Biathlon: Anna Magnusson surprised by her performance
4 races, 4 top 10 finishes, 3 podiums for Anna Magnusson. The Swede is off to a flying start to the season. Solid against the targets (57/60), she is also at her best on the track.
During the World Cup sprint in Hochfilzen ( Austria) on Friday 12 December, she set the eighth fastest time in skiing. Combined with her faultless performance on the shooting range, this put her back on the podium (3rd).
More podium finishes in four races than in his entire career
The petite rider (1.53 m; 50 kg) is not used to racing at these altitudes. In fact, she had only managed two individual podium finishes before the start of the season, in the sprints at Le Grand-Bornand in December 2022 (1st) and Oslo in March 2023 (3rd).
On cloud nine, Anna Magnusson herself struggles to explain her very positive performances, particularly in shooting, where she went from an 84% to a 97% success rate at standing up. “I feel in control at all times. Even when I’m tired, my thoughts are clear,” she tells SVT.
With this new performance, the Swede takes the overall lead with a 39-point advantage over Lou Jeanmonnot. She will wear the yellow bib in the pursuit on Sunday 14 December (14:45). “It really is a dream come true. I really wasn’t expecting it, it’s going to be great! I can’t wait,” she told SVT. In the meantime, she will be the second relay runner in the women’s relay on Saturday 13th (2.15pm).
- The full programme for the Hochfilzen World Cup, the second stage of the 2025/2026 season
- Caroline Colombo: my best memory of… Hochfilzen
- Julia Simon makes her comeback, Oscar Lombardot replaces Antonin Guigonnat: the French team selection for the Hochfilzen World Cup revealed
- Corinne Niogret, 1992 Olympic relay champion, on the return of Julia Simon after her suspension: “She was punished, she’s back and I wish her a good season”.
- “She had a strong desire to return to competition as soon as possible”: Stéphane Bouthiaux on Julia Simon’s return to the French team for Hochfilzen
- Hochfilzen: Eric Perrot second in the sprint dominated by Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel
- Hochfilzen: after the sprint, Johan-Olav Botn keeps his yellow bib as overall leader
- “I had no fear”: Tommaso Giacomel’s risky but successful gamble on the standing sprint shot in Hochfilzen
- “I’m happy to already be in the match”: after the “rage” of Östersund, how Eric Perrot picked up the gauntlet to take second place in the Hochfilzen sprint.
- The joy of Philipp Horn, who scored his first World Cup podium in Hochfilzen: “I’ve finally managed to have a perfect race”.
- Hochfilzen: Lou Jeanmonnot triumphs in the sprint, Camille Bened in the flowers, Julia Simon returns with a top 20 finish
- Hochfilzen: Sweden’s Anna Magnusson snatches the overall leader’s yellow number from Suvi Minkkinen, with Lou Jeanmonnot in second place
