Fulminant final lap secures Justine Braisaz-Bouchet the sprint victory
The Sprint winner from Oberhof this year is Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (France). The World Cup leader showed once again that she is in a class of her own, especially in the cross-country skiing which let her take off around 30 seconds from the until then leading German biathlete Franziska Preuß. "I am very happy with my result. After my two mistakes, I tried not to think too much. I felt very good on the track and have now learned to accept my standing," said Justine Braisaz-Bouchet.
German biathlete Franziska Preuß was satisfied with no penalties in her race. "It was really fun at the shooting range today and I got into my rhythm really well. I had to fight a bit on the track towards the end, but I'm still very happy," she said.
Things got exciting again for second place when another Frenchwoman was on her way to the finish line. Sophie Chauveau made a mistake in the prone position, but reduced her gap to Franziska Preuß by more than nine seconds, especially on the last lap. In the end, the German from SC Haag remained a very close 0.2 seconds ahead of her.
Strong shooting performance by the DSV starters
With Franziska Preuß, Janina Hettich-Walz and Vanessa Voigt, three DSV athletes remained penalty-free. Hettich-Walz finished in fifth place and Voigt in 13th. Sophia Schneider (15th place/ 1 penalty), Selina Grotian (21st place/ 2 penalty) and Hanna Kebinger (33rd place/ 2 penalties) can also be satisfied. After her Oberhof debut, Selina Grotian was full of praise for the fans: "The atmosphere is amazing. I knew it was going to be loud, but I didn't expect it to be this loud. I'm looking forward to run again tomorrow."
Confident in the pursuit races
A top place in the pursuit race could also be possible for the German women on the Saturday of the World Cup. "We will do everything we can to beat the French," said a confident Franziska Preuß. She will be just 4.4 seconds behind on the course.
(Photos: Christian Heilwagen)