Biathlon: Franziska Preuss and Lou Jeanmonnot neck and neck to the finish
The wait in the finish area of the biathlon world cup sprint in Oslo-Holmenkollen (Norway) this Friday afternoon must have been unbearable for Franziska Preuss. Starting with a smaller number than France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, the German had to wait a few minutes for the Frenchwoman’s result.

With a perfect 10/10 in the shot put in her bag, the world number one knew she had struck a blow for this first of the three individual races scheduled for this closing weekend. However, as the kilometres ticked by, she saw the Doubois rider claw back second after second right up to the line.
It was an intense effort, but it wasn’t enough for the Olympic Mont d’Or biathlete, who finished just two tenths behind her rival from across the Rhine. A real relief for the current yellow bib, who took advantage of the opportunity to claw back a further 15 points from her runner-up.

“I was very relieved when Lou finished his race. I approached my race like I did at the world championships. I also needed a bit of luck and I’m pleased that it worked,” she told Sportschau. At the start, I thought I had to make the most of this race because it could be my last race in yellow. But I quickly realised that it was possible to do something today.

This Saturday, in the final pursuit of the season, Franziska Preuss and Lou Jeanmonnot will set off at the same time in what promises to be another breathtaking battle. It’s a suspenseful duel that the Frenchwoman hopes to keep going right to the end: “I’d love it if we could have a mass-start of equals on Sunday. It would be great and I’d have nothing to regret if it didn’t end the way we all want it to [Laughs]”, she told La Chaîne L’Équipe after the race.
Read also
- Oslo-Holmenkollen: by winning the sprint just ahead of Lou Jeanmonnot, Franziska Preuss takes a 35-point lead overall
- Oslo-Holmenkollen: Franziska Preuss wins the sprint 2 tenths of a second ahead of Lou Jeanmonnot, Julia Simon fifth
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