Lithuanian athlete T. Strolia faced an unfortunate end to his Olympic skiathlon event, completing just 12 kilometers before being asked to leave the course by officials. This decision came as he was being lapped by leading competitors, which according to the rules, prohibited slower athletes from impeding frontrunners in the races. Prior to the event, Strolia had reported pain in his Achilles tendon but decided to proceed with the competition despite this concern.

In the race, Strolia struggled from the beginning, ranking 71st out of 73 competitors after the first 4.8 kilometers, falling behind the leader by over three minutes. By the 8-kilometer mark, he had only managed to improve to 70th place, trailing the leader by more than five minutes. His performance prompted a change in his skiing equipment at the 71st position, but he could not maintain pace and was ultimately pulled from the race at the 12-kilometer point due to being lapped.

Strolia's final position was declared as 70th, and though he is expected to participate in all skiing events except for the relay, this Olympic experience has been challenging for him. The athlete is slated to compete in a 50-kilometer classic style race on February 21, the closing day of the Games, which will mark his conclusion of these Olympic competitions.