Norway claim dramatic biathlon World Cup relay victory as Benedikt Doll win's men's mass start
BySportsbeat
Updated 22/01/2022 at 16:48 GMT
Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold powered the Norwegian team to victory after the lead changed hands several times in the women's relay. In the men's mass start, Doll's fine shooting performance helped him beat Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway.
The teams of Russia, Norway and France pose on the podium after the IBU Biathlon World Cup Women 4X6km Relay Competition in Antholz-Anterselva, Italian Alps, on January 22, 2022.
Image credit: Getty Images
Chaos ensued in the women's 4x6km biathlon relay before Norway emerged the victors in Antholz.
The lead changed hands several times in a dramatic relay with Russia and France completing the podium.
In the men's mass start, Benedikt Doll's fine shooting performance earned him victory in the final stages in Italy.
Sweden and Belarus battled it out for the lead in the opening stages of the women's relay before both fell out of the top 10 after incurring penalties on the shooting.
The Czech Republic also fell away from the podium places as Lucie Charvatova lost time on the penultimate lap, coming off the course as she rounded a corner.
In the end, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold powered the Norwegian team to victory and shares the top step of the podium with Karoline Offigstad, Tiril Eckhoff and Ida Lien.
Russia held on to second place, finishing 24.6 seconds back to move up to second in the World Cup relay standings with France beating out Italy in a photo finish to strengthen their credentials as potential Olympic medallists as they remain top of the rankings.
Germany's Doll powered to victory in the men's 15km mass start over Johannes Thingnes Boe.
The 31-year-old claimed the third World Cup win of his career after registering only one penalty to come home in a time of 37:14.9.
Boe finished 31.3 seconds behind him to earn silver after carrying three penalties, but it was enough to ensure two Norwegians on the podium as compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid claimed bronze, as he finished just under a minute behind Boe.
"I am really proud of my standing shooting and my last lap; that I could stay in front of Johannes Thingnes Boe," Doll said after his first mass start win.
"Everybody knows he is a really fast skier. I was a little bit nervous when I left the shooting range -- I knew I had to push really hard in the first half of the lap and see if he would come closer or if he would lose maybe some seconds.
"The first half of the lap was really hard and then when I went to this long uphill to the Huberalm I saw he was not in reach, so I had some seconds to enjoy this moment."
Doll is now 11th in the overall World Cup standings with Boe two places ahead of Laegreid in fifth, as France's Quentin Fillon Maillet remains top with 636 points after an eighth-placed finish.
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