In the sprint in Soldier Hollow, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet wins ahead of the overall World Cup leader Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold. The German biathletes have nothing to do with the decision.
Before the sprint race in Soldier Hollow, only 150 points separated first and fifth place in the overall World Cup, so the fight for the big ball promises a lot of excitement in the last five races of the season. Currently in the yellow jersey: Norwegian Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold.
The 27-year-old showed again today why she is leading the overall standings: She remained clean at the shooting range twice and came home second.
France at the top
Only Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, currently fourth in the overall World Cup, was better: the Frenchwoman made one mistake, but then literally flew over the trail and even won in the end ahead of Tandrevold. So she gains a few points in the fight for the overall ranking.
And the Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot (6th in the overall World Cup) also had a strong race, she made no mistakes and completed the podium in third place. Lisa Vitozzi ended up just off the podium in fourth place, but second overall also underlined her ambitions in the fight for the ball with this strong performance, especially at the shooting range.
German starters run behind
The first German in the race, Sophia Schneider, was unable to attack the top ranks with four shooting errors and finished well behind in 48th place.
Vanessa Voigt, second best German in the overall World Cup behind Franziska Preuß, who is currently ill, remained clean in the first shooting. When the wind picked up, she took her time standing up and fired.
At the finish she was more than two minutes behind the leaders (36th) and was struggling: “It’s not that I’m physically exhausted, but mentally,” said the Thuringian: “The season is sapping my strength.”
Youngest and best German: Selina Grotian
The youngest starter in the entire field, Selina Grotian, made one mistake in the prone position, but she got through without a mistake in the standing position. She also performed well on the cross-country ski trail and finished 13th.
“My motivation was pretty low when I saw the track conditions,” said Grotian after the race: “But I can be quite satisfied.”
Janina Hettich-Walz was well behind Grotian with two shooting errors (20th). “I felt clumsy on the track,” explained the 27-year-old.
Successful debut
20-year-old Julia Kink was able to get a taste of World Cup air for the first time in Soldier Hollow. With a total of two errors at the shooting range, she finished in a solid 42nd place. This means she also qualified for the pursuit.
Johanna Puff narrowly missed out on finishing 65th in the sprint. The 21-year-old had to go around three times.