Lisa Vittozzi storms onto the podium in Switzerland

It's a historic day in biathlon: For the first time, the world's best ski hunters fought for World Cup points on Swiss snow this Thursday. Lisa Vittozzi and a young biathlon mom will also remember this race for a long time.

14 December 2023

From: fop

The Swiss premiere took place in Lenzerheide, in the heart of Graubünden. At the start of the last World Cup stage before Christmas, the women's sprint over 7,5 kilometers was on the agenda. And the Frenchwoman Justine Braisaz-Bouchet dominated this in an impressive way.

The 27-year-old from Albertville, who only became a mother for the first time in February, won with a lead of 12,2 seconds over the rest of the field. She was flawless on the shooting range and almost unrivaled on the cross-country ski trail. Overall World Cup leader Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold also had to acknowledge this, as she put in a strong performance but still couldn't get close to Braisaz-Bouchard in second place.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchard ran unleashed to her fifth World Cup victory. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Lisa Vittozzi finished third behind the Norwegian. The 28-year-old biathlete from Friuli underlined her excellent form, which she had recently shown several times in Hochfilzen. Although Vittozzi started cautiously, he improved with his first clean shooting and steadily gained momentum. After the flawless standing position, her podium finish – 23rd in an individual race – could no longer be taken away from her.

Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Justine Braisaz-Bouchard and Lisa Vittozzi on the podium. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Germany's biathlon star Franziska Preuss celebrated a remarkable comeback. Just a few days after her corona illness and the break in Hochfilzen, she finished seventh in the top ten.

Wierer with difficulties

However, things didn't go as planned for Dorothea Wierer, who simply couldn't find her way back after multiple health problems. She had to take one penalty loop after each of the two shooting sessions, but also lost a lot of time over the remaining 7,5 kilometers. She ended up in 32nd place.

In addition to Vittozzi and Wierer, Rebecca Passler also made it into the points. The 22-year-old from Antholz ran 36th time with two penalties. Beatrice Trabucchi (52nd) and Samuela Comola (55th) were further back, but they will also be at the start of the pursuit on Saturday. Hannah Auchentaller, who fell ill in Hochfilzen, will not be at the start in Lenzerheide.

The World Cup program in Switzerland continues on Friday (from 14.15:XNUMX p.m. in the SportNews ticker) with the men's sprint.