Italy’s Dorothea Wierer, after penalties in the first two stages of this afternoon’s Oestersund Women’s 15 km Individual, cleaned the final two stages, erasing a 9-second deficit in the last loop for a 43:08 victory over Finland’s Sonja Leinamo. Wierer’s first win since taking the 2023 Oestersund Mass Start vaulted her into the Yellow Bib, five years after last donning it also in Oestersund.

“I never thought it was possible!”

Wierer amazed herself with the win, ascending into the Yellow Bib. “I would have never believed it. For me, it is incredible! I never thought it was possible to be back on the podium. Especially today because I wasn’t sure if I should start because I woke up a little sick and did not sleep the whole night. I had so many things in my head. For me it is really crazy but I am also really happy for my team and the people around me. This summer was one of the hardest in all these years, so I am really happy.”

“Do your thing on the shooting range”

Although she did not feel well, Wierer took her coach’s advice to heart. “I woke up this morning and had a strange feeling. I was speaking with my coach, and he said to me, ‘concentrate on shooting, because maybe today it will be really tough outside, but do your thing on the shooting range.’ I just tried it and it worked out good, I think!”

On the last loop, “I did not know who it was (in front of me). I had so much back pain in the last two loops that I was just trying to concentrate on my legs. Zero point three was good for me!”

Wierer’s speedy last loop pushed Leinamo, with one penalty, to a personal best second place, .3 seconds back. The Finn’s previous best was 8th in last season’s Oberhof Sprint. France’s Camille Bened, with one penalty, also recorded a personal best and first individual podium in third place, 8.4 seconds back.

Bened’s teammate Lou Jeanmonnot, with two penalties, finished fourth, 31.3 seconds back. Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg, with three penalties, finished fifth, 43.3 seconds back while Belgium’s Maya Cloetens also picked up a personal best in sixth place, 37.3 seconds back with a single penalty.

A windy, 2-degree late afternoon greeted the first individual competition of the new season. Bened was in or near the lead from the start, but one last stage penalty took a toll. Wierer missed a shot in stages one and two, falling over a minute back, while Leinamo cleaned both, putting her second. The second prone changed everything; Bened cleaned, Leinamo missed one shot, falling 50 seconds back, and Wierer cleaned, moving from 27th to 13th.

Wierer Dashes to Victory

Leinamo and Wierer both cleaned the last standing; the Finn 9.3 seconds up on the Italian. Wierer closed the gap to two seconds back at 14.5 km, dashing down the final hill for a .3 second win over Leinamo, with Bened third.

Photos: IBU/Per Danielsson, Christian Manzoni, Nordic Focus