Sverre Dahlen Aspenes of Norway and Paula Botet of France are the winners of the first Sprint - and the first competition of the season - at the IBU Cup in Idre Fjall, Sweden. Aspenes started the new season as he finished the last one - winning with the fastest skiing time. After a winter of troubles, Botet used the summer to her advantage to get in winning shape for her second top finish in the IBU Cup.

Aspen uses superior ski speed for a win

The Men's 10km Sprint saw Norway’s Aspenes secure a win with just one penalty and a time of 23:20.7. Fellow Norwegian Martin Uldal followed closely, finishing 12.5 seconds behind despite also incurring one penalty. France’s Antonin Guigonnat showcased precision shooting, hitting all targets, but finished third, 14 seconds behind Aspenes.

THE WINNER’S WORDS - SVERRE DAHLEN ASPENES

Aspenes' strong skiing set him apart, while Uldal capitalised on consistent speed and shooting to claim the second spot. Guigonnat’s clean shooting kept him competitive, highlighting the importance of accuracy in this tightly contested race. Emilien Claude of France, Simon Kaiser of Germany and Isak Frey of Norway rounded out the flowers podium.

After a season of trouble, Botet rebounds with a win

In the Women’s 7.5km Sprint, Botet of France claimed victory, her second in the IBU Cup, with flawless shooting and a time of 20:07.3. Fellow French athlete Chloé Chevalier also hit all her targets, finishing second, 12.9 seconds behind Botet. Germany’s Anna Weidel secured third place despite one penalty, finishing 42.4 seconds off the lead.

THE WINNER’S WORDS - PAULA BOTET

Botet's perfect shooting and strong skiing set her apart, while Chevalier demonstrated consistency to lock in the runner-up spot. Weidel’s solid performance kept her in contention despite the single miss. Johanna Skottheim of Sweden, Karoline Erdal, and Marit Ishol Skogan, both from Norway, completed the flowers podium.

Photo: Per Danielsson: IBU Pool