USA's Kris Freeman fifth in 15km CL World Cup race{mosimage}USSA -- Kris Freeman, who a week ago had the best U.S. cross-country ski result on the World Cup since 1984, bettered it Saturday, finishing fifth in a six-lap, 15km classic race in Davos, Switzerland.

Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia won in 38:13.8, 2.5 seconds ahead of Russian Nikolai Pankratov. Freeman finished fifth in 38:51.6 while Carl Swenson was 41st and Lars Flora 44th among 88 finishers.

Freeman was sixth on December 6 in a 30km mass-start freestyle race in Dobbiaco, Italy, for the best result since Jim Galanes was fifth in Murmansk in the old Soviet Union in March 1984. By tying Galanes' top-five, Freeman tied for the best American showing since Bill Koch was fourth in Davos to open the 1983 season in December 1982 and fourth again in February 1983 in Kavgolovo, outside what is now St. Petersburg, Russia.

In the women's 10km classic race, Ukrainian Valentina Shevchenko came out on top in 28:20.1, with Finland's Virpi Kuitunen second and Gabriella Paruzzi of Italy in third. Canada's Beckie Scott was 23rd and Sarah Renner 38th in the race, which had 63 finishers. No American women competed.

Cross-Country World Cup
Davos, Switzerland
Women's 10km CL
1. Valentina Shevchenko (Ukraine) 28:20.1
2. Virpi Kuitunen (Finland) 28:35.5
3. Gabriella Paruzzi (Italy) 28:36.5
4. Marit Bjoergen (Norway) 28:47.9
5. Aino Kaisa Saarinen (Finland) 28:49.3
6. Hilde Pedersen (Norway) 28:49.5
7. Kristina Smigun (Estonia) 29:08.4
8. Anna Dahlberg (Sweden) 29:12.4
9. Lilia Vasilieva (Russia) 29:16.3
10. Vibeke Skofterud (Norway) 29:22.2
Other North Americans:
23. Beckie Scott (Canada)
38. Sara Renner (Canada)

Men's 15km CL
1. Andrus Veerpalu (Estonia) 38:13.8
2. Nikolay Pankratov (Russia) 38:16.3
3. Anders Soedergren (Sweden) 38:34.4
4. Rene Sommerfeldt (Germany) 38:43.0
5. Kris Freeman (U.S.) 38:51.6
6. Axel Teichmann (Germany) 38:52.9
7. Jens Arne Svartedal (Norway) 38:53.1
8. Frode Estil (Norway) 38:57.3
9. Mathias Fredriksson (Sweden) 39:02.3
10. Reto Burgermeister (Switzerland) 39:04.9
Other Americans:
41. Carl Swenson (U.S.)
44. Lars Flora (U.S.)