Frey and Johansen win Sprints in Brezno-Osrblie
Isak Frey and Marte Krakstad Johansen, both of Norway, won the Sprints at the IBU Cup in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia. For Frey, it was fourth IBU Cup win of the season, for Johansen first.
Just like Bakken in the Short Individual, Frey wins Sprint with bib 13
As the fastest on the skis and on the shooting range, Frey, with 10/10, won in 23:15.5. Fabian Muellauer of Austria, also with 10/10, finished second, 45.2 behind, for his IBU Cup career-best result. Sivert Guttorm Bakken of Norway, missing two shots, crossed the finish line as third, 1:00,9 behind Frey.
THE WINNER’S WORDS - ISAK FREY
Today’s Sprint was perhaps my best performance ever. I skied fast and went all-in on the shooting range. Everything clicked. I joked with Sivert that 13 is the lucky number for Norway in Brezno.
Oscar Lombardot of France showed glimpses of improving shape, missing just one shot, finishing in fourth place, 1:01.7 behind the winner. Marco Barale of Italy used his flawless performance on the shooting range to his advantage and finished fifth, 1:14.7 behind. Another Norwegian, Joergen Saeter, missed one shot and rounded up the flower ceremony, 1:22.4 behind Frey.
In the absence of Johan Olav Botn, who got sick during the Christmas break and missed all five competitions in 2025, Frey took complete control of the Total Score battle. He has 895 points, 257 more than Bakken in the second place.
IBU Cup 5 - Brezno-Osrblie_Sprints
Johansen completes Norwegian triumph
In the women's Sprint, Johansen of Norway delivered a flawless performance, finishing first with a time of 19:53.4 and no penalties. Voldiya Galmace Paulin from France also displayed strong form, securing second place, just 7.6 seconds behind Johansen, with a clean shooting score. Despite two shooting penalties, the Short Individual winner Karoline Erdal of Norway finished third, 26.1 seconds off the lead.
THE WINNER’S WORDS - MARTE KRAKSTAD JOHANSEN
I put together an almost perfect race today for my first IBU Cup win of the season. I found an excellent balance between fast skiing and focused shooting. I feel ready for the Open European Championships in Martell-Val Martello.
Marit Oeygard, another Norwegian, came in fourth with a clean shooting record and a time gap of 32.3 seconds from the winner. Sweden's Anna Hedstrom placed fifth, hitting nine of ten targets and trailing by 36.2 seconds. Siri Skar of Norway completed the top six, with one penalty and a 52.0-second deficit.
Galmace Paulin edged closer to the Total Score leader Camille Bened who didn’t compete today. Bened has 589 points, Galmace Paulin 558.
Photo: I. Stančik: IBU Photo Pool
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