Östersund (Sweden) (AFP)
Big Crystal Globe Holder Johannes Boe of Norway kicked off the season by winning the Ostersund sprint, the first individual event of the World Biathlon Cup, with Martin Fourcade finishing in a reassuring 5th place after a final very complicated exercise.
Boe (26), a 9/10 marksman, scored his 39th career success by 19 seconds ahead of older brother Tarjei and 19.9 seconds behind Russia's Matvey Eliseev.
For Martin Fourcade, the day was rather positive. The seven-time winner of the World Cup, struggling in 2018-19, could have mingled with the fight for victory without two fatal errors in standing shooting (8/10 overall in the rifle). He still kept the pace on the skis to finish at a 5th position rather promising for the future.
"I'm disappointed with the result and the standing shot that costs me dear but I'm happy because even after the two penalty rounds, I was taking pleasure on the track, to be offensive, to go ahead," said Fourcade on The Chain The Team At the level of the state of mind and attitude, it's really great, I'm in a good dynamic There will be more difficult races this winter, I am aware, but I want to surf on this state of mind of youth found last year, I had the feeling of being naked in the middle of a battlefield and today I found my weapons . The battle has only begun."
© 2019 AFP