Cross-country skiing-Fund Olympic dreams of small nations, says Irish skier

ZHANGJIAKOU, China : Few people were surprised when Finland's Iivo Niskanen won the 15km classic race at the Beijing Olympics, but those who looked beyond the podium may have been shocked to see Ireland as the sixth nation on the list with their man in 14th place.

Thomas Maloney Westgaard may have been born in the same country as bronze medallist Johannes Klaebo of Norway but he skis in the Irish green and even briefly held the lead in the race eventually won by Niskanen, a sign of the progress the 26-year-old has made since his Olympic debut in 2018.

In the end, he wound up behind a variety of athletes from more traditional nations like Norway, Finland, the Russian Olympic Committee, France and Sweden, but his top-15 finish was a victory for the smaller countries who are often a mere footnote in cross-country skiing.

"I haven't won an Olympic gold but the 14th place, it nearly feels like a medal for me," Westgaard told Reuters as he prepared for the iconic 50km race that will bring the men's cross-country programme at the Games to an end on Saturday.

"You feel we (Ireland) get more respect on the skiing circuit, so it was a fantastic moment, coming in representing a smaller nation."

Like many Winter Olympic athletes, Westgaard has to fight for the resources to dedicate himself to his sport.

"It is really hard regarding funding and that kind of stuff, especially when they compare us with the bigger nations. So that ours was the sixth best nation in the 15k, behind nations that are taking Olympic medals in cross-country skiing during these Olympics, this is fantastic," he said.

HIGHEST LEVEL

The level-headed Westgaard has combined studying and skiing since high school but taking part on the World Cup circuit and training to