A split second decided the fate of the gold. Italian Vittozzi caused drama at the World Cup
Batraz Tomaev November 27, 2023, 01:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
What a shame for the German Franziska Preuss!
They say that an individual biathlon race is the most boring thing. How wrong are those who think so. The biathlon classics have long been a model of endurance and a place for unexpected plot twists.
Today viewers saw another example of this.
Live streams of World Cup races are available on Okko.
Agent 0.1
The first individual of the season went to Lisa Vittozzi.
In the stage of Östersund, Sweden, the Italian beat Franziska Preuss with a penalty. We hope that the biathlon gods do not offend the German for her disappointing defeat. But she can only ask herself all the questions. After the fourth shot, Preuss left with a lead of 11.8 seconds over Vittozzi, but lost it. The German did not have a fast lap: by a wicked irony of fate, she was 0.1 seconds away from gold at the finish line.
Did luck smile on Vittozzi at the beginning of the season? Let’s assume this is a sign. A kind of Felicita – happiness, translated from Italian.
However, the Italian does not need any gift from fate. You can only envy its stability. Vittozzi climbs to the podium for the fifth consecutive individual race. And at the end of the 2022/2023 season he took the MHG in the individual competition.
Who will take home the Great Crystal Globe in the new season?
Classification
Which biathlete can win the World Cup? Rating of the best in the 2023/2024 season
historical career
A confident start to the new season takes the Italian to first place in the general classification. The yellow leader’s jersey suits him perfectly. Do you agree?
“Today I felt in good shape. He pleasantly surprised me because I was very tired after yesterday’s race. I tried to give my best. I’m very happy. Starting the season like this is incredible,” said Vittozzi in an interview with the IBU press service.
The result itself is also surprising: 0.1 seconds – this is the smallest difference between first and second place in individual races in the World Cup.
As for German women, things are not so sad for them today. Another biathlete from the Bundesmannschaft won the awards: Vanessa Voigt lost 10.1 seconds to the leader, without making a single mistake.
The Italian Dorothea Wierer, the French Julie Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot and Justine Breza-Boucher could also count on medals. But the shooting disappointed them. Sweden’s biathletes were also left without due attention.
How was the start of the season at the Biathlon World Cup?
Samuelsson won the first World Cup race in 2023/2024. Not even the Norwegians stopped him!
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS