The world champions are on cloud nine

The cheers were huge. Lisa Vittozzi led Italy to their historic first World Cup relay title with tears in her eyes. The Azzurre were already one of the big medal candidates, but it was surprising that they would leave everyone behind. After winning gold, you could see the sparkle in the eyes of the four participants. Italy's fourth World Cup medal in Oberhof now shines gold for the first time.

For Wierer it is the fourth world title overall - but the very first in a relay race. This is also a special story for the 32-year-old.

The Italian team celebrates the world champions. © APA/afp / CHRISTOF STACHE

And the story of Auchentaller is almost like a fairy tale. The 21-year-old was actually only number five on the team before the World Championships, but then benefited from a new IBU rule. She then fought for her place in the relay with strong performances. Auchentaller justified the trust of the coaches and can now even call herself world champion. We have collected the votes from Oberhof.

Samuela Comola: “I knew we could show a good race. I never thought it would go so well. I’m just over the moon.”

Dorothea Wierer: “I think this medal is also for Rebecca Passler. I'm glad I wasn't in Lisa Vittozzi's or Denise Herrmann-Wick's shoes as the final runner today (laughs). Lisa mastered it perfectly. We all showed a perfect race. The small crash on the climb on the first lap only cost me around five seconds.”

Hannah Auchentaller: “I am very happy with my race. I'm happy that I got away with a reloader at the shooting range. I tried to concentrate on my performance. And everything from outside, not to let it get to me. The performance of the entire team was extremely good today. My performance on the skis certainly wasn't the best today, but it was still enough. The key was certainly our performance at the shooting range. For me it is a very unexpected medal. I have only competed in a few World Cup races so far. I definitely need more time to realize all of this.”

“I definitely need more time to realize all of this.” Hannah Auchentaller

Lisa Vittozzi: "I'm so happy. This victory goes down in history. We showed a perfect race – right from the start. I really wanted to get this win at the end. Thank God I managed to do that.”

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The world champions are on cloud nine

Italy's biathletes sensationally won World Cup gold in the relay in Oberhof on Saturday. After the big coup, Dorothea Wierer, Hannah Auchentaller, Lisa Vittozzi and Samuela Comola were on cloud nine.

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