Norway take gold, Swedes pip Finns to silver in 5km relay

LAHTI, Finland (Reuters) - Sweden pipped Finland to the silver medal after an epic sprint finish in the 4 x 5 km relay in Lahti on Thursday as Norway added another easy victory at the Nordic World Ski Championships.

(Reuters)

The most successful athlete in the history of the competition, Norway's Marit Bjoergen anchored the last leg, leading Norway to victory by a margin of 61.6 seconds and even having the time to collect a Norwegian flag to wave as she crossed the finish line.

The real drama in the race was the battle for second place as Finland's Krista Parmakoski and Stina Nilsson of Sweden were neck and neck for the last 5 km.

After a lung-bursting last leg, Nilsson dug deep and sprinted past Parmakoski as they approached the final bend, holding off the challenge of the Finn to take the silver medal for Sweden.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor in Stockholm; Editing by Alison Williams)