Biathlon: Lars Berger wins at Whistler

Lars Berger in action. Poto: Wikipedia.

Lars Berger, from Levanger won the men’s 10-kilometre individual sprint at a Biathlon World Cup event in Vancouver, Canada on Friday March 13, ahead of compatriot Ole Einar Bjørndalen. Austria’s Christoph Sumann came third.

Berger finished with a time of 24 minutes 6.5 seconds. World champion Bjørndalen was second at 24:20.6, while Christoph Sumann of Austria was third in 24:46.0.

The sprint event consists of athletes racing three times around the 2.5-kilometre track. Athletes enter the shooting range for a set of shots in the prone position, then one set standing before the final sprint to the finish. Athletes must ski a 150-metre penalty loop immediately after shooting if they miss a target.

Poland’s Tomasz Sikora still leads the World Cup overall, with Bjørndalen only two points behind in second place. Bjørndalen has won five Olympic golds and a record 84 World Cup races.

On the women’s side, Norway’s Tora Berger only managed a 4th place in the 7.5km sprint. Sweden’s Helena Johnson won.

Source: Norway Post / The Canadian Press