Skip to main content

Czech Republic's Vitkova wins her first biathlon World Cup

OBERHOF, Germany (AP) Veronika Vitkova of the Czech Republic won a women's sprint for her first individual biathlon World Cup victory on Friday.

Vitkova missed two targets and completed the 7.5-kilometer race 8.8 seconds faster than Italy's Dorothea Wierer, who missed one.

Nicole Gontier of Italy shot cleanly and was 19.1 seconds back in third.

Germany's Franziska Preuss was fourth, ahead of Finland's Mari Laukkanen and Czech biathlete Gabriela Soukalova.

Darya Domracheva of Belarus and Kaisa Makarainen could only finish 18th and 20th, respectively.

Makarainen leads the overall standings after nine of 25 events with 443 points, ahead of Wierer on 334.

The men's sprint was scheduled for Saturday.

© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.