Bauer, Kowalczyk capture Tour de Ski titles

Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic and Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland won Tour de Ski titles Sunday by passing their rivals on the gruelling final ascent in the eighth and last stage.

Bauer, the Tour champion in 2008, won the final race, a 10-kilometre pursuit, to finish in a combined four hours, 13 minutes, 10.6 seconds. Petter Northug of Norway placed 16th and was second overall, 1:16.4 behind.

Defending champion Dario Cologna of Switzerland placed fifth to finish third overall, 1:32.2 back.

Ivan Babikov, of Canmore, Alta., placed ninth overall with a combined time of 4:16:42.4. Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont. was 16th, with a time of 4:18:47.5. Alex Harvey of St. Ferreol, Que., rounded out the Canadian men in 22nd place, posting a combined time of 4:21:08.8.

Kowalczyk finished fifth in the women's nine-kilometre race after passing Petra Majdic of Slovenia on the climb up Mount Cermis, which is used as a downhill ski slope.

Kowalczyk had a combined time of 2:37:54.5, edging Majdic by 19.2 seconds. Majdic was 12th in the race won by Kristin Steira of Norway in 35:49.8.

Sara Renner, also of Canmore, Alta., was 17th with a combined time of 2:44:12.5.