Germany’s Franziska Preuss, after losing the Yellow Bib yesterday rebounded with a stunning win in this afternoon’s Oslo Holmenkollen Women’s 12.5 km Mass Start in 38:23.8, regaining the top spot and clinching the big World Cup Total Score Crystal Globe. Preuss and France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, with a penalty each battled neck and neck until the final corner when Jeanmonnot fell and Preuss skied away to the win, taking the title, 1278 points to Jeanmonnot’s 1258. Preuss also secured the World Cup Mass Start Score title.

After Jeanmonnot’s fall, Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg, with three penalties moved into second place, 3.3 seconds back. Jeanmonnot finished completely disheartened in third, 11.7 seconds back.

“Not the ending we wanted”

Preuss, with her first-ever Total Score title was quite stunned, emotional and fighting for words after the strange finish. “Right now, it is really emotional. I am really done mentally. It is a strange feeling right now. It was not the ending we wanted. But it was a really exciting race. We were both together in the last loop; it was crazy. It is hard to explain.”

“I did so much for this”

As for the importance of the big Crystal Globe to the teary-eyed 31-year-old veteran, “It means a lot to me. I did so much for this and be separated from all my family, especially during the winter…really hard. I think I need some more minutes to realize it.”

“Big dream came true”

Later, Preuss elaborated on her Crystal Globe win. “It feels a little bit unreal. It was really an emotional time after the finish…It is hard to celebrate, because it is not the way I wanted to win, that she crashed even if it was not my fault or not. I wanted to have the fight on the last meters before the finish. But a big dream came true!”

Blue Bib Title to Michelon

Jeanmonnot’s young teammates Oceane Michelon and Paula Botet, with three and two penalties, finished fourth and fifth in a close battle, 19 and 19.7 seconds back. Michelon’s fourth place gave her the Blue Bib (under 23) title over teammate Jeanne Richard who finished 15th. Slovakia’s Paulina Batovska Fialkova finished sixth for the second consecutive day, with three penalties, 24.3 seconds back

Early Lead Changes

Holmenkollen was again at its best for the final women’s competition with sunny short-sleeve weather. Julia Simon cleaned the first prone rapidly,9 seconds up on Karoline Offigstad Knotten and Pruess. Jeanmonnot missed her last shot, falling 35 seconds back. Hanna Oeberg, after a first prone penalty cleaned the second prone, 3 seconds up on Preuss, with Jeanmonnot shooting to fourth, 11 seconds back.

The first standing stage jumbled the standings again; Jeanmonnot cleaned her second, going 4 and 9 seconds up on Hanna and Preuss as they left the penalty loop. In the final standing stage, Jeanmonnot cleaned a second faster than Preuss, with Elvira moving into third 16 seconds back.

Jeanmonnot/Preuss Duel until “the fall”

The race for Crystal Globe supremacy was on. Jeanmonnot and Preuss dueled and were 1-2 until Jeanmonnot unexpectedly fell on the last turn into the stadium and Preuss skied to victory and the big Crystal Globe.

Photos: IBU/Nordnes, Manzoni, Nordic Focus