Defending champion Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland won her third race in three days in the Tour de Ski cross-country series, taking a sprint event ahead of Marit Bjoergen of Norway.

Kowalczyk improved her chances of winning the series for the third time by covering the seven-tenths of a mile in 2 minutes, 45.3 seconds.

Nikita Kruikov led a Russian sweep of the top four places in the men's sprint. He took advantage of a fall by Petter Northug of Norway, who took down the other favorite, Dario Cologna of Switzerland.