Norwegian cross-country champion pulls out of team sprint

Norwegian sprint specialist Ola Vigen Hattestad has pulled out of the Olympic men's cross-country team sprint because of a sore throat.

Hattestad was replaced by Oeystein Pettersen, who will partner with Petter Northug on the Norwegian two-man team in Monday's freestyle event at the Vancouver Games.

Hattestad is the reigning world champion in both the individual and team sprint and won the World Cup sprint title the last two seasons.

Pettersen finished sixth in the individual classical sprint last week — where Hattestad was fourth — and has three second-place finishes on the World Cup circuit.