Biathlon: Patrick Braunhofer made history
On Saturday afternoon in Martell-Val Martello (Italy), it was an Italian who triumphed. Sixteenth at the start of the pursuit at the 2025 European Championships, Patrick Braunhofer won the gold medal. His performance makes him the first Italian European champion in the history of biathlon.
“It was magnificent, perhaps I still don’t realise what I’ve done, he told Fondo Italia afterwards. I’ve finally found the shot I’m capable of, with 20/20. I’m also very happy with the skis, which were a bomb. Today [Saturday], I’ve put all the pieces of the jigsaw together.”
To clinch the continental title, Patrick Braunhofer had to deal with the pressure, as he went into the final shot alone in the lead… knowing that a 5/5 would give him victory ahead of the Norwegian armada. “I did what we’ve been trying to do all season, start gently and finish strong,” he says, admitting that he finished the race on his kneecaps.
- The full programme for the Martell-Val Martello European Championships, the sixth leg of the 2024/2025 IBU Cup
- IBU Cup: the French selection for the European Championships at Martell-Val Martello
- IBU Cup: the Italian selection for the European Championships at Martell-Val Martello
- IBU Cup: thirteen Austrians at the European Championships in Martell-Val Martello
- IBU Cup: Germany packs a punch at the European Championships in Martell-Val Martello
- IBU Cup: the impressive Norwegian squad for the European Championships at Martell-Val Martello
- Martell-Val Martello: Germany’s Johanna Puff individual European champion, Amandine Mengin fourth
- Martell-Val Martello: Isak Frey takes the individual continental title, Oscar Lombardot best Frenchman
- “I decided to stay cool before every shot”: Fredrik Muehlbacher, the surprise guest on the podium of the European Championships individual event
- Martell-Val Martello: Bresse’s Amandine Mengin finishes runner-up in the European sprint behind Sweden’s Anna-Karin Heijdenberg
- Amandine Mengin tells Nordic Magazine after her European silver medal in the sprint: “I still have the same problem, I don’t realise it!
- “It’s absolutely incredible”: the joy of Anna-Karin Heijdenberg, crowned European sprint champion at Martell-Val Martello
- “This track suits me perfectly”: bronze in the sprint at the European Championships, a bright spot in the season for Latvia’s Baiba Bendika
- Martell-Val Martello: Sivert Guttorm Bakken becomes European sprint champion ahead of Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, Théo Guiraud-Poillot in the top 10
- “This victory means a lot”: European sprint champion at Martell-Val Martello, Sivert Guttorm Bakken savours his return to the summit
- Martell-Val Martello: Latvia’s Baiba Bendika crowned European pursuit champion, no medal for the French
- Martell-Val Martello European Championships: Patrick Braunhofer takes surprise gold in the pursuit, Oscar Lombardot sixth
