Italians Rejoice at Di Centa's 50km Win

PRAGELATO, Italy, Feb. 26 -- They were the two faces of this Olympics on the final day. Giorgio di Centa beamed on the afternoon he won a gold medal in his homeland. Mikhail Botwinov, Russian-born and Austrian-coached, celebrated his bronze with an icy glare.

And they sat side by side in a news conference after the 50-kilometer cross-country race, the last medal event of the Turin Olympics.

"Today was my day," di Centa said.

"I don't have to justify anything," Botwinov said.

Then the Austrian sighed.

For years he was coached by Walter Mayer, the Austrian whose quarters near here were raided on Feb. 18 by Italian police looking for doping materials. Authorities later said that syringes and glucose IV bags were found in Mayer's room. Ten Austrian athletes were tested by the World Anti-Doping Agency after the raid. But two, including Botwinov, had left the country not long before the police burst in, raising even more questions.

On Sunday, Botwinov said through an interpreter that he had returned to Austria after finishing seventh in the 30km pursuit on Feb. 12. He said he had been feeling ill for days and the team doctors feared he had meningitis. Once it was determined that he did not have meningitis, he said he felt much better and came back to race.

In the meantime, Mayer -- who was barred from these Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Games after doping materials and a certificate in Botwinov's name were found in his room four years ago in Salt Lake City -- was arrested in Austria after a car chase with police that ended when he deliberately crashed. He later said he was trying to commit suicide, and he has been fired by the Austrian team.

"Mayer is a very good friend of mine," Botwinov said, still trying to distance himself from the situation. "I don't know exactly what to say. I'm such an experienced sportsman I really don't have need for a coach. I plan my training personally."

Not that many of the fans gathered here seemed to care about Botwinov or Mayer. Raging outside was perhaps one of the finest scenes of this Olympics, as an Italian won the final event in the mountains. The Chisone Valley never rang as it did when di Centa came flying down the last hill.

As he sailed over the finish line 2 hours 6 minutes 11.8 seconds after the race started and just 0.8 of a second ahead of Russian Eugeni Dementiev, the stands and the edges of the course were alive with waving Italian flags. Nicoletta Momberto, who stood alongside a man who waggled one from a small tree branch smiled and said: "I feel like crying. For us it is big to win this one. It's like winning the marathon."

The fans sang and they stomped on the metal bleachers here. The Austrians, Norwegians and Swiss all slowly made their way out of the venue, but the Italians refused to leave. Out on the course, di Centa was handed flowers and he spun around on the podium waving to the crowd.