Trondheim, Norway - World Cup leader Petra Majdic of Slovenia put in an awesome finish on Saturday to win a women's 30-kilometres cross-country ski race.

Majdic trailed by more than 30 seconds after two thirds of the race, but caught up with the leaders in the closing stages and then skied away from the discipline's world champion Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland to win the classic style event in 1 hour 25 minutes 22.2 seconds.

Kowalczyk trailed by 11.7 seconds and Masako Isida gave Japan its second podium finish in cross-country history by coming third, 12.0 seconds behind the winner.

Majdic leads the World Cup from Kowalczyk and Finnish three-time world champion Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, who started strongly before having to settle for ninth place.

A men's 50km race was set for later Saturday.

The races were moved to Trondheim from Oslo because the famous Holmenkollen ski-centre in the Norwegian capital is undergoing renovation for the 2011 world championships. (dpa)