Iivo Niskanen Wins Gold for Cross-Country Olympics 2018 Men's 50 Km Mass Start

Finland's Iivo Niskanen won gold in the men's 50-kilometre mass start in the cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Saturday. He finished ahead of Russian athlete Alexander Bolshunov.

Fellow Russian athlete Andrey Larkov won bronze.

Here's what the result means for the updated medal tracker:

Niskanen's win marks the first gold for Finland at these Games, while Bolshunov, despite his disappointment at missing out on first place, has earned his fourth medal in Pyeongchang.

Niskanen finished just over 18 seconds ahead of Bolshunov, clocking a time of two hours, eight minutes and 22.1 seconds compared to the latter's 2:08:40.8 finish. However, the size of the gap doesn't tell the true story of how intense the battle was between the pair.

CHRISTOF STACHE/Getty Images

Bolshunov was setting the pace at the two-hour mark, as the skiiers started their climb at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre. The Russian was getting ready for the final sprint, which is something of a speciality for the 21-year-old.

However, it was Niskanen who made his move first, opening up a sizeable gap as he hit the descent. The Fin had changed his skis, while Bolshunov was struggling with his.

It proved a key moment of strategy, as an unhindered Niskanen pulled away late to condemn Bolshunov to second. This was also the second time in the race the victor had emerged from a tight, one-on-one battle to forge a vital lead.

Earlier he was locked in a personal race with Alexey Poltoranin. Niskanen left the Kazakhstan skier trailing after the first 10 km, with Poltoranin never recovering and ultimately finishing 15th.

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

There was better news for Larkov, who made a late surge to leave Canada's Alex Harvey behind by just under six seconds. It proved good enough to put the Russian athlete on the podium with Bolshunov, even though the race was ultimately all about Niskanen's smarts and speed late on.