Latest news with #Lægreid
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lægreid wins World Cup as Bø falters; Jeanmonnot dethrones Preuss
Sturla Holm Lægreid denied Johannes Thingnes Bø a fairytale end of his career when he beat him for victory in a pursuit race in front of a Norwegian home crowd on Saturday to clinch the men's overall biathlon World Cup title with one race to spare. The women's World Cup will meanwhile be decided in Sunday's finale where French skier Lou Jeanmonnot has the momentum after taking the lead from German Franziska Preuss by winning the women's pursuit at Oslo's Holmenkollen. Lægreid and Bø entered the final shooting portion together but Bø then missed the final target for a race total of three and had to ski a penalty loop while Lægreid completed a clean shooting competition. Lægreid never looked back and clinched victory with a Norwegian flag in his hand, 15.5 seconds from Bø. Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet beat Italy's Tommaso Giacomel in a sprint for third place. Lægreid moved 104 points clear of Bø, with only Sunday's mass start left, to clinch the overall title and the pursuit discipline title as well. A victory is worth 90 points. "Johannes is in his best shape and impossible to beat. But today I did it. I did an incredible thing and secured the globe, so I really wrote down history after Johannes," the elated Lægreid said. 'I knew the whole race if I beat him, I would win the Total Score. I knew that going into the last shooting together, it was now or never! When I skied out on the last loop alone, I really could not believe it. It is a dream come true really." The consistent Lægreid won three season races and had 12 podiums in all as he won the overall title for the first time after three previous runner-up finishes. A smiling Bø took a bow before Lægreid when he crossed the line. He had kept the title race alive by beating him for victory in Friday's sprint but now misses out on a record-equalling sixth title. "He delivers what is the perfection of biathlon. 20 hits is so difficult to achieve and he does it time after time. He's become so hard to beat and now he's the very best," Bø said in praise of Lægreid. Bø will end his career highlighted by 23 world titles and five Olympic gold medals after Sunday's race. On thw women's side, Jeanmonnot overturned a 35-point deficit on fifth-place finisher Preuss into a five-point lead with an eighth season victory, 22.2 seconds from Sweden's Elvira Öberg with one penalty loop. Lena Häcki-Gross of Switzerland was third. Preuss, who beat Jeanmonnot by two-tenth for victory in the sprint on Friday, missed three targets, suffered a broken pole in a duel with Häcki-Gross and failed to beat her and Norway's Ida Lien in a fight for third on the final lap. "maybe it was nerves," Preuss admitted to German broadcasters ARD in reference to her uncharacteristic three penalties which saw her lose the World Cup lead she had held since mid-December. "The last lap was very tough. I did my very best. I fought for every position but it wasn't possible. It hurts. I have to digest this first," Preuss said.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lægreid claims World Cup with pursuit win as Bø misses final target
Sturla Holm Lægreid denied Johannes Thingnes Bø a fairytale end of his career when he beat him for victory in a pursuit race in front of a Norwegian home crowd on Saturday to clinch the men's overall biathlon World Cup title with one race to spare. Both entered the final shooting portion together at Oslo's Holmenkollen but Bø then missed the final target for a race total of three and had to ski a penalty loop while Lægreid shot clean. Lægreid, who hit all 20 targets, never looked back and clinched victory with a Norwegian flag in his hand, 15.5 seconds from Bø. Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet beat Italy's Tommaso Giacomel in a sprint for third place. Lægreid moved 104 points clear of Bø, with only Sunday's mass start left, to clinch the overall title and the pursuit discipline title as well. A victory is worth 90 points. The consistent Lægreid won thee season races and had 12 podiums in all as he won the overall title for the first time after three previous runner-up finishes. A smiling Bø took a bow before Lægreid when he crossed the line. He had kept the title race alive by beating him for victory in Friday's sprint but now misses out on a record-equalling sixth title. Bø will end his career highlighted by 23 world titles and five Olympic gold medals after Sunday's race. The women's pursuit is later Saturday, with German Franziska Preuss leading French rival Lou Jeanmonnot by 35 points after beating her by two-tenths of a second for victory on Friday in the sprint.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sweden win women's relay in Antholz-Anterselva, Lægreid cements lead
Sweden ended Germany's winning run as they claimed victory in the women's 4x6-kilometre relay victory at the biathlon World Cup in Italy's Antholz-Anterselva on Sunday. The Swedish quartet of Johanna Skottheim, Ella Halvarsson, Anna Magnusson and Hanna Öberg clocked 1 hour 07 minutes 26.0 seconds with six reloads and a clean shooting. This was their second relay win of the season after the victory at the season opener in Kontiolahti, Finland. "We showed how good a team we are. We've been competing with six or seven girls; it shows that we have really good strength. Today, France was the really big favourite, but we showed that when we come together, we can give them a match," Öberg said. Norway were 13.4 seconds behind in second and France completed the podium. Germany were coming off two consecutive wins but were only eighth in the absence of World Cup leader Franziska Preuss, who took a day off to rest. Lægreid crowns amazing weekend In the men's 12.5km pursuit, Norway's Sturla Holm Lægreid cemented his World Cup lead with a win in 29 minutes 53.0 seconds and a clean shooting. Lægreid took over the top spot in the standings from team-mate and superstar Johannes Thingnes Bø after a second place in Friday's sprint. "Last time I went out with the yellow bib I had a bad day, so I wanted to go home with a good feeling," he said. Compatriot Tarjei Bø was second and Italy's Tommaso Giacomel was third. The Bø brothers are competing in their final World Cup season before retirement. JT Bø stunned the sport recently by announcing he would quit at the end of the season aged 31 and will not compete at the 2026 Olympics. His brother, 36, also announced after his sprint win on Friday that "this is my last season." Men and women next head to Lenzerheide in Switzerland for the world championships on February 12-23.
