Biathlete Maren Kirkeeide won the sprint at the “Sesongstart” in Norway. Her teammate is already convinced: the 22-year-old will make it to the absolute top of the world.
Norwegian biathlete Juni Arnekleiv predicts a great career for her compatriot Maren Kirkeeide.
“I think she will be the best in the world,” she told “TV2” after the sprint in Geilo. Which leads her to this statement: “She is an absolutely sure shooter. She is still very young and her skills are difficult to surpass.” Arnekleiv made up his mind: “She will beat everyone.”
In the sprint to the traditional “Sesongstart” in Norway, which is considered an important indicator for the World Cup season that begins on November 29th in Östersund, Kirkeeide narrowly beat Marit Öygard and Lotte Lie. Their lead over the second place was just 0.2 seconds and over the third place it was 0.5 seconds. The winner even made two shooting errors, one in each round.
Kirkeeide: Still a “long way” to reach the top of the world
The fact that Kirkeeide still prevailed in the end was due to her fast final lap. Öygard, who won the individual race in the IBU Cup in Geilo last season, was still 8.8 seconds ahead of Kirkeeide after the standing stage, but she then turned up the heat. “Extremely strong,” summed up biathlon legend and “TV2” expert Ole Einar Björndalen.
When asked by “TV2” about her compatriot’s forecast, the sprint winner remained modest. Although it is “nice to hear,” there is “still a long way to go” to be at the top of the world.
Maren Kirkeeide had already hinted at her potential in the last World Cup season when she took tenth place in the overall ranking as the best ski hunter in her country. She achieved her best results in 2024/25 in Oberhof (2nd in the sprint and pursuit) and in Lenzerheide (3rd in the mass start), and she was also on the podium seven times with Norwegian relay teams.