BIATHLON: Boe and Makarainen shine in season openers

Norway's Johannes Thingnes Boe (Photo: IBU)

Familiar faces were on the top of the podium in the opening weekend of the Biathlon World Cup for 2018-19 in Pokljuka (POL), including an opening victory by seven-time World Cup champion Martin Fourcade of France in the 20 km race.

But the next two days were dominated by Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe and Finn Kaisa Makarainen.

Boe finished second in every category to Fourcade last season, but he showed that he may be ready to step up with wins in the 10 km Sprint (with brother Tarjei Boe in fourth!) and the 12.5 km Pursuit, by just 1/10th of a second over France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet. At just 25 years old, Boe now has 24 World Cup wins, with 13 in the Sprint.

Makarainen is the defending World Cup champion from 2017-18 – her third – and started strongly with wins in the 7.5 km Sprint and 10 km Pursuit. Neither was close: she won the Sprint by 14.8 seconds over Italy’s Dorothea Wierer and then the Pursuit by 41.8 seconds over Weirer.

American Clare Egan celebrated her best-ever finish in a World Cup with a sixth in the 10 km Pursuit race. She was 15th in the Sprint, but had only one penalty on Sunday; her previous World Cup best finish was 13th. “I really worked hard for this and I am psyched. And it’s just the beginning of the season so I hope more to come.” Summaries:

IBU World Cup no. 1
Pokljuka (POL) ~ 2-9 December 2018
(Full results here)

Men

10 km Sprint: 1. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR), 23:46.3 (1 penalty); 2. Antonin Guigonnat (FRA), +16.1 (0); 3. Alexander Loginov (RUS), +16.4 (0); 4. Tarjei Boe (NOR), +31.2 (1); 5. Benedikt Doll (GER), +32.5 (1).

12.5 km Pursuit: 1. Boe (NOR), 30:20.4 (3); 2. Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA), +0.1 (0); 3. Loginov (RUS), +1.9 (1); 4. Simon Eder (AUT), +16.1 (0); 5. Julian Eberhard (AUT), +25.0 (1).

20 km: 1. Martin Fourcade (FRA), 47:09.2 (0); 2. Johannes Kuehn (GER), +4.2 (0); 3. Simon Eder (AUT), +19.7 (0); 4. Jakov Fak (SLO), +34.4 (1); 5. Simon Schempp (GER), +38.6 (1).

Women

7.5 km Sprint: 1. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN), 20:08.1 (0); 2. Dorothea Weirer (ITA), +14.8 (0); 3. Justine Braisaz (FRA), +41.1 (0); 4. Julia Simon (FRA), +44.6 (90); 5. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA), +46.9 (1). Also in the top 25: 15. Clare Egan (USA), +1:08.8 (1).

10 km Pursuit: 1. Makarainen (FIN), 29:16.9 (0); 2. Wierer (ITA), +41.3 (0); 3. Paulina Fialkova (SVK), +59.2 (0); 4. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA), +1:01.5 (0); 5. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (NOR), +1:22.1 (1). Also: 6. Clare Egan (USA), +1:22.4 (1).

15 km: 1. Yuliia Dzhima (UKR), 43:06.6 (0); 2. Monika Hojnisz (POL), +5.9 (1); 3. Marketa Davidova (CZE), +16.5 (1); 4. Paulina Fialkova (SVK), +19.5 (2); 5. Baiba Bendika (LAT), +38.6 (0). Also in the top 25: 11. Susan Dunklee (USA), +1:00.9 (1).

Mixed

Single Mixed Relay: 1. Thekla Brun-Le/Lars Helge Birkeland (NOR), 38:26.7 (4 total penalties); 2. Lisa Theresa Hauser/Simon Eder (AUT), +8.5 (5); 3. Anastasiya Merkushyna/Artem Tyshchenko (UKR), +20.7 (1).

Mixed Relay (2×6 km + 2×7.5 km): 1. France (Bescond, Braisaz, Fourcade, Desthieux), 1:10:02.8 (5); 2. Switzerland, +38.7 (9); 3. Italy, +52.1 (8). Also: 15. United States (Susan Dunklee, Claire Egan, Leif Nordgren, Sean Doherty), +4.19.8 (9).