27.01.2019 - Laura Dahlmeier wins mass start in Anterselva
Double Olympic champion Laura Dhalmeier is back. The 25-year-old from Garmisch Partenkirchen won the 12.5-km mass start race at the World Cup in Anterselva on Sunday and celebrated her first victory of the season
Dahlmeier prevailed over Czech Marketa Davidova and her team mate Vanessa Hinz. Local athlete Dorothea Wierer finished in 5th place as the best Italian, but increased her lead in the overall World Cup to 34 points.
After the first lying shooting Dahlmeier, who left one disc standing, was only in 22nd place. After that she made no further mistakes, caught up place by place and took the lead in the first standing shooting. She retained it until the finish and, almost exactly one year after the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeonchang, climbed the podium again for the first time. Dahlmeier had already shown her improving form in the first two races in Anterselva, with a 4th place in the sprint and 2nd place in the pursuit.
The battle for 2nd place was particularly exciting. After the final shooting Vanessa Hinz was still nine seconds ahead of Marketa Davidova. The sprint winner of Thursday made up for the gap over the final 2.5 km and finished 2.13.1 seconds behind Dahlmeier. Hinz came third with 16.4 seconds behind Davidova.
Wierer extends her World Cup lead
After yesterday’s victory in the pursuit race, Dorothea Wierer had to content with a fifth places today, behind Hanna Oeberg from Sweden. Wierer raced very fast, but had three misses in the shooting range. In the end, she was 33.1 second behind the winner and 16.8 second behind the third on the podium. As last year, the 28-year-old from Rasun finished in the top ten in all three Anterselva races and increased her lead in the overall World Cup to 34 points over team mate Lisa Vittozzi.
Vittozzi was not happy with her race today. She finished eleventh, with two mistakes in shooting and 51.7 seconds behind Dahlmeier. The third Italian in the race, Nicole Gontier, missed as many as 10 discs and had to content with last place (29th).
The World Cup leader in the mass start Paulina Fialkova from Slovakia finished 16th today, enough to maintain her position at the top of the ranking in the discipline. Fialkova has 127 points after three mass start races, Oberg is 10 points behind.
Comments on the race:
Laura Dahlmeier (GER), 1st Place: “It’s a fantastic feeling to be right at the top again. I started very badly and I felt slow. But I came back strongly and I remained virtually without error in the shooting. It was a good weekend for me.”
Marketa Davidova (CZE), 2nd Place: “I am very happy with my race, and overall with the whole weekend. The material was perfect today and I hope that it will continue like this. I feel really good in Anterselva, it’s one of my favourite places.”
Vanessa Hinz (GER), 3rd place: “It’s a wonderful moment. I simply tried to give my very best and I succeeded. I've constantly improved from the start and I'm very happy with this podium finish. The fact that two Germans are on the podium is also proof that our team does not just consist of Laura
Results Biathlon World Cup Anterselva (ITA): Mass start women, 12.5 km
1. Laura Dahlmeier (GER) 35.32,8 minutes (1 error)
2. Marketa Davidova (CZE) +13,1 (1)
3. Vanessa Hinz (GER) +16,4 (1)
4. Hanna Öberg (SWE) +17,1 (2)
5. Dorothea Wierer (ITA/Rasen) +32,2 (3)
6. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN) +33,3 (2)
7. Iryna Kryuko (BLR) +34,2 (2)
8. Karolin Horchler (GER) +42,6 (0)
9. Mona Brorsson (SWE) +49,8 (2)
10. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (NOR) +50,1 (3)
11. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) +51,7 (2)
…
29. Nicole Gontier (ITA) +5.42,0 (10)
After the first lying shooting Dahlmeier, who left one disc standing, was only in 22nd place. After that she made no further mistakes, caught up place by place and took the lead in the first standing shooting. She retained it until the finish and, almost exactly one year after the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeonchang, climbed the podium again for the first time. Dahlmeier had already shown her improving form in the first two races in Anterselva, with a 4th place in the sprint and 2nd place in the pursuit.
The battle for 2nd place was particularly exciting. After the final shooting Vanessa Hinz was still nine seconds ahead of Marketa Davidova. The sprint winner of Thursday made up for the gap over the final 2.5 km and finished 2.13.1 seconds behind Dahlmeier. Hinz came third with 16.4 seconds behind Davidova.
Wierer extends her World Cup lead
After yesterday’s victory in the pursuit race, Dorothea Wierer had to content with a fifth places today, behind Hanna Oeberg from Sweden. Wierer raced very fast, but had three misses in the shooting range. In the end, she was 33.1 second behind the winner and 16.8 second behind the third on the podium. As last year, the 28-year-old from Rasun finished in the top ten in all three Anterselva races and increased her lead in the overall World Cup to 34 points over team mate Lisa Vittozzi.
Vittozzi was not happy with her race today. She finished eleventh, with two mistakes in shooting and 51.7 seconds behind Dahlmeier. The third Italian in the race, Nicole Gontier, missed as many as 10 discs and had to content with last place (29th).
The World Cup leader in the mass start Paulina Fialkova from Slovakia finished 16th today, enough to maintain her position at the top of the ranking in the discipline. Fialkova has 127 points after three mass start races, Oberg is 10 points behind.
Comments on the race:
Laura Dahlmeier (GER), 1st Place: “It’s a fantastic feeling to be right at the top again. I started very badly and I felt slow. But I came back strongly and I remained virtually without error in the shooting. It was a good weekend for me.”
Marketa Davidova (CZE), 2nd Place: “I am very happy with my race, and overall with the whole weekend. The material was perfect today and I hope that it will continue like this. I feel really good in Anterselva, it’s one of my favourite places.”
Vanessa Hinz (GER), 3rd place: “It’s a wonderful moment. I simply tried to give my very best and I succeeded. I've constantly improved from the start and I'm very happy with this podium finish. The fact that two Germans are on the podium is also proof that our team does not just consist of Laura
Results Biathlon World Cup Anterselva (ITA): Mass start women, 12.5 km
1. Laura Dahlmeier (GER) 35.32,8 minutes (1 error)
2. Marketa Davidova (CZE) +13,1 (1)
3. Vanessa Hinz (GER) +16,4 (1)
4. Hanna Öberg (SWE) +17,1 (2)
5. Dorothea Wierer (ITA/Rasen) +32,2 (3)
6. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN) +33,3 (2)
7. Iryna Kryuko (BLR) +34,2 (2)
8. Karolin Horchler (GER) +42,6 (0)
9. Mona Brorsson (SWE) +49,8 (2)
10. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (NOR) +50,1 (3)
11. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) +51,7 (2)
…
29. Nicole Gontier (ITA) +5.42,0 (10)
