KUUSAMO, Finland (AP) — Norway's Petter Northug won the men's 15 kilometer classic style World Cup race, while Finland's Aino-Kaisa Saarinen took the women's 10K classic at the Ruka ski center on Sunday.
The 23-year-old Northug, the World Cup runner-up last season, started slowly and was back in 12th place after five kilometers. But he had moved up to third place by the 10 kilometer mark and just managed to cross the line ahead of Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin with a winning time of 35 minutes, 22.2 seconds.
Vylegzhanin, the leader at five and 10 kilometers, finished in 35:23.4 and fellow Russian Alexander Legkov was third in 35:30.1. American Kris Freeman caused a surprise with a fourth place finish after a slow start, lying 32nd after five kilometers, and crossing the line in 35:32.3.
It was Freeman's best ever World Cup finish. He was fifth a year ago at Ruka and twice came fourth in world championship 15K classic races, in Liberec, Czech Republic last winter, and in Italy in 2003.
Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Serguei Novikov of Russia followed in fifth and sixth.
Northug leads the men's standings with 150 points. His countrymen Ronny Andre Hafsaas and Ola Vigen Hattestad share second place with 100 points.
In the women's race, the 30-year-old Saarinen repeated her success from last year in the Ruka tracks. Third overall in the World Cup last year, Saarinen is at her best in classic style, with her four World Cup wins coming in that discipline, along with the 10K world title in February.
Saarinen won with a time of 25:58.0, ahead of Russia's Irina Khazova in 26:11.1 and Norway's Vibeke Skofterud in 26:12.7. Marianna Longa of Italy was fourth.
Saarinen took the lead in the World Cup with 179 points, ahead of Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk with 158 and Slovenia's Petra Majdic on 132.
