Biathlon: no podium for Les Bleues in the first race of the 2024/2025 Junior Cup
The 2024/2025 season of the Junior Cup, the third international level of world biathlon, opened this Thursday morning with the individual women’s race in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna (Italy).
One of the favourites for the race, Les Bleues failed to reach the podium. Vosgienne Amandine Mengin , wearing bib number 1, nevertheless had a fine race, finishing at 18/20 and in fourth place , 56 sec 0 behind the winner… and 5 sec 1 off the podium. Lou-Anne Dupont Ballet-Baz (18/20) was sixth and closed the flower ceremony behind Italy’s Astrid Plosch (19/20) in fifth place.
The day’s big winner was Germany’s Charlotte Gallbronner (20/20). With the perfect shot, the 21-year-old biathlete won by 25 sec 4 ahead of her compatriot Alina Nussbicker (19/20), the reigning world junior relay champion. Ukraine’s Iryna Shevchenko (20/20) was third.
Among the other French girls, Violette Bony (15/20) was seventeenth, Namou Candau-Armand (17/20) twenty-first, Lola Bugeaud (15/20) thirty-third, Eva Laine (14/20) thirty-fifth and Célia Henaff (11/20) sixtieth.
Despite generally disappointing scores on the shooting range, the times on the track were pleasing for the French women’s team: Violette Bony, Célia Henaff, Eva Laine and Amandine Mengin had the four best times, while Lola Bugeaud and Lou-Anne Dupont Ballet-Baz were in the mix.
Full results
The overall Junior Cup standings
- The full programme for this week’s inaugural stage of the Junior Cup at Ridnaun-Val Ridanna
- Junior Cup: the names of the fourteen Frenchmen selected for the Ridnaun-Val Ridanna and Goms stages
- Les Bleus travel to Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, venue for the launch of the 2024/2025 Junior Cup season
- Places reserved for U19s, seven quotas, deadlock, selection venues: how the French team will compete in the 2024/2025 Junior Cup
