Biathlon: a hat-trick for Les Bleues in the IBU Cup sprint in Otepää
A final festival. Early on Friday afternoon,the French biathletes dominated the sprint at the IBU Cup in Otepää (Estonia), the final individual event of the 2024/2025 season. In a race that reflected their season, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin (9/10) was the winner.
Despite a mistake on the Estonian shooting range, the Montblanc native from Villard-sur-Boëge (Haute-Savoie) won by 4 sec 0 over Camille Bened (9/10). The latter did double duty by winning the IBU Cup crystal globe, becoming the third Frenchwoman to achieve this feat after Lou Jeanmonnot (2022) and Océane Michelon (2024).
Bresse’s Paula Botet (8/10), the fastest skier of the day, completed the podium and the hat-trick for Les Bleues. At 22.9 seconds, she finished third and won the small globe for the speciality.
Juni Arnekleiv (9/10) was fourth at 23 seconds 8 seconds, the Haut-Savoyard Gilonne Guigonnat (9/10) fifth at 25 seconds 3 seconds and Gro Randby (9/10) sixth at 25 seconds 9 seconds.
Behind the flower ceremony, Rebecca Passler (9/10), Lisa Maria Spark (10/10), Karoline Erdal (9/10) and Anna Weidel (10/10) completed the day’s top 10. Twenty-second place for Célia Henaff (8/10) and twenty-third for Fany Bertrand (8/10), the other two French competitors.
Full results
The final overall ranking of the IBU Cup sprint
The IBU Cup final general ranking
- The full programme for the second IBU Cup in Otepää, the ninth and final stage of the 2024/2025 B circuit season
- “We’ll have a full quota”: Cyril Burdet confirms that France will be sending nine girls to the World Cup finals in Oslo-Holmenkollen
- Camille Bened, overall leader of the IBU Cup with two small globes already in her pocket, ahead of the final straight of the season: “We’re going to have to race hard”.
- “I just want to enjoy myself”: how Voldiya Galmace-Paulin, second overall, is approaching the final stretch of the IBU Cup season.
- Otepää: Sivert Guttorm Bakken wins the IBU Cup individual short, Gaëtan Paturel excellent fifth
- Otepää: Susan Kuelm wins the IBU Cup individual short, Camille Bened, third, takes a big step towards the big globe
- IBU Cup: at just 19, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin wins the small globe in the individual event
- “I’m really proud”: Voldiya Galmace-Paulin’s joy at winning her first career IBU Cup Petit Globe
- IBU Cup Otepää: Johan-Olav Botn wins the sprint, Damien Levet and Théo Guiraud-Poillot in the top 10
