Biathlon: first European medal for Amandine Mengin, Sophie Chauveau fourth
Amandine Mengin’s season is going from strength to strength. This Friday morning, in the sprint at the European Biathlon Championships in Martell-Val Martello (Italy), the Bresse native put in another magnificent performance.
With a time of 9/10 and a cross-country skiing time less than 30 seconds off the first time, the Vosges native won the silver medal. In a winter in which she discovered the Junior Cup in December and then theIBU Cup in January, Amandine Mengin is progressing at top speed and burning up the stages. Winner of the B circuit at the start of the month, she confirmed her success at these European championships in Italy.
Two days after finishing fourth in the opening individual, she climbed two places to become European sprint vice-champion. This is her first international medal in the tall category, but her second after bronze in the individual event at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival in Vuokatti (Finland).
Up front, Anna Karin-Heijdenberg was untouchable
It was in the final hectometres that the Frenchwoman took second place… just a tenth of a second behind the tanned Latvian Baiba Bendika (8/10) and 1.6 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Norwegian Marthe Kraakstad Johansen (10/10). “I know I’ve got something in reserve for the last lap, but I gave it my all, I was at my best,” she said afterwards in the mixed zone on La Chaîne L’Equipe.
In front, Sweden’s Anna-Karin Heijdenberg (10/10) was unbeatable. Perfect at shooting and supersonic on the track, the native of Östersund (Sweden) became European sprint champion with a margin of 49 sec 3 over Amandine Mengin. She thus succeeds Ida Lien (5/10), thirty-third on the day, and becomes the third Swede to be crowned in the speciality after Mona Brorsson (2019) and Elisabeth Hoegberg (2020).
As for the other Frenchwomen, Sophie Chauveau (8/10), with two errors on the standing, was fifth at 54 sec 9 just ahead of Norway’s Siri Skar (9/10), the last member of the top 6. Gilonne Guigonnat (9/10) is ninth, Camille Bened (8/10), still in the lead overall, tenth, Voldiya Galmace-Paulin (6/10) thirty-first and Léonie Jeannier (9/10) thirty-third.
Full results
The overall IBU Cup standings
- 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
