Zhangjiakou (dpa) – 15-year-old Linn Kazmaier and Leonie Walter, three years older, each won their fourth medal at the Paralympics.
Kazmaier, the youngest German participant in Beijing and the second youngest overall, finished second in the visually impaired biathlon over 12.5 kilometers with guide Florian Baumann in 50:23.2 minutes without missing a shot. She was just 3.6 seconds behind winner Oksana Shishkova of Ukraine. For the student, it was her fourth medal in China at her Paralympics premiere.
She was disappointed after the narrow deficit only briefly. “At first you think: Oh man, three seconds. But I have nothing to blame myself for, it was such a good race, that’s why I’m happy,” said Kazmaier, who has now won silver three times and bronze once.
Walter, Paralympic champion over the 10 kilometers, also finished third with guide Pirmin Strecker without shooting errors in 52:27.6 minutes and won bronze for the third time. “In terms of running, I could have done better,” she said, “but I’m very happy to have taken the medal with me.” Johanna Recktenwald was fourth in 57:00.8 minutes.