Lukas Haslinger

“I staggered as if I had three per mille”

Always up for a light-hearted joke: Lukas Haslinger.(Bild: Christoph Nister)

The Norwegian biathletes also dominated the sprint at the IBU Cup final in Obertilliach. Martin Uldal led a quadruple victory for the Vikings in East Tyrol. The best Austrian was Tyrolean Max Prosser in 21st place, but Salzburg's Lukas Haslinger was also more than satisfied after a successful debut.

Competing in the second biathlon league for the first time - and promptly in the points! Biathlon talent Lukas Haslinger showed further promise for the future in the sprint in Obertilliach.

The Pinzgau native, who celebrates his 21st birthday on Saturday, only made one mistake and finished in the points in 35th place. "That was okay," he grinned at the finish.

Haslinger added self-critically: "The aim was to shoot without any mistakes. And it's also faster on the cross-country ski run." He had to pay tribute to a fast start lap towards the end of the race. "The final lap was brutal, I was staggering as if I had three per mille in my blood," he joked.

Fredrik Mühlbacher, competing for HSV Saalfelden, also scored points in 37th place.

Two mass start 60 competitions - the women start at 10.30 am, the men at 1.15 pm - will conclude the IBU Cup season on Saturday.