Defending Olympic champion di Centa finished 11th. Jauhojärvi finished 20th. At the 12.3 km mark, the top three were Södergren (who finished ninth), 2007 champion Hjelmeset (who finished 17th), and Legkov (who finished 14th). By the halfway mark, the top three were Johnsrud Sundby (who finished 15th), Richardsson (who finished seventh), and Olsson. France's Gaillard (who finished 19th) led at the 39.2 km mark, followed by Cologna (who finished tenth), and Legkov. Northug's 0.3 second victory over Teichmann is the closest 50 km event in Olympic history, beating the previous record of 0.8 seconds set at the previous Olympics when di Centa edged out Russia's Yevgeny Dementyev.[6] Additionally, he is the sixth Norwegian to win the Olympic 50 km event, but the first since Bjørn Dæhlie's second triumph at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.[7] The medals were presented at the closing ceremony at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver that same evening.
^Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Cross-Country (Nordic) Skiing, Men: 50 Kilometers". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 235-6.
^Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2009). "Cross-Country (Nordic) Skiing, Men: 50 Kilometers". In The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics. London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 234-5.