LIBEREC, Czech Republic — Finland won the women's team sprint at the Nordic skiing world championships Wednesday.

Aino Kaisa Saarinen and Virpi Kuitunen lived up to expectations and led from start to finish, clocking 19 minutes, 43.7 seconds.

Lina Andersson pulled away from Italy's Arianna Follis to secure the silver for Sweden. Andersson teamed with Anna Olsson, while Follis shared the bronze with Marianna Longa.

Saarinen, who won the opening 9.3-mile classical race on Thursday, pulled away from the field on the first of six legs. Kuitunen extended the lead to 13 seconds on the second leg, and no team ever came close to catching up. Kuitunen entered the final leg with a 23-second lead.