Strong shooting gives Oeberg mass start gold at world championships
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Sweden's Elvira Oeberg hit a sensational series of five final shots to snatch the gold medal in a thrilling finale to the 12.5km mass start on Sunday, the final women's race of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships.
France's Oceane Michelon took the silver after a frenetic final push came up short, finishing just under 10 seconds behind Oeberg, with Maren Kirkeeide of Norway taking the bronze.
Unseasonably warm temperatures influenced both the shooting and skiing conditions, affecting the flight of the .22 calibre bullets and demanding more energy on the 150m penalty loops that were incurred by each miss.
Lena Haecki-Gross brought the home crowd to their feet by emerging in the lead from a chaotic first shoot that saw 23 of the 30 racers miss at least one shot, with Germany's Franziska Preuss and Jeanne Richard of France hot on her heels.
Preuss's accurate shooting kept her in with a chance but her skis appeared sluggish on the choppy, wet snow, and she struggled to hold off the chasing pack, opening the door for Oeberg's final burst.
The 25-year-old Oeberg arrived at the final shoot just behind Preuss and Lou Jeanmonnot of France and showed nerves of steel to hit all five targets, allowing the Swede to power away from the range in pole position.
The drama increased as misses by Preuss and Jeanmonnot saw them eclipsed by the rest of the contenders, with Michelon and Kirkeeide seizing the opportunity, and though the French racer managed to halve Oeberg's lead over the final lap, a tremendous final climb ensured that Oeberg would cross the line first.
Such was the tension in the Swedish camp that Oeberg was not handed a Swedish flag on the final straight to cross the line with; instead, that honour went to her sister Hanna, who flew it high as she crossed the line in last place.
That Hanna finished almost six minutes behind Elvira following an early fall that broke her rifle and ruined her race made no difference, the sisters embracing in tears to celebrate Elvira's first individual world championship gold.
"It feels completely unbelievable, I didn't think it was going to be possible today," Elvira told broadcaster SVT. "I hit my shots and the others missed, and I went out on the final lap thinking, this might do it... this is what you dream of."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Kirsty Coventry vows that IOC will ensure fairness for female athletes
The event in Paris sparked controversy after two athletes – Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting – won gold medals despite having been disqualified from the previous year's World Championships for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria. World Boxing, which has since been recognised by the IOC as the sport's international federation, has introduced mandatory sex testing and said Khelif would not be able to compete in the female category until she undergoes the test. Khelif has always insisted she was born a woman, has lived as a woman and has competed as a woman. The IOC faced criticism for its handling of the row in Paris and for a perceived failure to lead on this issue more widely. Now Coventry, in one of the first acts of her presidency, said there was unanimous backing from IOC members to establish a broad consensus, and announced a working group was being formed to focus on the protection of female sport. She insisted however that nothing the group came up with would have any impact on events in Paris. 'It was very, very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category. First and foremost, we have to do that to ensure fairness,' Coventry said at a briefing on Thursday. 'There was overwhelming support from all of the members… that we should protect the female category. 'It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this, and that we should be the ones to bring together the experts, bring together the international federations and ensure that we find consensus. 'We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports, but it was fully agreed that as members and as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category. 'We're not going to be doing anything retrospectively. We're going to be looking forward. From the members that were here (the sentiment) was 'what are we learning from the past, and how are we going to leverage that and move that forward to the future?'' Many sports, including athletics, cycling and swimming, have tightened their rules at the global level to bar competitors who have been through any stage of male puberty from the female category. In March, World Athletics gave the go-ahead for swab tests to determine biological sex and eligibility for its elite female category. Coventry added that World Athletics would be one of the global federations that would have 'a seat at the table' in the discussions. 'Every sport is slightly different, but it was pretty much unanimously felt that the IOC should take a leading role in bringing everyone together to try and find a broad consensus, so that really is what will be guiding the working group,' she added. Coventry, who officially became IOC president on Monday, said the working group membership and terms of reference would be decided in the next few weeks but said it was too soon to set further timelines on when any recommendations might be brought forward. United States president Donald Trump said earlier this year he would deny visas to transgender athletes seeking to compete in female categories at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. A UK Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, which clarified the wording of the 2010 Equality Act, has already led a number of sports governing bodies to amend their transgender inclusion policies, including the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board. Coventry said members had also called for a review of when and how future Olympic Games hosting decisions would be taken, saying there was a desire from IOC members to be more heavily involved in the process. She said the review would not have any impact on existing dialogue with countries which had expressed interest in hosting future events.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Kylian Mbappe accuses PSG of ‘moral harassment' as Real Madrid star's £55m lawsuit takes fresh turn
