The year 2025 started for young biathlon athletes with the IBU Junior Cup in Jakuszyce (Poland). The athletes were able to perform at their best in perfect conditions. In a total of six races, there were four winners who stood on the top step of the podium for the first time in the Junior Cup.

The week started with the sprint races. Ilona Plechacova from the Czech Republic was the best of the field in the women's sprint with two clear rounds. She finished 18 seconds ahead of Alma Siegismund and Lea Zimmermann from Germany, who both had one penalty each. Francesca Brocchiero from Italy missed out on the podium by less than a second in fourth place.

In the men's sprint, Germany's Linus Kesper confirmed his good shape from the start of the season. He had already topped the podium in the individual race in Ridnaun in December and now secured his second victory of the season. Matija Legovic from Croatia finished eleven seconds behind Kesper but had to shoot two penalty laps beforehand. Kesper remained penalty-free at the shooting range. David Elias from the Czech Republic came third. Although he was leading after the second shooting, he fell on the last lap and lost 18 seconds to the winner. The Polish home team was delighted with Grzegorz Galica's good result in fourth place.

Lea Zimmermann and Sondre Slettemark celebrate in the mass start 60

The victories in the mass start 60 for Lea Zimmermann from Germany and Sondre Slettemark from Greenland came as something of a surprise. Lea Zimmermann did not compete in international competitions last season but fought her way back this year. She only missed one target and overtook Francesca Brocchiero and her team-mate Alma Siegismund on the final round. The two shot all 20 targets.

Sondre Slettemark was particularly convincing on the track in his race. With the fastest time of the field, he was able to make up for his two shooting errors and beat Linus Kesper on the last lap. Linus Kesper once again demonstrated his good shooting performance in this race, as he only had to go into the penalty loop once. Fabian Kaskel from Germany finished third, 24 seconds behind.

Crowning finale with two more sprint races

In Sunday's sprint, Italy's Fabiana Carpella finally achieved what she had been trying to do all week: a clean standing shooting. Without a penalty, she finished 22 seconds faster than Ela Sever from Slovenia. Lotta de Buhr from Germany had the fastest time of the race but had to settle for third place due to two shooting errors. However, like the other two athletes on the podium, she celebrates her career best in the IBU Junior Cup with this result.

Sondre Slettemark was also unbeatable in the second sprint in Jakuszyce. With one penalty, he finished 18 seconds faster than second-placed Lukas Tannheimer from Germany. Tannheimer also missed a target and shuffled the field from behind with bib number 100. His team-mate Leonhard Pfund missed two targets and finished 40 seconds behind the winning time.

For the juniors, the IBU Junior Open European Championships continue on 22 January in Altenberg (Germany).

Photos: IBU I Koksarov