Cross Country Skiing at the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Games:

The 15 km race was contested three days after the opening 30 km cross country race. The Swede Assar Rönnlund, placing seventh on the opening distance, had been World Champion at 15 km in 1962, closely followed by three Norwegians, all of them on the Norwegian 1964 Olympic team for the distance: Harald Grønningen, Einar Østby and Magnar Lundemo. But the recent 30 km Olympic Champion, Eero Mäntyranta was also considered the top favorite in this event.

At the 5 km checkpoint, Mäntyranta was already in the lead, 12 seconds ahead of countryman Kalevi Lauria, with Grønningen and Rönnlund following closely in third and fourth place. At 10 km Mäntyranta was still in the lead, but Grønningen had advanced to second place, only 11 seconds behind and 7 seconds ahead of Laurila in third place. Rönnlund had dropped from fourth to tenth position, but two other Swedes, Sixten Jernberg and Janne Stefansson had advanced to fourth and fifth, only one and two seconds behind Laurila.

In the final 5 km Mäntyranta increased his speed and won his second Olympic gold medal, 40.7 seconds ahead of Grønningen. Jernberg would collect his seventh Olympic medal coming in third, closely followed by Väinö Huhtala, like Mäntyranta also a member of the Finnish gold winning relay team from 1960. Stefansson could hold his fifth place, only one second behind Huhtala, and Laurila, as in the 30 km, faded at the end and dropped down to ninth position. Best of the Middle Europeans was an Italian, the 22-year-old customs official Franco Nones, who would have his Olympic day of glory four years later.