“Sprint has been the most difficult”
Tandrevold admitted this win was an important step in her career. “You do not know (how important this was). The sprint has been the most difficult competition for me. It’s been the most nervous competition. Today with ten hits to win is a big relief. I know I can do a good race and be the best. It is a good feeling.”
Last shot, “I was standing there for like forever”
Hitting the last standing target was the difference between the win and a lower place. “Its always the standing shooting that is difficult for me. Today, I really wanted to get those targets. I worked really hard on the standing shooting. Especially on the last shot, I was standing there for what seemed like forever. When you stand there, it is like ‘if I miss now, then you lose a lot of seconds.’ It was nice to se that last target go down.”
Sweden’s Elvira Oeberg with one penalty put on a last loop rush trying to catch Tandrevold but fell 4.9 seconds short in second place, making her first podium appearance of the new season. France’s Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, also with one penalty finished third, 19.7 seconds back for her first individual podium since returning to the BMW IBU World Cup circuit after the birth of her daughter last February.
France’s Lou Jeanmonnot after taking a sprint/pursuit double last week missed two standing shots today, finishing 15th, 1:12.5 back. Still, she gained enough points to take the first Yellow Bib of her career for tomorrow’s pursuit, after the current leader Germany’s Franziska Preuss did not start due to Illness.
The same good conditions prevailed for the women as the men experienced three hours prior. Tandrevold set the bar with a clean prone stage, going unchallenged after that.
Braisaz-Bouchet after a prone penalty cleaned standing just before Vittozzi went to 10-for-10. Jeanmonnot came to standing in the lead, missed two shots, falling well behind when Tandrevold cleaned upping her lead. Elvira, came back from a prone penalty, shooting clean, going to second.
Tandrevold built on her lead out of standing crossing with the lead. Elvira, scorched the last loop, gaining time but failed to catch Tandrevold, finishing ahead of Braisaz-Bouchet.
Switzerland’s Lena Haecki-Gross with one penalty was fourth, with her best result in over two years. Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi shot clean in fifth, 24.4 seconds back. Norway’s Karoline Offigstad Knotten with two penalties finished sixth, 40.4 seconds back.
Photos: IBU/Jasmin Walter, Nordic Focus