Mbappe was hospitalised last week due to a bout of gastroenteritis IN FOR THE KYL Kylian Mbappe accuses PSG of 'moral harassment' as Real Madrid star's £55m lawsuit takes fresh turn Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KYLIAN MBAPPE has accused former club PSG of 'moral harassment' as the legal battle took a fresh turn. France and Real Madrid ace Mbappe is already claiming the French champions owe him £55m from his final year before his free transfer move to Spain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Kylian Mbappe has accused PSG of 'moral harassment' Credit: Getty 2 Mbappe spent seven years with PSG before joining Real Madrid last summer Credit: Reuters But in a separate development, Mbappe, 26, is also arguing PSG ownership attempted to strong arm him into signing a new deal rather than letting his contract run down. And it means the damaging dispute between the two sides will play out even further. In the latest twist, Mbappe filed an official complaint with the French courts against PSG last month, with two examining magistrates now appointed to investigate the claims. Mbappe alleges that the incidents took place in the summer of 2023, ahead of his final year at PSG, when he was excluded from the first-team squad and placed in the club's 'loft' of unwanted players. His lawyers allege that the move to isolate Mbappe was PSG attempting to coerce him into signing a new deal, with the claim saying that it added up to 'psychological pressure' and the 'attempted extortion of a signature.' The new move comes with the wages claim also set to be played out in the courts. Mbappe claims PSG owe him his final three months' salary and bonuses from that last season in Paris, with the club insisting he waived the payments as a condition of his release. Meanwhile, Mbappe is ruled out of Madrid's final group game in the Club World Cup against Salzburg tonight as he recovers from the bout of gastroenteritis that saw him briefly hospitalised for tests last week. The France striker has not featured in the tournament so far but will be available for Madrid's last-16 game on Tuesday. Mbappe returned to the gym this week in a bid to get back to full fitness before the next round. The Real Madrid adidas home kit for 2025-26 season Reports in Spain have claimed that he lost between four and five kilograms due to the virus. It is believed that he may have contracted the illness back in Madrid before flying to the US earlier this month.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Henrik Stenson reunites with iconic caddie as Swede recruits 'perfectionist' ahead of Open at Portrush
The Swedish duo reunited at LIV Dallas and will go for Claret Jug glory in Northern Ireland Iconic Swedish duo Henrik Stenson and Fanny Sunesson have been reunited for this week's LIV Golf event in Dallas and are set to team-up at The Open. The former Claret Jug winner has enlisted the services of the legendary looper for the event with his current regular bagman Marcus Larsson unavailable due to commitments in his homeland. Sunesson became the first female caddie to win a Major when working alongside Sir Nick Faldo and secured a total of four of the biggest events in the game forming a phenomenal partnership with the Englishman through a glittering period together in the 1990s. The 58-year-old, who worked with Howard Clark, Sergio Garcia and Stenson for five years between 2006 and 2011 in a period where the Ryder Cup star won the Dubai Desert Classic, the WGC-Match Play and Players Championship. The partnership resumes once again in Texas and reports on state it will be continuing next month at Royal Portrush for the 153rd Championship. Sunesson retired in 2012 to coach, but continued to be involved in big events having come out of retirement on occasions, notably to work alongside Australian golfer Adam Scott at the 2018 Open at Carnoustie. Following that, Stenson and Sunesson paired up again at the 2019 Masters at Augusta and are also combined each summer for their annual Stenson Sunesson Junior Challenge in Sweden. That event has prompted this move with Larsson heavily involved in its operation and the 2016 Open winner, who grabbed the title after a famous battle with Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon, gave insight into the situation as he explained: 'He couldn't really get away this week. 'He had to hang back and take care of the logistics. So Fanny is out here. It's a certain comfort level to have her on the bag. It always is when you've got someone you work with for many years and you know well. 'In particular, she's a perfectionist. 'She always wants to make sure that she knows every possible question that might come her way. Preparation is one of the lead words for her. 'Just great to catch up with her. On the golf course, we end up talking about a lot of other things than necessarily if a seven-iron was three yards long or three yards short. It's kind of relaxing that way. You switch off in between shots.' Sunesson is delighted to be back on the job and said: 'I'm a rookie again, right? It's a new place and a new tour. 'It's nice to be back with Henrik. I'm loving it. 'He's a good friend and when you have good friends, it's like you might not talk to that friend for months, but it feels like yesterday when you do. 'Very, very happy to be here with him.'
