NORDIC. DUESSELDORF (AP)( 29/10/2006 02:11 )- Norway's Marit Bjoergen won the opening race of the World Cup cross-country ski season Saturday, capturing a 0.8-kilometer freestyle event in front of a crowd of 150,000.
Bjoergen, the defending World Cup overall champion, finished the 800 meters through the streets of downtown Duesseldorf in 1 minute, 46.9 seconds.

Eldar Roenning led a sweep of Norwegian sweep in the men's freestyle sprint race, finishing the 1.5-kilometer event in 3:03.1. Oystein Pettersen was nine-tenths of a second back, with Tor Arne Hetland another three-tenths behind.

Bjoergen edged Natalia Matveyeva of Russia by two-tenths in the women's race with Norway's Ella Gjomle third, 0.9 of a second behind.

The World Cup opener in Duesseldorf takes a sport usually raced in the woods into the city, with a track set up along the Rhein river. Several hundred thousand often attend the two-day event.
 
Norway and Sweden claimed Sprint Relays 
 
DUESSELDORF ( 30/10/2006 11:22 ) - Marit Bjoergen and Ella Gjomle of Norway won the Women Sprint Relay that took place in Duesseldorf on Sunday. Sweden, with Britta Norgren and Lisa Andersson, caught the second place ahead of Finland.

In the Men's race Sweden triumphed with Bjoern Lind and Petter Larsson, Norway took the second place ahead fo Italy, third.