Erdal and Horn win Idre Fjall's second sprint

IBU Cup

09 Dec 2023

Erdal and Horn win Idre Fjall's second sprint

Snowy and windy conditions at the IBU Cup in Idre Fjall saw Karoline Erdal of Norway and Philipp Horn of Germany win in the second Sprint.

For Erdal and Horn, it was the first IBU Cup win of the winter.

Erdal wins despite two misses

Erdal missed one shot in the prone and standing stage but relied on her ski speed to win in 23:14.8. Clean-shooting Julian Fruehwirt of Germany finished second, just 1.7 seconds behind Erdal. Anna-Karin Heijdenberg, representing host nation Sweden, missed two shots in the standing and finished third, 13.2 seconds behind Erdal.

The Winner's words - Karoline Erdal

I used the experience and information from the Sprint yesterday to focus on a full-on attack today. The conditions were hard, with wind swirling the snow around. I gave it all in the tracks and skied out two misses. It is a big win for me.

Watch Idre Fjall Women's Sprint 2 Highlights here

Ella Halvarsson of Sweden, with 9/10, repeated her fourth-place finish from yesterday; she was 18.7 seconds slower than the victor from Norway. Michaela Carrara of Italy, with two misses, scored her season-first Flower ceremony in fifth place, 28.2 seconds behind Erdal. Julia Tannheimer of Germany, still only 18 years old, missed three shots and, skiing second-fastest time, finished sixth, 40.3 seconds behind Erdal.

Richard remained atop the Total Score standings, two points ahead of Erdal.

Horn breaks Norwegian winning streak

Horn won in the second Sprint in Idre Fjall ahead of Johan Olav Botn of Norway. Oscar Lombardot of France completed the podium in third place.

Horn had a season-first 10/10 performance on the shooting range and was second-fastest on the skis. It is his career-fourth win in the IBU Cup. Botn, the winner of the first three competitions of the season, had a shaky day on the shooting range and missed once in the prone and twice in the standing, finishing second, 17.2 seconds behind Horn. Botn was phenomenal in the tracks, beating the second-fastest Horn by 43.2 seconds! Lombardot shot 10/10 and collected his third podium in the IBU Cup.

The Winner's words - Philipp Horn

The conditions were difficult today. I focused on my shooting because the wind played a more significant role than yesterday. This win means a lot to me. I opened the season well and feel ready for the upcoming challenges.

Watch Idre Fjall Men's Sprint 2 Highlights here

Vettle Paulsen from Norway, shooting 8/10, finished in fourth place, 44.4 seconds behind Horn. Clean-shooting Damien Levet of France achieved his first-ever Flower ceremony finish with fifth place, 56.4 seconds behind the German winner. Ludek Abraham from Czechia had a personal breakthrough, shooting 10/10 and finishing sixth, 1:07.7 minutes behind Horn.

Botn kept a commanding lead in the Total Score standings.