All good things must come to an end, and the seven-year streak of World Cup titles for France’s Martin Fourcade is – barring a catastrophe – going to come to an end.
Through six of nine stops on the IBU World Cup Tour, Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe has underlined his master of the field, winning an astonishing 11 of 14 races in the circuit this season. Over the weekend, he finished 1-1-2 in the 10 km Sprint, 12.5 km Pursuit and 15 km Mass Start (with France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet winning).
Boe, 25, has increased his lead to 836-554-548 lead over Fourcade, 30, and Alexander Loginov (RUS), the equivalent of almost five races, and unless injured, will take his first World Cup overall championships in March.
And Boe isn’t just winning, he’s dominating the field, winning the Sprint this past weekend by 17.5 seconds and the Pursuit by 34.8 seconds! He missed the Mass Start by 14.3 seconds thanks to two missed shots while Fillon Maillet shot clean.
In the women’s competition, there were three different winners in three days, with Czech Marketa Davidova winning the Sprint for her first career World Cup win, and German Laura Dahlmeier winning the Mass Start for her third win in three years in Antholz, but all in different races. Italy’s Dorothea Wierer won the Pursuit and solidified her lead in the overall World Cup at 632-598 over teammate Lisa Vittozzi, who had a good weekend with a fifth and a third. Summaries:
IBU World Cup
Antholz-Anterselva (ITA) ~ 21-27 January 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s 10 km Sprint: 1. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR), 23:53.9 (1 penalty); 2. Erlend Bjoentegaard (NOR), +17.5 (0); 3. Antonin Guigonnat (FRA), +20.2 (1); 4. Martin Fourcade (FRA), +21.3 (0); 5. Simon Eder (AUT), +23.9 (1).
Men’s 12.5 km Pursuit: 1. Boe (NOR), 31:33.7 (3); 2. Guigonnat (FRA), +34.8 (1); 3. Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA), +40.6 (2); 4. Simon Desthieux (FRA), +40.6 (2); 5. Fourcade (FRA), +50.9 (3).
Men’s 15 km Mass Start: 1. Fillon Maillet (FRA), 34:39.4 (0); 2. Boe (NOR), +14.3 (2); 3. Arnd Pfeiffer (GER), +24.6 (0); 4. Fourcade (FRA), +50.4 (1); 5. Guigonnat (FRA), +51.8 (2).
Women’s 7.5 km Sprint: 1. Marketa Davidova (CZE), 21:40.7 (0); 2. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN), +1.7 (1); 3. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland (NOR), +3.5 (1); 4. Laura Dahlmeier (GER), +4.2 (0); 5. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA), +10.2 (1). Also in the top 25: 22. Clare Egan (USA), +56.7 (2).
Women’s 10 km Pursuit: 1. Dorothea Wierer (ITA), 29:20.1 (2); 2. Dahlmeier (GER), +6.0 (1); 3. Vittozzi (ITA), +16.2 (2); 4. Roeiseland (NOR), +33.9 (3); 5. Anastasiya Kuzmina (SVK), +46.5 (4). Also in the top 25: 11. Egan (USA), +1:31.9 (2).
Women’s 12.5 km Mass Start: 1. Dahlmeier (GER), 35:23.8 (1); 2. Davidova (CZE), +13.1 (1); 3. Vanessa Hinz (GER), +16.4 (1); 4. Hanna Oeberg (SWE), +17.1 (2); 5. Wierer (ITA), +32.2 (3). Also in the top 25: 15. Egan (USA), +1:05.8 (2).
