Zhangjiakou (dpa) – 15 hours after the opening ceremony, flag bearer Martin Fleig missed a medal on his first start at the Paralympics in Beijing.
The biathlete from Freiburg finished fifth in the 6 km sprint on the first morning of the competition. Four years ago in Pyeongchang, the 32-year-old won gold over 15 km. Zixu Liu clinched the first-ever biathlon gold for host China, while Tara’s bike brought war-torn Ukraine’s first medal at the Games.
“I’m really happy for him. Celebrating such a success in such a difficult time is a big deal,” said Fleig. He judged his result “positively. I wanted to attack the podium, but in the biathlon sprint at major events I was rarely better.” The night after the opening ceremony was short. “It was clear to me that it wasn’t ideal and that you got a little less sleep. But you only do something like that once in a lifetime,” said Fleig: “And I wouldn’t go so far that it cost me the medal. “