Zhangjiakou (dpa) – Leonie Walter is a surprising Paralympic champion in biathlon. The 18-year-old prevailed in the class for the visually impaired over ten kilometers on the Zhangjiakou cross-country ski trail and, with guide Pirmin Strecker, won the second gold medal for the German team in China.
The student cleaned all four stages and finished 3.7 seconds ahead of Ukraine’s Oksana Shishkova, who had previously won gold twice. Johanna Recktenwald was fourth. Walter had previously won the bronze medal over the six kilometers in biathlon and over the 15 kilometers in cross-country skiing.
“You’re much happier about gold,” said the woman from the Black Forest, overjoyed: “When I crossed the finish line, I didn’t know if it was enough. I looked up the whole time and asked myself: where is the time ? Then everyone jumped up and I knew I got it.”