Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Thursday December 19, 2024 at 3:36 p.m.
The young Norwegian Martin Uldal won his first World Cup victory, during the Grand-Bornand sprint, ahead of his illustrious compatriot Johannes Boe by a second and a half. No Frenchman reached the podium, but there are three in the Top 10.
The French biathletes had a fantastic Hochfilzen stage last week, with five podiums including two victories, men and women combined. They hope to do even better during their home stop, in Grand-Bornand from Thursday to Sunday. But it started off rather badly, since no Blue got on the podium in the men’s sprint. Even if they were buoyed by a magnificent atmosphere, Eric Perrot, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet (who all finished in the Top 10) were too clumsy when shooting and/or not fast enough on skis to hope for better . And as one Norwegian can always hide another in biathlon, it was Martin Uldal who triumphed, securing his very first World Cup victory. The 23-year-old biathlete, who started with bib number 42, signed the best race of his career to date, with a flawless shooting (thanks in particular to an ultra-efficient technique for removing his rifle, he who is ambidextrous ), while showing himself to be quite fast on skis (seventh skiing time). The young Norwegian was second after the first shot, six seconds behind Sebastian Samuelsson, but after the second, thanks to his flawless performance, he was in the lead with eight seconds ahead of Johannes Boe who had made a mistake . The two Norwegians put up a good battle (virtual, because they started with 26 bibs apart) in the last three kilometers, and the rain that fell when Boe passed may have made the difference. In the end, Uldal won with a 1″4 lead over his compatriot and 10″8 over Samuelsson.
A flawless performance for Perrot, but…
On the French side, Eric Perrot, who is of the same generation as Uldal (they are a month apart), finished with the best ranking, but his flawless shooting was tarnished by bad skiing weather (22nd). He finished seventh, 41 seconds behind the winner and 31 seconds from the podium, which leaves some hope for Saturday’s pursuit. Ditto for Emilien Jacquelin, 8th, three seconds behind his compatriot, despite two shooting errors. Quentin Fillon Maillet completes the Top 10, with one fault on the clock. The last Frenchman, Emilien Claude, finished 37th. The six Blues will therefore take part in the pursuit. Next meeting at Grand-Bornand: the women’s sprint Friday at 2:20 p.m.
WORLD CUP (M) / GRAND-BORNAND SPRINT (FRANCE)
Final classification (10km) – Thursday December 19, 2024
1- Martin Uldal (NOR) a 23’13″5 (0 fault)
2- Johannes Boe (NOR) at 1″4 (1)
3- Sebastian Samuelsson (SUE) at 10″8 (1)
4- Philipp Horn (GER) at 28″6 (1)
5- Sturla Laegreid (NOR) at 32″3 (1)
6- Philipp Nawrath (ALL) of 41″6 (1)
7- Eric Perrot (FRA) at 41″7 (0)
8- Emilien Jacquelin (FRA) at 44″9 (2)
9- Tommaso Giacomel (ITA) at 46″2 (1)
10- Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA) at 49″8 (1)
…
24- Fabien Claude (FRA) at 1’23″7 (2)
27- Antonin Guigonnat (FRA) at 1’25″9 (2)
37- Emilien Claude (FRA) at 1’36″1 (3)
…
