WHISTLER, British Columbia -- Italy's Pietro Piller Cottrer won a men's World Cup cross-country ski race Saturday on the venue that will host the 2010 Winter Olympics and then said it's a shame organizers didn't build a better course.
"I have to admit the previous Olympic courses were better," Piller Cottrer said after winning the 30-kilometer pursuit. "If they made this up as new, they could do something better."
Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk, who won the women's 15K pursuit, was also critical of the Whistler Olympic Park course.
"After my first training here I was almost crying because for me this is a very easy track," said Kowalczyk, who was second in a sprint Friday.
Cottrer completed the race at Whistler Olympic Park, in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 1.5 seconds. France's Jean Marc Gaillard was second in 1:13:16.5, while Valerio Checchi of Italy was third in 1:13:16.8.
Kowalczyk finished in 40:41.30. She was followed by Marianna Longa (40:48.90) and Arianna Follis (41:27.30) of Italy.
The meet, which began Friday, is the first Olympic test event held at the $119.7-million Whistler Olympic Park, located about 13 miles southwest of Whistler. The facility will host cross-country, ski jumping and biathlon during the Olympics.
Most of the skiers have been complimentary of the Games venue. But following Friday's sprint race, Kowalczyk said one of the corners on the course was too tight and "very dangerous."
Piller Cottrer, a three-time Olympic medallist, also complained about the corners and said some sections of the course were too easy.
"Especially the skating course, it's so easy and too many curves," he said. "There are amazing curves, like U-curves. You have all the space you want here. It's so narrow. It's a shame.
Tim Gayda, vice president of sport for the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee, said the course was designed with input from FIS, the international governing body for ski racing.
"This will be the Olympic course. The feedback we've gotten from across the board has all been very positive," Gayda said. "We'll work with the FIS to see what we can do, but it will remain the same course for the games."
In a pursuit competition, skiers complete half the race in classic style then change skis and ski freestyle for the second half.
The Whistler World Cup stop comes on the heels of the grueling Tour de Ski, a series of seven races over nine days in three different European countries. Many of the world's top pursuit skiers chose to skip the event.