There was a French victory at the Biathlon World Cup premiere in Otepää, Estonia, in the 10 km men's sprint by the currently world's best biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet.
In perfect conditions and sunny weather he was able to win out of six athletes who shot without any mistakes and won with a lead of 7.2 seconds over second-placed Sturla Holm Laegreid and the best DSV starter Benedikt Doll, who was 11.1 seconds behind in third place.
Mit seinem Sprintsieg konnte er den Vorsprung im Gesamtweltcup auf seinen Mannschaftskollegen Emilien Jacquelin weiter ausbauen, der enttäuschend auf Platz 32 landete. Eine starke fehlerfreie Vorstellung lieferte einmal mehr Vetle Christiansen mit einem Rückstand von 16,3 Sekunden auf Platz vier. Fabien Claude und Tarjei Boe gelangen mit Platz neun und zehn der Sprung in die TOP 10.
Results 10 km men's sprint, Otepää:
- Quentin Fillon Maillet, FRA 22.27,4 Min.
- Sturla Holm Laegreid, NOR + 7,2 Sek.
- Benedikt Doll, GER + 11,1 Sek.
Statement Quentin Fillon Maillet: "I felt very good before the race. It was a race with a very high level today, you can see that in the fact that the first six finishers remained faultless. I'm very happy about my victory today and I could even extend my lead in the overall World Cup over my pursuers."
Statement Sturla Holm Laegreid: "It was a perfect race from me today, in the best conditions. It was great fun to run here. A big compliment to the organizer. Otepää is a super World Cup venue."
Pictures: K. Voigt Fotografie