Following Rocca's fall, Italians had pretty much given up hope on the Winter Olympics. The tally would be four gold medals and 6 bronze. A respectable ninth position. But on the last day, on arguably the toughest sport - the 50km cross-country - George Di Centa clinched the first position from Eugeni Dementiev of Russia with a margin of just 0.8 seconds.
Di Centa, brother of former Olympic champion Manuela Di Centa, is the first athlete from outside Scandinavia or the former Soviet Union to win this event at the Games.
The race itself was intense, right from the start. Up to the very end it was unclear who of the leading group would be able to make it past the finishing line first. In the final approach Di Centa was ahead but Demetriev and the Austrian Michail Botynov were close behind. Di Centa said, "The last stretch seemed so long and it usually ends up that someone will come up to your side and overtake you. I kept listening for the sound of skis close by but I never heard anything and the finishing line was getting closer and closer. Then I passed the line, I still can't believe it.
The Italians were ecstatic. What better way to close the Winter Olympics of Torino than with a gold medal to an Italian.
