RAMSAU, Austria (AP) -- Mika Myllylae looked out of his hotel room window and saw a heavy snow storm swooping down the Dachstein mountains.
"Yes! My kind of day," Myllylae said.On Friday, the Finn proved it, blasting through the snow to win the men's 30-kilometer freestyle race, the opening event of the Nordic Ski World Championship.
Stefania Belmondo wasn't that confident at the start of the day. But the Italian won the women's 15K freestyle race, ending a six-year victory drought at major events.
Snow storms, pouring rain, that's the kind of weather in which Myllylae excels. At last year's Olympics in Nagano, Myllylae won the 30K gold medal in a snow storm. At the 1997 worlds in Trondheim, Norway, Myllylae won the 50K in driving rain.
The tougher the conditions, the better Myllylae gets.
"The conditions were perfect for me," Myllylae said. "But never, ever in my dreams, did I think I would win today.
"I have been training here for many years and this is like a home village for me."
Myllylae set a blistering pace from the start and led at all intermediate timing stations.
Increasing his lead with every kilometer, Myllylae was timed in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 26.2 seconds -- 35.3 seconds ahead of Thomas Alsgaard of Norway.
Norwegian star Bjorn Daehlie, the most successful cross-country skier in history, took the bronze medal, 7.2 seconds behind Alsgaard.
Daehlie has eight gold medals from three Olympics. This was his 16th medal in six worlds, one short of the championship record of Elena Vaelbe, the retired Russian star.
But the 30K remains a jinx for Daehlie. He finished 20th at the Nagano Olympics, he was second in the 1995 and 1997 worlds, and second at the 1992 and 1994 Olympics.
Myllylae, who considers himself a 50K specialist, only decided to race the 30K Thursday.
"When I saw the weather, I knew I had to race," Myllylae said.
Belmondo's first major triumph came with the 30K gold at the 1992 Albertville Olympics. A year later, she won two world titles.
But since 1993, Belmondo had not won a major event.
"I went six years without a gold medal, so this is a great comeback for me," Belmondo said.
"I did not have much confidence before the race, but after kilometer 13, I was sure I'd win."
Belmondo now has 17 medals at four Olympics and six worlds.
Belmondo, 30K silver medalist in Nagano, also led at all intermediate times, steadily increasing her margin until slowing near the finish. She was timed in 38:49, beating Kristina Smigun of Estonia by 30.4 seconds.
Smigun, a three-time world junior champion, earned Estonia's first medal at a Nordic world championship.