Russia enjoy cross-country team sprint drama in Pyeongchang thriller

Battling with France's Lucas Chanavat and Baptiste Gros, Retivykh stopped the clock in 19:34.11 with teammate Andrey Parfenov, with just 0.03 seconds the difference between the top two pairs in Korea.

The Russian success was not done there, with their II team of Artem Meltsev and Nikita Kruikov finishing just five seconds further back to round off the top three in the 1.5km race.

"It was just as hard skating as it was in classic the other day," said 26-year-old Retivykh. "I did not know in the finish if we won until Andrey told me."

There was yet more drama in the women's cross-country team spring, as Sweden I took the honours in a race which saw four teams battling for top honours.

Their pair of Elin Mohlin and Maria Nordstroem eventually crossed the line first in 20:37.11, with Norway's Anna Svendsen and Silje Oeyre Slind taking the runners-up spot, 1.71s behind.

And from there came a United States battle for the last place on the podium, with the I team of Sophie Caldwell and Ida Sargent, who finished in 20:43.22, outsprinting compatriots Caitlin Patterson and Elizabeth Stephen across 1.4km.

Sargent said: "It was one of the toughest team sprints ever. It felt more like a distance competitions. The race was very tough. The course is really demanding."

Sportsbeat 2017