| | Event type

Sprint (Freestyle), Women

Date	19 February 2002
Status	Olympic
Location	Soldier Hollow, Wasatch Mountain State Park
Participants	58 from 24 countries
Format	Final standings based on time achieved in last round competed in.
Details	Course Length: 1,480 m Height Differential: 32 m Maximum Climb: 14 m Total Climbing: 50 m

The sprint event was new to the Olympic Program in 2002, having first been contested at the 2001 World Championships. It consisted of approximately a 1,500 metre course, with a qualifying round in which the 16 fastest skiers advanced to match racing. Match racing began with four quarter-finals of four racers each, with the top two races in each heat advancing in each round, to get to a final of four racers. The qualifying round was led by Czech Kateřina Neumannová, the World Cup leader in the event in 2001-02, with Russian Yuliya Chepalova in second. Chepalova had won an Olympic individual medal, the 30 km in 1998, but had now elected to contest the sprint as well. Neumannová surprisingly went out in the quarter-final, while Chepalova advanced to the final, which seemingly offered little competition, as the other finalists had no sprint reputation. Chepalova was expected to win and she did so fairly easily, defeating Germany’s Evi Sachenbacher, who had qualified third, by 1.6 seconds, a big margin in a sprint.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Qualifying	QF	SF	Final
1	–	Yuliya Chepalova	RUS	3:13.03 (2)	3:14.9 (2 h3)	3:18.2 (1 h2)	3:10.6 (1 h2)	Gold
2	–	Evi Sachenbacher	GER	3:13.81 (3)	3:40.2 (1 h4)	3:18.5 (2 h2)	3:12.2 (2 h2)	Silver
3	–	Anita Moen	NOR	3:14.13 (4)	3:15.9 (2 h2)	3:23.8 (1 h1)	3:12.7 (3 h2)	Bronze
4	–	Claudia Künzel	GER	3:16.41 (9)	3:15.1 (1 h1)	3:24.5 (2 h1)	3:13.3 (4 h2)
5	–	Beckie Scott	CAN	3:14.62 (5)	3:15.8 (1 h2)	3:25.4 (4 h1)	3:24.9 (1 h1)
6	–	Maj Helen Sorkmo	NOR	3:17.10 (11)	3:44.2 (3 h4)	3:19.4 (3 h2)	3:25.5 (2 h1)
7	–	Andreja Mali	SLO	3:15.75 (7)	3:14.8 (1 h3)	3:19.8 (4 h2)	3:25.9 (3 h1)
8	–	Gabriella Paruzzi	ITA	3:16.11 (8)	3:16.2 (2 h1)	3:25.3 (3 h1)	3:26.1 (4 h1)
9	–	Sara Renner	CAN	3:18.07 (14)	3:42.4 (2 h4)	3:20.0 (5 h2)	–
10	–	Anke Reschwamm	GER	3:17.45 (13)	3:15.9 (3 h2)	–	–
