time of 1 hour 15 minutes 11.4 seconds, with German Tobias Angler 2.1 seconds behind and Hellner’s team-mate Johan Olsson a further 2.8 seconds back claiming the bronze.

Hellner, who narrowly missed the podium earlier in the week when he finished fourth in the 15km Free, was sitting in 11th place following the Classical leg, but stormed home in the Freestyle.

“He has been one of the dominant athletes all season and deserved it after finishing fourth the other day,” Sim said.

The next event for Sim will be the Team Sprint event on Monday, where he will join team-mate Paul Murray. Sim will make a decision on whether he will compete in the 50km race on Sunday week, the final day of the Games, pending how he recovers from the Sprint.

Andrew Pattison
AOC - Whistler