08:36
Battle for silver and bronze
The race is still hot behind Braisaz-Bouchet: Eckhoff, Røiseland and Davidova almost went out together. However, the Norwegians can outperform Davidova. Eckhoff runs to second, behind her teammate.
08:34
Fourth shooting
There is a penalty loop for Preuss, she comes out eighth.
08:33
Fourth shooting
The decision is near! France’s Braisaz-Bouchet goes away with one round. Behind them there are a lot of penalties, giving Braisaz-Bouchet a big lead. That should be gold!
08:32
Houses on nine
With only two penalties, Lisa Theresa Hauser is on the right track, but things aren’t quite as fast on the cross-country ski run today. They are almost a minute behind.
08:30
Innerhofer on six
Katharina Innerhofer is still strong in sixth place. At the front, Frenchwoman Braisaz-Bouchet is making good speed, she has already gained a lead of 15 seconds. The Germans are not among the top ten.
08:28
field closer together again
The third shooting messed things up. The first four run within twenty seconds: Braisaz-Bouchet, Røiseland, Davidova, Eckhoff and Elvira Öberg.
08:26
Third shooting
The wind makes the standing position difficult, both take a long time and put down the weapon. Marte Olsbu Røiseland has to go back twice, as does Eckhoff. Simon even has three penalties. The others are also struggling: Hinz has to gyrate twice. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Elvira Öberg get away clean!
08:22
Røiseland and Eckhoff dominate
The experienced Norwegians continue to dominate the race and come shooting together with a big lead.
08:20
Julia Simon traveling alone
The Frenchwoman Julia Simon lost eleven seconds to the two Norwegians, she has to run alone in third place. The gap is over half a minute. Great performance by Katharina Innerhofer, who is currently fourth. Strong!
08:18
Hint to five
Vanessa Hinz has worked her way up through another good shooting session and is in fifth place. However, the gap to the front is already over 40 seconds. Franziska Preuß can be found in midfield after another penalty loop.
08:17
Second shooting
Who can opt out? Öberg and Häcki have to circle three times. The Norwegians are shooting clean and already have a big lead. Hinz remains flawless, Voigt now has to complete the extra lap twice. Denise Herrmann is also spinning.
08:14
The top group
The top group consists of six athletes. Among them are Norway twice, Sweden twice, Lena Häcki (SUI) and Julia Simon (FRA).
08:12
Innerhofer and Herrmann on 15 and 16
Katharina Innerhofer and Denise Herrmann run in the middle of the field. Vanessa Hinz is not doing so well on the trail, she has already lost 15 seconds to the leader around Eckhoff. Herrmann also lost nine seconds. So the pace of the Norwegians is very high.
08:10
The first eleven are flawless
The first eleven stayed without a penalty loop, including Lisa Theresa Hauser and Lena Häcki.
08:09
First shooting
The wind is picking up. Hanna Öberg shoots fast and shoots clean – as does Vanessa Hinz and Marte Olsbu Røiseland. Eckhoff can also avoid the penalty loop, which Herrmann and Voigt both have to do once.
08:06
Røiseland takes the lead
On the penultimate descent before the shooting range, Norway’s Røiseland takes the lead. Yuliia Dzhima falls and loses a few seconds. But the field is still together.
08:03
Quiet start
Denise Herrmann leads the field and chooses a relaxed pace. The past competitions were exhausting for everyone and are still in the bones.
08:00
It starts!
The 30 athletes start the first round together. The mass start, which has only been Olympic since 2006, is the final race for women at the Olympics.
07:59
The conditions
The wind is treacherous today too. With temperatures around -13 degrees, it is freezing cold. Who can best defy these temperatures?
07:53
Hacki too
The Swiss Lena Häcki is also represented in the field. In the battle for the medals, she probably won’t be able to have a say, because others are a lot stronger on the cross-country ski run.
07:50
Innerhofer and Hauser there
Two Austrians have secured a coveted starting place for the mass start: Katharina Innerhofer and Lisa Theresa Hauser. On a good day, Hauser can fight for the medals, for Innerhofer a good placement is the goal. Both Austrians have to work cleanly at the shooting range.
07:44
What happens after the bronze achievement?
All four German athletes, who outstandingly won the bronze medal on Wednesday, are also involved in the mass start. Vanessa Voigt, Franziska Preuss, Vanessa Hinz and Olympic champion Denise Herrmann hope to be able to take this positive energy with them and flirt with another medal. A podium finish is definitely possible.
07:40
Eckhoff likes mass starts
Tiril Eckhoff won the bronze medal in the mass start in both Pyeongchang 2018 and Sochi 2014. However, her relay race was unforgettable – with two penalties she put the Norwegians behind. Let’s see what Eckhoff delivers today. Magdalena Neuner was able to win the last German Olympic victory in this discipline in 2010 in Vancouver.
07:35
Nothing bypasses Røiseland
The outstanding woman of the games is the Norwegian Marte Olsbu Røiseland. She has already made history and won a medal in every Olympic race. Of course, she is still one of the top favorites today. Next to her, Elvira Öberg is in great shape. The French and the athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee around Kristina Reztsova also have medal chances.
07:30
Welcome!
Welcome to Zhangjiakou! The women’s mass start over 12.5 kilometers will take place here at 8 a.m. German time. The race was scheduled from Saturday to Friday as extreme cold is forecast for tomorrow.