LAHTI, Finland (March 16) — Sweden's Mathias Fredriksson clinched the World Cup overall title by winning a 15-km freestyle race Sunday at the Finnish Ski Games with Kris Freeman (Andover, NH) 17th and Carl Swenson (Boulder, CO) 28th. Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy won the women's 10-km FR race as the top three skiers were 1.6 seconds apart.
In collecting the World Cup cross country crown for Sweden — coincidentally on a day when Anja Paerson won the women's giant slalom title, Fredriksson became the second Swede to win a crystal globe in cross country skiing since Gunde Svan in 1989. Teammate Per Elofsson had won the World Cup in 2001 and 2002
Fredriksson, who leads German Rene Sommerfeldt by 236 points with two races left, won his third race of the season in a time of 36:14.0 with Czech Lukas Bauer second in 36:23.1. Freeman finished in 37:27.2 with Swenson 28th in 38:02.0. Andrew Johnson (Greensboro, VT) was 46th.
Paruzzi, so disappointed at the World Championships in Italy as her team didn't collect a single medal and she had three top-5s, won for the first time this season. Her victorious time was 26:16.9; Olga Savialova of Russia was second in 26:127.6 and World Cup champion Bente Skari of Norway finished third in 26:28.5. Beckie Scott of Canada was 15th. Wendy Wagner (Park City, UT) was 54th.
Two races remain on the World Cup calendar — skating sprints Thursday in Borlange, Sweden, and skiathlon Saturday at the Swedish Ski Games in Falun.
viessmann CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CUP
Finnish Ski Games
Lahti, FIN — March 16
Men's 15-km Free Technique
1. Mathias Fredriksson, Sweden, 36:14.0
2. Lukas Bauer, Czech Republic, 36:23.1
3. Pietro Piller Cottrer, Italy, 36:31.6
4. Axel Teichmann, Germany, 36:54.2
5. Rene Sommerfeldt, Germany, 36:56.4
 –
17. Kris Freeman, Andover, NH, 37:27.2
28. Carl Swenson, Boulder, CO, 38:02.0
46. Andrew Johnson, Greensboro, VT, 38:48.9
 —
Women's 10-km FR
1. Gabriella Paruzzi, Italy, 26:16.9
2. Olga Savialova, Russia, 26:17.6
3. Bente Skari, Norway, 26:18.5
4. Kristina Smigun, Estonia, 26:20.1
5. Evi Sachenbacher, Germany, 26:24.3
 –
54. Wendy Wagner, Park City, UT, 29:26.6
 —
WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men's Overall (19 races — 2 remaining)
1. Fredrikkson, 775
2. Sommerfeldt, 539
3. Teichmann, 419
4. Bauer, 397
5. Joergen Brink, Sweden, 381
 –
78T. Freeman, 26
110T. Justin Wadsworth, Bend, OR, 9
131T. Swenson, 3
 —
Women's Overall (19 races — 2 remaining)
1. Skari — 1,291
2. Smigun, 828
3. Paruzzi, 699
4. Sachenbacher, 587
5. Hilde G. Pedersen, Norway, 514
 –
79T. Wagner, 10
