France’s Julia Simon mastered the windy conditions, missing just one shot and flew around the last loop this afternoon for her first-ever BMW IBU World Cup sprint win, taking the Otepaeae women’s 7.5 km sprint in 20:45.8. Germany’s Vanessa Voigt with continued excellent shooting went 10-for-10 to finish second with her first-ever World Cup podium, 11 seconds back. Norway’s Karoline Offigstad Knotten also shot clean, matching her career-best in third place, 12.8 seconds back.

Finishers four through six all had one penalty, with Voigt’s teammate Olympic 15 km individual Champion Denise Hermann finishing fourth, 16.1 seconds back. Norway’s Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, finished fifth, 21.9 seconds back while Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg finished sixth, 23 seconds back.

Windy Women’s sprint

Overcast and +3C with the expected wind, blowing across and in the shooter’s faces on the range for the eighty-six women in this afternoon’s first-ever BMW IBU World Cup sprint in Otepaeae. Starter #8 Anais Chevalier-Bouchet was the first to clean the prone stage, taking the lead. Voigt, unsurprisingly did the same, but 16 seconds slower. Tandrevold got in the mix with her won perfect stage, 6 seconds off the lead. Wierer easily went 5-for-5 putting her in third position. Starter 38 Simon took the lead away from her teammate with a perfect stage.

Perfection for Voigt

The seemingly always accurate Voigt was the second to clean standing, moving into the top spot, after Chevalier-Bouchet missed a shot. Hanna also was perfect just before her, while Tandrevold missed a shot. They were second and fourth, but just 5.7 and 7.7 seconds back. Wierer missed two shots to fall from podium contention. Hermann, after a prone penalty, cleaned standing, putting the speedy German just 15 seconds behind her young teammate. Simon came to standing with a 5-second lead, hit four shots quickly, hesitated and missed the final one, yet still came out of the loop with a 2-second lead over Voigt. Coming into standing in fourth position after cleaning prone, Knotten quickly cleaned, leaving 11 seconds faster than Simon.

Simon Skis to Victory

With 600 meters to go, Voigt’s lead was up to nine seconds. Tandrevold tried to catch the German, but actually lost a couple of seconds by the 6.9 km split, while remaining in second through the finish. Herrmann flew around the last loop, moving just behind Voigt by the 6.2 km split. The powerful Simon however could smell the victory, adding a couple of seconds at the same point. At the 6.9 km split, she was up by 9,7 seconds, heading for victory. Knotten, unable to hold her lead after standing, seemingly completely spent coming into the last 100 meters slowed but finished just ahead of Herrmann for third place.

Knotten, “I could not bend my legs”

Knotten saw her lead fade away, could do nothing about it but was pleased to be third and her second career podium. They told me in the first uphill that i was in the lead like by 10 seconds which was kind of unreal since I had bib number 53. I knew if I stay here, I would stay here. Julia came closer and closer. I was told eleven, and six and three. I went, ‘no.’ I saw her speed on her second lap and was like, ‘I can’t match that.’ The boys told me yesterday that you have to be really tough from the beginning and relax in the downhills. I tried and my second loop was really good. I was happy with it. On the last one, I could not bend my legs anymore. I tried to push with all I had, but it was not enough today. A bit disappointed at the finish line in third but a moment’s relief and ‘this is really good.’”

Simon’s powerful last loop deprived Voigt of her first victory but left Voigt with a personal best second place finish.

Photos: IBU/Hendrik Osula