PRAGELATO PLAN, Italy, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet  By Sportswriter Gong Bing ) -- Thousands of screaming Italian fans were brought unbridled joy as Italy won the men's 4X10km relay cross country race at the Turin Winter Olympic Games here on Sunday.

    Falling behind in the first two legs, Italy surged to the top rank in the third leg and secured a gold medal after the anchor leg, finishing in one hour, 43 minutes and 45.7 seconds.

    This was the third gold for Italy at the Games following two golds in the men's singles of luge and men's team pursuit of speedskating.

    "I made a bet with my friends today that I was going to arrive first in my leg. I couldn't make it, but I think it's going well anyway." said 37-year-old Fulvio Valbusa.

    "I really care a lot about this relay. This morning I was about to run over someone with my car because she wasn't letting us pass.Pietro (Piller Cottrer) told he wanted me like this during the race." he added.

    Valbusa announced before the Games that he would retire after the Olympics.

    "We are the best. I thought that to win a medal would have been great, but to win gold is fantastic. We gave everything we had. We performed with our heart. I am 37 years old and to win a medal at this age is incredible. Today my daughter Alice drew a podium for me, that was my secret."

    Piller Cottrer, runner-up in the event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, said: "I can finally be happy now. We proved how good we can be. It was a mix of intelligence, experience, heart and willingness. I cannot think about any other races at the moment. I dedicate this win to the supporters."

    Germany took the silver medal, 15.7 seconds behind the winners. It was the second Olympic medal for Germany in the event after they won bronze at the 2002 Games.

    Andreas Schluetter of Germany said: "Our team is very satisfied with the result. It was a very good run. For me, the first lap was easier than the second, but the snowfall was a problem for us."

    Sweden claimed the bronze, missing the silver by 0.3 seconds. It's Sweden's first medal in 4x10km relay since the Calgary 1988 Games where it took a gold.

    Sweden's Mathias Fredriksson was happy about the bronze but preferred the gold.

    "At first I thought we could reach Cristian Zorzi (Italy), but then I realized that it was not possible. I was very focused in trying to take over Germany. I let Tobias Angerer (Germany) take some meters, then I lost to him at the very end."

    Norway, defending champion, had to settle for a fifth finish.

    Frode Estil said: "I'm really disappointed because I have made a great mistake in choosing the skis. So it's all my fault."

    Norway has won four medals in the sport but none was golden. Enditem