Anchorage Olympian Kikkan Randall bounced back from a disappointing World Cup sprint race on Friday to post a solid 17th-place finish Saturday in a five-kilometer classic race in Kuusamo, Finland.
Randall clocked 13 minutes, 40 seconds as the first non-European skier across the finish line.
Norway's Marit Bjoergen won the race in 12:51.9, with Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland second, about two seconds back. Petra Majdic of Solvenia was third in 13:08.7. The top two were Olympic gold medalists in Vancouver, with Bjoergen capturing three golds, a silver and a bronze in a sparkling performance.
"Today was a much more satisfying race than yesterday's sprint." Randall said in an e-mail. "I was able to get in my top gear and hold it there. I skied aggressive from the start and felt strong over the whole course."
A couple of slips near the 3-kilometer mark probably cost Randall a few seconds, and she ended up less than seven seconds out of a top-10 finish.
"I feel like I've reached a new level in my distance racing," she said, "and it's fun to feel like I'm in the actually in the hunt."
Ida Sargent, the American who topped Randall in Fridays' sprint, finished 45th in 14:11.6.
Even more impressive was American Kris Freeman's seventh-place finish in the men's 10-K classic race. Freeman's time was 23:48.8, about 17 seconds off a podium finish.
Dario Cologna of Switzerland, the gold medalist in the 15-K freestyle race in Vancouver, won in 23:24.8.
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