23.01.2022 - Dorothea Wierer rejoices at the Antholz finale
Twice she had to wait, but on the very last World Cup race in Antholz, Dorothea Wierer bounced back
The local athlete took victory in the 12.5 km mass start after an outstanding performance and will travel to the Olympic Games in Beijing with a proud smile on her face.
At the closing of this year’s World Cup stage the biathletes once more delivered impressive performances in the Südtirol Arena - most of all Dorothea Wierer. She was desperate to end her dry spell of this season, a goal she achieved today in the South Tyrolean biathlon stronghold of all places. From the beginning, the 31-year-old from Rasun di Sotto delivered a fantastic performance. The overall World Cup winner of 2019 and 2020 only made two shooting mistakes and made up for them, as so often, in the cross-country skiing and finally crossed the finish line in first place. For the exceptional skier from Val Pusteria it is the 13th World Cup victory overall and the second in Antholz (the 6th podium here). She won the pursuit in the Südtirol Arena in 2019, and gold in the individual and the pursuit at the World Championships two years ago. Moreover, it is her first victory of the season and she now leads the mass start ranking after two events.
Wierer's strongest opponent today was Dzinara Alimbekava. But the biathlete from Belarus never came dangerously close to the South Tyrolean superstar and was 3.7 seconds behind Wierer at the finish. After the strong Belarussian skier, Anais Chevalier-Bouchet was happy with bronze. The French athlete crossed the finish line 11.6 seconds behind after a shooting mistake. Fourth was Kristina Reztsova from Russia, fifth individual winner Justine Braisaz-Bouchet from France.
The mass start also officially marked the end of the Antholz 2022 World Cup stage, which went well despite the challenges post by the pandemic. The biathlon teams will now take a 2-weeks break before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on 4 February.
Biathlon World Cup in Alterselva (ITA):
12,5 km Mass start women
1. Dorothea Wierer (ITA) 35.58,7 (2)
2. Dzinara Alimbekava (BLR) +3,7 (1)
3. Anais Chevalier-Bouchet (FRA) +11,6 (1)
4. Kristian Reztsova (RUS) +22,8 (2)
5. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA) +24,8 (4)
6. Tiril Eckhoff (NOR) +28,0 (2)
7. Vanessa Voigt (GER) +35,0 (0)
8. Uliana Nigmatullina (RUS) +42,5 (1)
9. Alina Stremous (MDA) +49,6 (2)
10. Julia Simon (FRA) +1.03,4 (3)
11. Paulina Fialkova (SVK) +1.05,2 (4)
12. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold (NOR) +1.06,6 (3)
13. Anais Bescond (FRA) +1.21,5 (4)
14. Jessica Jislova (CZE) +1.22,8 (0)
15. Valeriia Vasnetcova (RUS) +1.24,1 (4)
…
30. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) +4.11,5 (9)
At the closing of this year’s World Cup stage the biathletes once more delivered impressive performances in the Südtirol Arena - most of all Dorothea Wierer. She was desperate to end her dry spell of this season, a goal she achieved today in the South Tyrolean biathlon stronghold of all places. From the beginning, the 31-year-old from Rasun di Sotto delivered a fantastic performance. The overall World Cup winner of 2019 and 2020 only made two shooting mistakes and made up for them, as so often, in the cross-country skiing and finally crossed the finish line in first place. For the exceptional skier from Val Pusteria it is the 13th World Cup victory overall and the second in Antholz (the 6th podium here). She won the pursuit in the Südtirol Arena in 2019, and gold in the individual and the pursuit at the World Championships two years ago. Moreover, it is her first victory of the season and she now leads the mass start ranking after two events.
Wierer's strongest opponent today was Dzinara Alimbekava. But the biathlete from Belarus never came dangerously close to the South Tyrolean superstar and was 3.7 seconds behind Wierer at the finish. After the strong Belarussian skier, Anais Chevalier-Bouchet was happy with bronze. The French athlete crossed the finish line 11.6 seconds behind after a shooting mistake. Fourth was Kristina Reztsova from Russia, fifth individual winner Justine Braisaz-Bouchet from France.
The mass start also officially marked the end of the Antholz 2022 World Cup stage, which went well despite the challenges post by the pandemic. The biathlon teams will now take a 2-weeks break before the start of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on 4 February.
Biathlon World Cup in Alterselva (ITA):
12,5 km Mass start women
1. Dorothea Wierer (ITA) 35.58,7 (2)
2. Dzinara Alimbekava (BLR) +3,7 (1)
3. Anais Chevalier-Bouchet (FRA) +11,6 (1)
4. Kristian Reztsova (RUS) +22,8 (2)
5. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA) +24,8 (4)
6. Tiril Eckhoff (NOR) +28,0 (2)
7. Vanessa Voigt (GER) +35,0 (0)
8. Uliana Nigmatullina (RUS) +42,5 (1)
9. Alina Stremous (MDA) +49,6 (2)
10. Julia Simon (FRA) +1.03,4 (3)
11. Paulina Fialkova (SVK) +1.05,2 (4)
12. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold (NOR) +1.06,6 (3)
13. Anais Bescond (FRA) +1.21,5 (4)
14. Jessica Jislova (CZE) +1.22,8 (0)
15. Valeriia Vasnetcova (RUS) +1.24,1 (4)
…
30. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) +4.11,5 (9)
