START OF RACE; COMPETITORS AT VARIOUS SECTIONS OF RACE; SPECTATORS; MAJOR PLACINGS; SCOREBOARD.




Initials PH/VS/PN/BB


SPORT: SKIING

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Background: ALEVTINA OLYUNIA CAPTURED THE SOVIET UNION'S FOURTH GOLD MEDAL IN THE WORLD NORDIC SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS AT STRBSKE PLESO, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, WHEN SHE WON THE WOMEN'S TEN-KILOMETRES (6-MILES) CROSS-COUNTRY RACE YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH).

THE 27-YEAR-OLD SCHOOL TEACHER COVERED THE DISTANCE IN 36-MINUTES, 19-SECONDS, BEATING FINLAND'S TOP CROSS-COUNTRY GIRL, 32-YEAR-OLD MARJATTA KOJOSMAA, BY 21.05-SECONDS.

MISS KOJOSMAA LOOKED SET TO WIN FINLAND'S FIRST GOLD MEDAL IN THE 1970 CHAMPIONSHIPS WHEN SHE CLOCKED THE BEST TIME AT THE HALF-WAY MARK. BUT MISS OLYUNINA, THE SOVIET UNION'S 1968 FIVE AND TEN-KILOMETRES (3 AND 8 MILES) CHAMPION, SHOWED GREATER STAMINA IN THE CLOSING STAGES.

THIRD IN THE RACE, RUN IN A HEAVY SNOWFALL, WAS ANOTHER RUSSIAN GIRL, GALINA KUAKOVA, WHO ALSO HEADS THE WORLD RANKING LIST -- HAVING WON THE FIVE-KILOMETRES (3-MILES) RACE ON MONDAY (FEBRUARY 16TH).

THERE WERE 44 STARTERS.