Winter Games: Kowalyck and Newell scoop titles

Poland's Justyna Kowalcyk and American Andy Newell took the titles on the opening day of competition at the Winter Games in Wanaka yesterday.

Kowalcyk's win in the 1.6km sprint was no surprise. She is a defending Olympic champion, won the World Cup sprint final in Stockholm last March and the Nordic world championship 10km title. She clocked a time of 3min 27.25s in the prologue and was clearly the best athlete in the women's field.

She headed home Daria Gaiazoa of Canada and Slovak Anastazia Kuzmina, the Vancouver Olympics biathlon sprint gold medallist in 2010, in the final. New Zealand's Sarah Murphy, who also contested the biathlon in Vancouver, finished seventh.

"It was a good race on a very good track," Kowalcyk said.

Olympian Newell, from Vermont won a tighter men's race. He was fastest in the prologue, recording 2:52.96, won his semifinal and completed the job in the final.
Russian Alexey Petukhov, bronze medallist in the Vancouver Games, took second with Canada's Devon Kershaw third. Defending Olympic champion Nikita Kriukov finished fifth.

"It's good to get on snow following summer training and the results let me know that my training is going well," Newell said.

An enthusiastic, cowbell-laden crowd turned out for the opening event of the 11-day Winter Games programme.

The top eight in each event raced in semifinals of four athletes, with the first two across the finish in each progressing to the final, irrespective of fastest times.

The action moves across to Cardrona tomorrow for qualifying in the World Cup freeski halfpipe, however New Zealand's interest has been slightly depleted.

World No 2 overall freeskier Jossi Wells has withdrawn from the event to concentrate on the slopestyle discipline later in the Games, and one of his brothers, Byron, has withdrawn from both events with an injury.

Strong Olympic contender, Janina Kuzma, should figure prominently in the women's competition.