Polish Olympic cross country skier, Justyna Kowalczyk, has begun the season with a World Cup race in Norway, Saturday morning.

“This is my most important season because of the Olympics,” said Kowalczyk, who won a bronze medal in the 30 km freestyle cross country race at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy as well as the overall 2008-2009 Cross Country Skiing World Cup.

The race, a 10 km free style run, wraps up Saturday afternoon. Kowalczyk will also take part in a 4x5 relay on Sunday. The races kick off the women's World Cup and Olympic cross country ski seasons and take place in Beitostoelen, Norway, some 200 km north of Oslo.

A week ago, Kowalczyk beat Swedish skiers Britta Norgren and Anna Olsson to win a pre-season race in Sweden by overtaking the pair in the last few metres.

“It was not easy. I am happy that I was able to kick off the season with a victory, though I did initially think of it as a training race,” said the Pole after the race. A day later, Kowalczyk took fifth place in a 10 km classical race.

Kowalczyk faces a big season with not only the World Cup at stake but also the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada. The Pole's largest rivals in female cross country skiing are Marit Bjoergen of Norway, Petra Majdic of Slovenia, and the Finnish skiers Virpi Kuitunen and Aino Kaisy Saarinen.

“In pre-season training, we worked really hard. But, this season, since it is so long, the most important will be [Kowalczyk's] health,” says coach Aleksander Wierietielny, adding that, “each day her training was tough. Justyna never skipped a day. Sometimes she would come to me and say she was just exhausted.” (mmj)