11	–	Lyubov Yegorova	RUS	3:18.46 (15)	3:16.0 (3 h3)	–	–
12	–	Madoka Natsumi	JPN	3:18.78 (16)	3:17.5 (3 h1)	–	–
13	–	Kateřina Neumannová	CZE	3:12.76 (1)	3:18.9 (4 h1)	–	–
14	–	Elina Pienimäki	FIN	3:14.79 (6)	4:01.5 (4 h4)	–	–
15	–	Manuela Henkel	GER	3:16.89 (10)	3:16.3 (4 h3)	–	–
16	–	Yelena Burukhina	RUS	3:17.26 (12)	3:19.3 (4 h2)	–	–
17	–	Sabina Valbusa	ITA	3:19.22 (17)	–	–	–
18	–	Kati Sundqvist	FIN	3:19.23 (18)	–	–	–
19	–	Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen	NOR	3:19.79 (19)	–	–	–
20	–	Nina Gavrylyuk	RUS	3:20.02 (20)	–	–	–
21	–	Vibeke Skofterud	NOR	3:20.21 (21)	–	–	–
22	–	Magda Genuin	ITA	3:20.28 (22)	–	–	–
23	–	Kaisa Varis	FIN	3:20.52 (23)	–	–	–
24	–	Viktoryia Lopatina	BLR	3:20.59 (24)	–	–	–
25	–	Kristina Šmigun	EST	3:20.94 (25)	–	–	–
26	–	Karin Moroder	ITA	3:21.92 (26)	–	–	–
27	–	Andrea Huber	SUI	3:22.18 (27)	–	–	–
28	–	Lina Andersson	SWE	3:22.65 (28)	–	–	–
29	–	Iryna Terelia	UKR	3:23.47 (29)	–	–	–
30	–	Jaime Fortier	CAN	3:23.98 (30)	–	–	–
31	–	Milaine Thériault	CAN	3:24.41 (31)	–	–	–
32	–	Nataša Lačen	SLO	3:24.90 (32)	–	–	–
33	–	Anna Dahlberg	SWE	3:25.32 (33)	–	–	–
34	–	Teja Gregorin	SLO	3:25.64 (34)	–	–	–
35	–	Elin Ek	SWE	3:25.93 (35)	–	–	–
36	–	Riitta-Liisa Lassila	FIN	3:27.16 (36)	–	–	–
37	–	Anna-Carin Olofsson	SWE	3:28.07 (37)	–	–	–
38	–	Tessa Benoit	USA	3:28.35 (38)	–	–	–
39	–	Nobuko Fukuda	JPN	3:28.38 (39)	–	–	–
40	–	Hou Yuxia	CHN	3:28.71 (40)	–	–	–
41	–	Vita Yakymchuk	UKR	3:28.94 (41)	–	–	–
42	–	Helena Balatková	CZE	3:29.23 (42)	–	–	–
43	–	Ilona Bublová	CZE	3:29.35 (43)	–	–	–
44	–	Kikkan Randall	USA	3:30.27 (44)	–	–	–
45	–	Natallia Sviridova-Kalinovskaya	BLR	3:31.83 (45)	–	–	–
46	–	Aelin Peterson	USA	3:34.05 (46)	–	–	–
47	–	Tomomi Otaka	JPN	3:34.14 (47)	–	–	–
=48	–	Kristina Joder	USA	3:34.18 (=48)	–	–	–
=48	–	Irina Terentjeva	LTU	3:34.18 (=48)	–	–	–
50	–	Luan Zhengrong	CHN	3:35.21 (50)	–	–	–
51	–	Nataliya Isachenko	KAZ	3:39.09 (51)	–	–	–
52	–	Lee Chae-Won	KOR	3:41.06 (52)	–	–	–
53	–	Darya Starostina	KAZ	3:41.69 (53)	–	–	–
54	–	Zsófia Gottschall	HUN	3:42.98 (54)	–	–	–
55	–	Elena Gorohova	MDA	3:43.82 (55)	–	–	–
56	–	Kelime Aydın	TUR	4:00.50 (56)	–	–	–
57	–	Katerina Balkaba	GRE	4:06.99 (57)	–	–	–
58	–	Margarita Nikolyan	ARM	4:13.55 (58)	–	–	–

