Biathlon: a top 10 World Cup finish for Sonja Leinamo
This season, 23-year-old Finn Sonja Leinamo achieved by far the best result of her career when she finished eighth in the Biathlon World Cup sprint in Oberhof (Germany). A 10/10 winner in Thuringia, she had even come within 20 seconds of the podium on the day when Paula Botet of Bresse won.
“The training season had gone so well that I could expect better results than the previous season, but there were also some surprises. For example, I didn’t think I had a chance of reaching the top 10 in the World Cup, she explained in the columns of Maastohiihto.com. I was surprised to see how much I was able to increase my cross-country speed even during the season.”
A shot to improve and the Olympic Games in sight
Despite everything, this performance was one of the few of a very high level achieved by Sonja Leinamo, sixty-first in the final overall ranking. It has to be said that the Finn, who will switch from cross-country skiing to biathlon in 2021, still has room for improvement on the shooting range. This winter, she shot 69% (72% prone, 65% standing).
“The aim is to get my shooting to a level where I can fight for good positions more often, and not just one day a year,” she admits with a smile.
Sonja Leinamo is now looking ahead to the next season, which will be marked by the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. “The Olympics are an event that probably everyone dreamt of as a child. It seems pretty crazy that it has now become a very concrete goal for me,” she enthuses.
- The Finnish national team led by Suvi Minkkinen and Tero Seppälä for the 2025/2026 training season
- A sensation at Kontiolahti where Kaisa Mäkäräinen won the Finnish sprint title ahead of Sonja Leinamo and Suvi Minkkinen.
