WHISTLER, B.C. — Italy's Pietro Piller Cottrer won a men's World Cup cross-country ski race Saturday on the venue that will host the 2010 Winter Olympics and then said it's a shame organizers didn't build a better course.

"I have to admit the previous Olympic courses were better," Piller Cottrer said after winning the 30-kilometer pursuit. "If they made this up as new, they could do something better."

Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk, who won the women's 15K pursuit, was also critical of the Whistler Olympic Park course.

"After my first training here I was almost crying because for me this is a very easy track," said Kowalczyk, who was second in a sprint Friday.

Cottrer completed the race at Whistler Olympic Park, in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 1.5 seconds. France's Jean Marc Gaillard was second in 1:13:16.5, while Valerio Checchi of Italy was third in 1:13:16.8.

Kowalczyk finished in 40:41.30. She was followed by Marianna Longa (40:48.90) and Arianna Follis (41:27.30) of Italy.

The meet, which began Friday, is the first Olympic test event held at the $119.7 million Whistler Olympic Park, located about 13 miles southwest of Whistler. The facility will host cross-country, ski jumping and biathlon during the Olympics.

Most of the skiers have been complimentary of the Games venue. But following Friday's sprint race, Kowalczyk said one of the corners on the course was too tight and "very dangerous."

Piller Cottrer, a three-time Olympic medalist, also complained about the corners and said some sections of the course were too easy.

"Especially the skating course, it's so easy and too many curves," he said. "There are amazing curves, like U-curves. You have all the space you want here. It's so narrow. It's a shame.

Also at Whistler, Magnus Moan of Norway edged Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany and Bill Demong of the United States to win a Nordic combined individual start event.

Moan won in 25 minutes, 18.7 seconds, while Kircheisen and Demong crossed in a photo finish, with the German finishing 0.1 seconds ahead of the American in 25:19.1.

"Today was one of those days where it's right to the very end and you don't know what's going to happen," said Demong, who a day earlier had won the first two Olympic test events at the 2010 venue. "You've got the fastest skiers all together working together and Anssi [Koivuranta] skiing well, holding on to everything he's worth in the stadium on the last lap."

The Associated Press
Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 12:00 AM