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Austrian skier takes wrong turn in cross-country race, loses shot at Olympic medal

Teresa Stadlober had been in second much of the race, but after the wrong turn, she finished in ninth place.
Teresa Stadlober of Austria competes during the Ladies' 30km Mass Start Classic on day sixteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Alpensia Cross-Country Centre on February 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.

Austrian Teresa Stadlober had been in second place for much of the cross-country women's 30-kilometer mass start at the Pyeongchang Games on Sunday. But a wrong turn cost her the Olympic medal.

Stadlober went the wrong direction on the course and got lost with about 7 kilometers remaining. By the time she realized where she was going and got back on the course, she had lost valuable time and dropped to eighth place. She ended up finishing in ninth place.

"I don't know, I really don't know," Stadlober told the Associated Press. "I took the wrong way — and I did this twice. The second time I wasn't sure anymore. I had a blackout. I don't know why I took the wrong way."

Norway's Marit Bjoergen won the gold medal, closing out a remarkable Olympic career in dominant fashion.

The 37-year-old Bjoergen finished in 1 hour, 22 minutes and 17.6 seconds — more than 1 minute, 49 seconds ahead of silver medalist Krista Parkakoski from Finland. Sweden's Stina Nilsson won bronze.

Bjoergen finishes her career with 15 medals, leaving her as the most decorated athlete of the Winter Games of all time.

Contributing: TEGNA Staff

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