Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: Cross-country skier suffers frozen penis in 50km race

Remi Lindholm of Team Finland competes during the Men's Cross-Country Skiing 50km Mass Start. Photo / Getty

Finland's Remi Lindholm might need to buy a couple of extra layers next time he races in a cross-country event in such low temperatures.

Lindholm revealed he suffered a frozen penis during the mass start event at the Winter Olympics on Saturday as the reduced event continued in extreme conditions.

Lindholm finished 28th in the mass start event on Saturday which was reduced from 50km to 30km with organisers worried about athletes suffering from frostbite in their thin layers.

Temperatures hovered around minus 18 degrees C on Saturday but the wind chill made it much colder.

"You can guess which body part was a little bit frozen when I finished ... it was one of the worst competitions I've been in," he told Finnish media. "It was just about battling through."

Lindholm, who said it was the second time he's suffered frozen genitals in his career, added he needed a heat pack to thaw out his lower body.

"When the body parts started to warm up after the finish, the pain was unbearable," he added.

Strong wind gusts sent snow squalls across the frozen tracks for the men's race on Saturday and the women's events on Sunday, which saw athletes with buffs pulled up over their hats, tape across their faces and extra layers under their racing suits.

Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Olympic Committee earned his third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Russian teammate Ivan Yakimushkin won silver and Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway took bronze.

In the women's race, Norwegian great Therese Johaug won her third gold medal of the Beijing Olympics. Jessie Diggins took silver for the best result by an American in an individual cross-country skiing event since 1976. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland won bronze.