Biathlon | “After the last shot, I really realised that I was fighting for a place in the flowers”: in the pursuit at Le Grand-Bornand, Venla Lehtonen broke new ground

Biathlon: after Suvi Minkkinen a few weeks ago, Venla Lehtonen made Finland shine

Surprisingly seventh in the pursuit at the Biathlon World Cup in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), Venla Lehtonen was up there with the big boys on Saturday in the Aravis mountains. Perfect in her shooting, with one of the few 20/20 results of the day, the Finn shattered her glass ceiling.

Thirty-third overall on the circuit, the 29-year-old biathlete played a leading role in a race dominated head and shoulders by Germany’s Franziska Preuss, world number one: “It was an incredible competition, and there haven’t been many like it so far in my career”, she congratulated her federation.

With the twenty-seventh-fastest ski time of the day, the native of Imatra (Finland) knew that she had to be on top of her game in the shooting if she hoped to be in the lead. “I concentrated on my own performance throughout the race, even though I was aware of my position as the race progressed, she explains. It was mainly in the shooting that I tried to ignore other thoughts.”

Venla Lehtonen, who came fifth in the final salvo, even thought for a moment that she had a place in the flower ceremony. “After the last shot, I really realised that I was fighting for a place in the flowers, she says. It’s funny to be a bit disappointed when the gap was so small at the end. There’s still room for improvement on the last lap and I’m sure I’ll be able to turn similar situations into victories.”

Read also

• Le Grand-Bornand: Julia Simon superb second in the pursuit behind an untouchable Franziska Preuss, Jeanne Richard just off the podium