Biathlon

Andexer starts the season in top position

Strong start for biathlete Anna Andexer.(Bild: Kronen Zeitung/Andreas Tröster)

This start gives hope! Biathlete Anna Andexer (SK Saalfelden) shone in the first race of the IBU Cup season and finished in the absolute top field in the sprint in Idre Fjäll (Sweden). Anna Juppe was another ÖSV athlete to make it into the top 10.

New season, new luck!

For the biathletes, the World Championship winter began with the IBU Cup in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, where a sprint was on the program for both the men and women on Thursday.

Andexer and Juppe in the top 10
Anna Andexer, overall Junior Cup winner of the previous season, impressed in the very first race. The 21-year-old from Saalfelden made no mistakes in the prone position and only had one penalty in the standing position.

Thanks to a good time (tenth place), the Pinzgau native ultimately finished in a strong eighth place, 1:10.8 minutes behind the penalty-free Paula Botet, who came out on top ahead of her compatriot Chloe Chevalier (0 faults/+12.9 seconds) and returnee Anna Weidel from Germany (1/+42.4).

Carinthia's Anna Juppe, who finished in ninth place directly behind Andexer with two faults (+1:16.7), was another red-white-red cross-country skier to make it into the top 10. Lara Wagner (30th/4/+2:34.3) and Leonie Pitzer (35th/2+2:57.1) also finished in the points.

Norwegian men dominant
In the men's event, the new season began as the old one ended - with the Norwegians dominating. Sverre Aspenes (1 fault) triumphed ahead of Martin Uldal (1/+12.5), with France's Antonin Guigonnat (0/+14.0) completing the podium.

With Magnus Oberhauser (32nd/2/+2:17.6) and Fredrik Mühlbacher from HSV Saalfelden (2nd/+2:33.2), two Austrians made it into the points.