Biathlon: Endre Stroemsheim’s big performance
After France’s crushing victory on Sunday afternoon in the biathlon World Cup relay in Kontiolahti (Finland), it looked as though the French would also have an idyllic start to the season in North Karelia in the individual races.
Simon Fourcade and Jean-Pierre Amat’s men had the opportunity to do just that in the individual short race on Tuesday. In a race run in perfect conditions after a fine morning’s snowfall, it was a fair fight between the competitors. Against this backdrop, it was Norway’s sheer density that proved decisive, with the kingdom’s biathletes achieving a dazzling hat-trick of victories.
No doubt vexed by their collective defeat two days ago, they took their revenge. While Tarjei Boe (17/20), Vebjoern Soerum (15/20), Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (14/20) and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (18/20), who nevertheless finished eleventh, missed out, three men shone on the Finnish night: Endre Stroemsheim (20/20), Johannes Thingnes Boe (19/20) and Sturla Holm Lægreid (20/20). The first of these, with a perfect shot and a solid last lap on cross-country skis, secured a fine victory, his second on the World Cup circuit.
With this success, the 27-year-old Oslo native took the yellow bib of World Cup leader for the first time. On the podium, he was joined by the illustrious Johannes Thingnes Boe, who came within 3 seconds of his 86th career victory, and Sturla Holm Lægreid (20/20), who was once again on target in the individual races at the start of the season.
Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Eric Perrot with the flowers
For the French, this first individual event of the winter may not have been the success they had hoped for, but neither was it a repeat of Waterloo. With Quentin Fillon-Maillet (18/20) fifth, Eric Perrot (19/20) sixth and Fabien Claude (18/20) eighth, the collective performance was solid and much improved on the start of last winter. Above all, the skiing times were reassuring.
Behind them were Emilien Jacquelin (17/20) in fourteenth place, Antonin Guigonnat (18/20) in sixteenth and Emilien Claude (17/20) in thirty-first.
Last but not least, there was a magnificent performance from Ukraine’s Vitalii Mandzyn (20/20), who came a surprising fourth, as well as seventh place for Slovenia’s Jakov Fak (19/20) and ninth place for Belgium’s Thierry Langer (19/20).
Full results
- The full programme for the Kontiolahti World Cup, the first stage of the 2024/2025 season
- Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Kontiolahti
- Top 3 nations cup target for France: the hunt for Olympic quotas for Milan/Cortina 2026, the other key issue of the 2024/2025 season
- Kontiolahti: Julia Simon undergoes an MRI scan early this afternoon
- After the opening relays, what is the programme for the second week of the Kontiolahti World Cup?
- Kontiolahti: where does Emilien Jacquelin’s “Night Night” celebration at the relay finish line come from?
- Kontiolahti: Julia Simon undergoes an MRI scan early this afternoon
- Kontiolahti: still uncertain about Julia Simon’s state of health on the eve of the individual short race
- “I can’t wait to see how he performs”, “He’s progressed, he deserves it”: Emilien Claude’s return to the World Cup is a source of great joy to those close to him, Anna Gandler and Fabien Claude.
- “It’s time for me to come into my own and become the biathlete I was a few years ago”: Fabien Claude, the winter of affirmation at last?
