Title: 1) Beatrici Lorenza (Atl
Author: tpo
Last saved by: Elena
Company: Newspower

Press Release 6^th January 2013

ALEKSANDR LEGKOV SEIZES 2013 FIS TOUR DE SKI
COLOGNA SILVER AND VYLEGZHANIN BRONZE

Legkov hesitates in the beginning but eventually triumphs
Cologna comes in second and Vylegzhanin third
Multi World Champion Petter Northug only finishes fourth
Over 15,000 spectators along the Final Climb track

The first ever Russian on the first step of FIS Tour de Ski’s podium. His name is Aleksandr Legkov and today in Val di Fiemme he kept back three-time TDS winner Dario Cologna, countryman Maxim Vylegzhanin and Norway’s Petter Northug, along the terrific Final Climb track on Mount Alpe Cermis. 
‘I still do not realise what has happened today’, said 29-year old Legkov immediately after the race, ‘but this is surely the best result in career for me and I want to thank my team and my family first of all’. 
Team Russia was very competitive today since the very beginning, and the 6 seconds starting gap gained by Cologna in the past days was nullified in the first few hundreds meters exiting the XC stadium in Lago di Tesero. In the following 4 kilometres the foursome in the lead kept a regular pace, but nobody ever attempted to make a real move. ‘We had no special tactics as a team’, admitted Vylegzhanin at the end, ‘we both wanted to get on the podium and both knew that Petter and Dario were extremely dangerous in this sense’. The foursome reached the beginning of the uphill still as a pack and all of a sudden the skier from Khanty-Mansiysk abruptly increased his pace. Both Cologna and Vylegzhanin didn’t expect such a move and initially let him go, while Northug was struggling in fourth position. Legkov’s action was astounding and he gained twenty meters ahead of the first chasers in just a few seconds. ‘I was aware Legkov was in a great shape today’, Cologna claimed at the finish, ‘and when he started to increase the speed I literally couldn’t keep up. Then, with a few hundreds meters to go I managed to leave Vylegzhanin back and get the second place in the overall. It’s been a great Tour de Ski and I’m happy with my final result’. 
While Aleksandr Legkov was becoming the first ever Russian skier on the top of FIS Tour de Ski, in front of over 15,000 spectators, Marcus Hellner of Sweden was being the fastest of the day and finished the race in fifth position with an incredible 29’59 time (almost a minute less than Legkov). 
During the official press conference both Legkov and Vylegzhanin expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic accident occurred on Alpe Cermis two days ago, in which six Russian people lost their lives while wildly riding a skidoo and a sledge during the night. Fiemme 2013 OC as well reaffirmed. 
In a month and a half the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships will be kicking off in Val di Fiemme (20^th February) and all today’s athletes are expected to do their best as new TDS winner clearly admitted: ‘I’ll try to get gold in every competition. It won’t be easy, but nothing is impossible either. We’ll see, now it’s time to get some rest, go fishing and buy a new car’. Congratulations Aleksandr.
Info: www.fiemme2013.com 

Final Climb Men 9 km FT

1 LEGKOV Alexander RUS 31:03.4; 2 COLOGNA Dario SUI 31:22.1; 3 VYLEGZHANIN Maxim RUS 31:44.1; 4 NORTHUG Petter jr. NOR 32:11.1; 5 HELLNER Marcus SWE 32:15.8; 6 BAUER Lukas CZE 32:45.1; 7 BABIKOV Ivan CAN 33:07.8; 8 DI CENTA Giorgio ITA 33:18.9; 9 OLSSON Johan SWE 33:24.1; 10 CHERNOUSOV Ilia RUS 33:50.9