Bolshunov covered the distance of 28.4 km (17.6 miles) in 1 hour 11 minutes 32.7 seconds. Yakimushkin finished with a lag of 5.5 seconds. The third place was taken by Norwegian skier Simen Hegstad Krueger who finished with a lag of 7 seconds.
The initial distance of the race was shortened from 50 kilometres to 28.4 kilometres due to severe weather conditions.
Bolshunov brought the Russian team the sixth gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, while Yakimushkin brought the tenth silver award.