Italy Tops Norway in Dramatic Biathlon Finish
Italy's Lisa Vittozzi edges Norway's Maren Kirkeeide in thrilling biathlon pursuit for gold. Lisa Vittozzi wins gold in women's biathlon pursuit, hitting all 20 targets at Winter Olympics.
“I didn't think today that I would reach the gold medal because the level of the women is really high...”
Lisa Vittozzi brought home gold for Italy in the women's 10km biathlon pursuit, nailing all 20 targets with precision shooting. She left the competition in the dust, winning by 28.8 seconds over Norway's Maren Kirkeeide, who bounced back from two late misses to snag silver.
Vittozzi's flawless performance sent the home crowd wild at the Antholz-Anterselva arena. Finland's Suvi Minkkinen took bronze, also shooting clean, while France's Lou Jeanmonnot and Océane Michelon finished fourth and fifth, respectively, after struggling with misses.
Suvi Minkkinen of Finland secured the bronze medal in the women's 10km biathlon pursuit at the Winter Olympics. The start order was determined by the sprint times, with Norway's Maren Kirkeeide leading and Italy's Lisa Vittozzi starting 40.6 seconds behind.
The pursuit consisted of five 2km laps and four shooting rounds, taking place under sunny conditions with occasional light winds that made aiming challenging. Each missed shot resulted in a 150-metre penalty loop.
Vittozzi ultimately won gold with a flawless shooting performance, while Kirkeeide took silver after two late misses. Minkkinen's bronze was Finland's first Olympic biathlon medal.
The battle for gold heated up at the second shoot, with Kirkeeide missing, but so did France's Lou Jeanmonnot. Meanwhile, Vittozzi nailed all five targets, taking the lead. Kirkeeide reeled her back in, and the two were neck-and-neck until the third shoot.
Vittozzi and Kirkeeide were the top contenders, while Jeanmonnot's two misses dropped her out of medal contention. The tension was palpable as the two leaders headed into the final shoot.
Dramatic Finale
Lisa Vittozzi of Italy sealed her gold medal win in the women's 10km biathlon pursuit with a flawless performance, hitting all 20 targets. Norway's Maren Kirkeeide was in the lead until the final shoot, where she missed two crucial targets, allowing Vittozzi to take the top spot.
“I'm so happy. What I've done today, I'm really proud of myself. I had goosebumps in the last few kilometres. It was a dream come true,” a delighted Vittozzi told Italian TV.
“I didn't think today that I would reach the gold medal because the level of the women is really high, but I really did a good job at the range, and I'm very happy. I was very calm, I tried to work well, and I hit all the targets, so I'm very happy.”
Maren Kirkeeide was initially out of contention for gold after taking two penalty loops, but she made a stunning comeback. She skied with incredible intensity, overtaking Suvi Minkkinen on the final lap to snatch the silver medal, leaving the Finn with bronze.
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