Biathlon | Martell-Val Martello: Germany’s Johanna Puff individual European champion, Amandine Mengin fourth

Biathlon: no medal for Les Bleues in the individual event

This Wednesday morning, under the sun of Martell-Val Martello (Italy), the 2025 European Biathlon Championships opened with the individual women’s race. In a race of a very high standard, with many girls used to the World Cup at the start, it was Germany who dominated the proceedings.

Johanna Puff and Marlene Fichtner may not have been the fastest on the cross-country track, but they did score 20/20. A perfect score that allowed them to play up front and complete a superb double.

It was the first of them who took the continental title, 9.5 seconds ahead of her compatriot. She thus succeeds Maren Kirkeeide and becomes the fifth German woman to win the continental individual title. All under the eyes of her boyfriend Lukas Hofer.

In bronze was Sweden’s Anna-Karin Heijdenberg (17/20). More than impressive on skis, she missed out on the gold medal by 18 seconds 0. In fourth place was Amandine Mengin (18/20) from Bresse. For her first European championships among the big girls, the Vosges native put in a solid race and came within a bullet’s throw of immense happiness.

Flowers for Voldiya Galmace-Paulin

Norway’s Juni Arnekleiv (19/20), after a very difficult final lap, was fifth at 48 sec 7, while Montblanc’s Voldiya Galmace-Paulin (17/20) completed the flower ceremony in sixth place, 1 min 23 sec 8 off the lead.

Johanna Skottheim (18/20), Linda Zingerle (18/20), Stefanie Scherer (18/20) and Doubiste’s Léonie Jeannier (18/20) follow in today’s top 10. Sophie Chauveau (16/20) was fourteenth and Camille Bened (17/20), who is still leading the IBU Cup overall, was sixteenth. It was a difficult day, however, for Chablais-based Gilonne Guigonnat (14/20), in fifty-first place.

Highlights

Full results

IBU Cup general ranking

• 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 European Championships: Stéphane Bouthiaux, director of the French national teams, presents the objectives for Les Bleus

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