Qualifying Round

Date	19 February 2002 — 9:00
Format	Top 16 finishers advance to quarter-finals.

Pos	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	Kateřina Neumannová	CZE	3:12.76	Q
2	Yuliya Chepalova	RUS	3:13.03	Q
3	Evi Sachenbacher	GER	3:13.81	Q
4	Anita Moen	NOR	3:14.13	Q
5	Beckie Scott	CAN	3:14.62	Q
6	Elina Pienimäki	FIN	3:14.79	Q
7	Andreja Mali	SLO	3:15.75	Q
8	Gabriella Paruzzi	ITA	3:16.11	Q
9	Claudia Künzel	GER	3:16.41	Q
10	Manuela Henkel	GER	3:16.89	Q
11	Maj Helen Sorkmo	NOR	3:17.10	Q
12	Yelena Burukhina	RUS	3:17.26	Q
13	Anke Reschwamm	GER	3:17.45	Q
14	Sara Renner	CAN	3:18.07	Q
15	Lyubov Yegorova	RUS	3:18.46	Q
16	Madoka Natsumi	JPN	3:18.78	Q
17	Sabina Valbusa	ITA	3:19.22
18	Kati Sundqvist	FIN	3:19.23
19	Hilde Gjermundshaug Pedersen	NOR	3:19.79
20	Nina Gavrylyuk	RUS	3:20.02
21	Vibeke Skofterud	NOR	3:20.21
22	Magda Genuin	ITA	3:20.28
23	Kaisa Varis	FIN	3:20.52
24	Viktoryia Lopatina	BLR	3:20.59
25	Kristina Šmigun	EST	3:20.94
26	Karin Moroder	ITA	3:21.92
27	Andrea Huber	SUI	3:22.18
28	Lina Andersson	SWE	3:22.65
29	Iryna Terelia	UKR	3:23.47
30	Jaime Fortier	CAN	3:23.98
31	Milaine Thériault	CAN	3:24.41
32	Nataša Lačen	SLO	3:24.90
33	Anna Dahlberg	SWE	3:25.32
34	Teja Gregorin	SLO	3:25.64
35	Elin Ek	SWE	3:25.93
36	Riitta-Liisa Lassila	FIN	3:27.16
37	Anna-Carin Olofsson	SWE	3:28.07
38	Tessa Benoit	USA	3:28.35
39	Nobuko Fukuda	JPN	3:28.38
40	Hou Yuxia	CHN	3:28.71
41	Vita Yakymchuk	UKR	3:28.94
42	Helena Balatková	CZE	3:29.23
43	Ilona Bublová	CZE	3:29.35
44	Kikkan Randall	USA	3:30.27
45	Natallia Sviridova-Kalinovskaya	BLR	3:31.83
46	Aelin Peterson	USA	3:34.05
47	Tomomi Otaka	JPN	3:34.14
=48	Kristina Joder	USA	3:34.18
=48	Irina Terentjeva	LTU	3:34.18
50	Luan Zhengrong	CHN	3:35.21
51	Nataliya Isachenko	KAZ	3:39.09
52	Lee Chae-Won	KOR	3:41.06
53	Darya Starostina	KAZ	3:41.69
54	Zsófia Gottschall	HUN	3:42.98
55	Elena Gorohova	MDA	3:43.82
56	Kelime Aydın	TUR	4:00.50
57	Katerina Balkaba	GRE	4:06.99
58	Margarita Nikolyan	ARM	4:13.55

Quarter-Finals

Date	19 February 2002 — 12:30
Format	Top 2 finishers in each heat advance to semi-finals.

Heat #1

Time	12:30

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	9	Claudia Künzel	GER	3:15.1	Q
2	8	Gabriella Paruzzi	ITA	3:16.2	Q
3	16	Madoka Natsumi	JPN	3:17.5
4	1	Kateřina Neumannová	CZE	3:18.9

Heat #2

Time	12:35

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	5	Beckie Scott	CAN	3:15.8	Q
2	4	Anita Moen	NOR	3:15.9	Q
3	13	Anke Reschwamm	GER	3:15.9
4	12	Yelena Burukhina	RUS	3:19.3

Heat #3

Time	12:40

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	7	Andreja Mali	SLO	3:14.8	Q
2	2	Yuliya Chepalova	RUS	3:14.9	Q
3	15	Lyubov Yegorova	RUS	3:16.0
4	10	Manuela Henkel	GER	3:16.3

Heat #4

Time	12:45

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	3	Evi Sachenbacher	GER	3:40.2	Q
2	14	Sara Renner	CAN	3:42.4	Q
3	11	Maj Helen Sorkmo	NOR	3:44.2	ADV	1
4	6	Elina Pienimäki	FIN	4:01.5

Semi-Finals

Date	19 February 2002 — 13:20
Format	Top 2 finishers in each heat advance to final. Next two finishers advance to B final.

Heat #1

Time	13:20

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	4	Anita Moen	NOR	3:23.8	Q
2	9	Claudia Künzel	GER	3:24.5	Q
3	8	Gabriella Paruzzi	ITA	3:25.3	QB
4	5	Beckie Scott	CAN	3:25.4	QB

Heat #2

Time	13:25

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	2	Yuliya Chepalova	RUS	3:18.2	Q
2	3	Evi Sachenbacher	GER	3:18.5	Q
3	11	Maj Helen Sorkmo	NOR	3:19.4	QB
4	7	Andreja Mali	SLO	3:19.8	QB
5	14	Sara Renner	CAN	3:20.0

Final Round

Date	19 February 2002 — 13:57

Final B

Time	13:50

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	5	Beckie Scott	CAN	3:24.9
2	11	Maj Helen Sorkmo	NOR	3:25.5
3	7	Andreja Mali	SLO	3:25.9
4	8	Gabriella Paruzzi	ITA	3:26.1

Final A

Time	13:57

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time
1	2	Yuliya Chepalova	RUS	3:10.6
2	3	Evi Sachenbacher	GER	3:12.2
3	4	Anita Moen	NOR	3:12.7
4	9	Claudia Künzel	GER	3:13.3