Cross-country skier Giorgio Di Centa gave Italy a fifth gold medal of the Games on the final day of action in Turin.

Di Centa won the strength-sapping 50km mass start event in a sprint finish after more than two hours of racing.

The home star finished in a time of two hours, six minutes, 11.8 seconds.

That was just eight tenths of a second ahead of Russian Eugeni Dementiev - the narrowest winning margin in the event's history.

Dementiev himself just got to the line inches before Austria's Mikhail Botwinov, who took bronze.

Victory was all the sweeter for Di Centa, because his medal ceremony was scheduled to take place as part of the Closing Ceremony.

"I was not the favourite today. But it is a massive emotion for me, and I cannot find the words to describe it," he said.

"Usually someone overtakes me. But today I did not hear any ski noise, and the finish line got closer and closer. I could not believe it."

Thirty-three-year-old Di Centa had never previously won an individual event in the World Cup. But it was his second gold of the Games following his success in the men's 4x10km relay.