Cross Country Skiing at the 1992 Albertville Winter Games:

This was the first time the pursuit was contested at the Winter Olympics, and it would not feature at the World Championships until the next year. The event consisted of results from the 5 km individual race, skied in the classical style. In the second section, skiers skied 10 km freestyle, starting in the order of their placements from the 5 km. Thus, the first skier across the line was the winner of the race. The co-leaders at the start were Marjut Lukkarinen, winner of the 5 km, and Lyubov Yegorova, who had won the silver in that event. The margin of victory in that race had been 0.9 seconds, but because starting margins are rounded down to the lesser second, they started together. Yegorova would post the fastest freestyle time to win the gold medal in this event. The fourth starter, Stefania Belmondo, took the early lead in the freestyle section, but Yegorova moved ahead at 6.5 km and defeated her by over 24 seconds. Yelena Välbe started third, having finished third in the 5 km, she posted the third fastest freestyle section, and won the bronze medal in this event as well. Lukkarinen dropped back to fouth place, with only the seventh fastest freestyle split. In 1993, Belmondo would win the inaugural World Championship in this event, with Yegorova placing third.