Biathlon | Kontiolahti: the technical problem that prevented Simon Eder’s Austria from securing a podium finish in the mixed singles relay

Biathlon: snow in Simon Eder’s dioptre before the final shot

Austria put in a magnificent performance in the mixed singles relay at the Biathlon World Cup in Kontiolahti (Finland). With Simon Eder and Lisa Theresa Hauser, as in March 2018 at the last competition of this type held in North Karelia, it finished in fourth place.

“We’re off to a really good start to the new season, said a delighted Lisa Theresa Hauser in a statement from the Austrian Ski Association. We’ve both done an excellent job on the shooting range”. It has to be said that in eight passes over the mats and forty balls released, the Austrians missed just one target!

“The only downside today was that unfortunately we didn’t make the podium, lamented Simon Eder, 41. I think it was one of our best mixed single relays, especially the shooting.” He went on to say that a technical problem prevented him from reaching the podium.

“I got a bit of snow in the dioptre [of my rifle] before the last shot and I had to blow on it a bit. This meant that the best shooters were able to leave the shooting range before me he says. If it hadn’t been for that, we might have all gone out together for the last round. It would probably have been very difficult, but I was still feeling very good at the end.” In the end, the Austrian finished the race just outside the top 3.

• Kontiolahti: Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Julia Simon second in the mixed singles relay behind Sweden and ahead of Germany
• How Julia Simon experienced her first World Cup race of the winter: “It was a bit like releasing the wildcats, it was electric”.
• The full programme for the Kontiolahti World Cup, the first stage of the 2024/2025 season
• Corinne Niogret: my best memory of… Kontiolahti
• The French mixed relays lining up for Saturday’s World Cup opener in Kontiolahti
• Kontiolahti: an opening day without Johannes Thingnes Boe, Hanna Oeberg, Endre Stroemsheim, Anna Gandler, Sturla Holm Lægreid, Johannes Kuehn or Tarjei Boe
• Kontiolahti: the reasons why the French men’s team is starting the World Cup with just four biathletes
• Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet and Antonin Guigonnat victorious, Italy triumphant, Martin Fourcade rested: what happened the last time mixed World Cup races were held in 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

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