We saw a perfect demonstration of team tactics paying off yesterday night, when Sweden demolished the rock-hard field in the 30 k double pursuit in Vancouver. Watching XC Skiing for 20 years, I can say, that this was one of the biggest competitions I have ever seen - and this time, with a rare happy ending!

Just to mention some past great races:

- 1991 - WCh 50 Val di Fiemme: Mogren turns on Gunde The Great

- 1993 - WCh 50 Falun: Mogren strikes again

- 1994 - Olympics 50: Daehlie beats veteran De Zolt

- 1994 - Olympics Relay: Italy beating heavy favourites Norway at home

- 1996 - WC 50 Štrbské Pleso: Smirre comes in from behind to beat an ailing Daehlie

- 1998 - Olympics 50: Daehlie survives the scare, hurting himself into a much-deserved gold

- 1999 - WCh Relay Ramsau: Norway comes back on Austria, but fail eventually as Hoffmann outsprints Alsgaard in an unlikely way

- 2003 - WCh Relay Val di Fiemme: Jörgen Brink loses Sweden a gold medal, that was already deep in the pocket

- 2003 - WCh 50 Val di Fiemme: Koukál, the underdog makes the race of his life

Back to today's heroes. The story was a fight between Northug and the rest of the world. There has been talk about how to beat the Norwegian - go alone and go hard. But teams were never strong enough to make it in the past. Northug has always been able to climb back on somebody else's shoulder - as for the last few years, he lacks a team. Truly, this Norwegian men's troop is the most embarrassing they've ever had! So we had Hellner, Olsson, Södergren and Rickardsson and everything went well until the transition. Although Rickardsson was off the back, Northug lost all of his men. Olsson attacked and the others let him go. Södergren and Hellner were controlling the peloton in what turned out to be a winning tactic. Legkov attacked at the right time, 5 kms from home. Södergren pulled out soon, as work was done.

Until this moment, Northug was not seen in the front. Mostly he was sitting on Cologna's tale and waiting for the end to come. Not sympathetic at all! Northug managed to follow Legkov, but seemed to be suffering. Olsson was slowly reeled in by Legkov, but Northug was still in the back of the 4-man pack. At this point, Northug broke his rod, and the others managed to take a 10-metre lead. This was the first point, when Northug was forced to do something on his own. But he never managed, was short of energy and broke.

So as Northug was broken - a very rare occassion, but I have to say, that we saw it this year in Val di Fiemme in the 20 k classic mass start, but those were some really difficult conditions -, Sweden have initially succeeded, and they also managed to harvest the fruit: Hellner (5th in the WCh sprint in 2009) easily outsprinted Angerer and won! Olsson also managed to hold on to a much-much deserved bronze! So my heroes from yesterday are:

1. Johan Olsson - made today's competition one not to forget, unusual tactics paying off

2. Anders Södergren - out of form, but put everything into team tactics, deserves a relay medal

3. Marcus Hellner - initial winner and one who would have sacrificed his own race for his teammate's win

+1. Jocke Abrahamsson - kudos to the mastermind coach behind the operation

Thank you for an unforgettable experience, guys! Takk Sverige!

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