A Norwegian trio claimed victory at the Biathlon World Cup in Ruhpolding. But Justus Strelow also delivered a strong race.
Johannes Dale-Skjevdal won the World Cup triumph on Sunday (January 14, 2024) as the strongest runner, ahead of sprint winner Vetle Sjaastad Christansen (+ 1.70 seconds) and World Cup leader Johannes Thingnes Bö (+ 2.40 seconds). Justus Strelow (+ 14.7 seconds) was the best German in fifth place with just one shooting error.
Unlike Strelow, the other German starters shot weaker and had nothing to do with the decision. Philipp Horn (3 errors/+ 59.70 seconds) came 15th, Philipp Nawroth (4/+ 1:00.90 minutes) landed right behind. Johannes Kühn made five mistakes and came 25th. Benedikt Doll (5th/28th place) and Roman Rees (6th/54th place) also achieved better results at the shooting range.
Until the last shooting, Christiansen looked like the winner. Three confident shots and a stable running performance secured him a 20-second lead over his pursuers. But at the last standing attack the Norwegian bought two tickets and so the leading group came together again in one fell swoop.
Even Strelow jumped in again with five goals and went into the final kilometers with the three Norwegians Dale-Skjevdal, Thingnes Bö – who also made no mistakes – and Christiansen as well as the Frenchman Emilien Jacquelin.
However, Strelow had to give up as the weakest runner in the group. Dale-Skjevdal, on the other hand, pulled ahead before the final climb, left everyone else in the group behind and secured his first win of the season.