Janina Hettich-Walz of Germany and Endre Stroemsheim of Norway are the winners in the Individual competitions in Idre Fjall.

For Stroemsheim it was a second win and third podium in as many competitions, for Hettich-Walz a first win in her second podium in Sweden.

Laser-focused Hettich-Walz

Hettich-Walz of Germany, missing just once in the last prone stage for an excellent -  19/20 - day on the shooting range, won in Women 15km Individual in Idre Fjall with 43:49.2. Maren Kirkeeide of Norway came second, with one miss, 5 seconds behind Hettich-Walz. Mona Brorsson of Sweden, shooting 20/20, completed the podium, 8.6 seconds behind the winner from Germany.

Hettich-Walz took the lead only after the last shooting as she used her fasters shooting to prevail over Kirkeeide and her greater skiing speed to get the better of Brorsson. The win in today’s Individual in Idre Fjall is second in the IBU Cup for Hettich-Walz.

“I am very pleased with today’s performance. I kept my focus throughout the competition and approached the curves - they were tricky today - with great care. I asked my coaches to give me information just on the last lap, and it worked,” said Hettich-Walz.

For still only 19 years old Kirkeeide, the winner of the Youth Women Sprint at the last winter’s IBU YJ World Championships in Soldier Hollow, Idre Fjall is a premiere in the IBU Cup. Third place is a welcome boost of confidence for Brorsson, a member of the gold medal-winning Women's Relay at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Maraike Braun of Germany was fourth (26.8 seconds back), her colleague Marion Weisensarter finished fifth (27.3 seconds back) and Gilonne Guigonnat of France sixth (29.3 seconds back).

Stroemsheim continues his Idre Fjall dominance

Stroemsheim missed the first shot in the first prone and then executed his race to perfection, clearing all targets in the last three shootings to take Men 20km Individual in 50:24.2. He expanded his podium count in Idre Fjall to three.

“I felt early on that my skiing shape is not as goods as two days ago. I focused more on the shooting accuracy. It was a hard fight with Aleksander,” said Stroemsheim.

Stroemsheim’s faster time on the range turned out decisive in a close-contested battle with his fraction-faster teammate Aleksander Fjeld Andersen, who - also shooting 19/20 - finished just 7 seconds behind. Lucas Fratzscher of Germany finished third, 17.4 behind the winner from Norway. Fratzscher was spotless on the shooting range and concluded the day as the only man with a clean sheet.

Philipp Horn of German finished fourth, 54.6 seconds behind. Mats Oeverby of Noway was fifth, 55.4 behind Stroemsheim, and still only 18 years old Arttu Heikkinen of Finland was sixth, 1:37.1 behind the winner.

Photo: Per Danielsson; IBU Photopool