Marit Bjoergen easily claims win at x-country skiing World Cup

Marit Bjoergen, the most successful women's cross-country skier in history, won a 10-kilometre classic race at the World Cup season opener in Ruka, Finland, on Saturday. 

The 37-year-old Norwegian claimed her 111th career World Cup win by a comfortable 17-second margin over Sweden's Charlotte Kalla in the season's first distance as she builds up to her fifth Olympics.

Bjoergen finished with a time of 25 minutes, 7.6 seconds. 

Another Norwegian, Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, took third, finishing 0.8 seconds behind Kalla.

Emily Nishikawa finished 56th, while Cendrine Browne was 76th and Dahria Beatty 84th to round out the Canadians in the field.

Bjoergen has won her last five races in the 10K classic format, and finished on the podium in 21 of the last 22 such races in the World Cup.

Klaebo shines

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo posted a time of 33:38.8 and won the men's 15K classic race, following up his victory in Friday's sprint, while fellow Norwegian Didrik Toenseth was 15.3 seconds slower for second.

Finnish skier Iivo Niskanen was third on home snow, 10.3 seconds further back.

Alex Harvey was the top Canadian, finishing 13th with a time of 34:28.5. Devon Kershaw was 26th and Len Valjas came in at 48th for Canada. 

Russian Evgeny Belov finished sixth as he raced despite being banned from the Olympics this month for his part in Russia's doping program.

Another Russian skier with an Olympic doping ban, Maxim Vylegzhanin, was 16th. The International Olympic Committee punishments only apply to the Olympics. The International Ski Federation hasn't extended Russian skiers' Olympic bans to its events yet, saying it needs more information from the IOC.