Minkkinen, who won her first IBU World Championships medal last year and wore the Yellow Bib earlier this season, struggled to describe what winning an Olympic medal felt like. “It’s amazing…I felt the pressure. These Olympics are brutal in two weeks everyone wants to have the perfect race and now I think I really did the perfect race.”

“I knew the medal was mine”

Although she shot clean and was second going out of the last standing, the 31-year-old was worried. “I am not sure I believed it was enough. When Maren caught me in the big uphill, I thought if I could stay close to her, then I would have a good chance against Lou Jeanmonnot for the Bronze. Maren was the tough one. I don’t think the fight for the Silver was on my side when she caught me! I looked back when I was in front of the Olympic Rings and saw no one. Then I knew the medal was mine.”

“Race when I can be happy afterwards”

Winning Finland’s first-ever women’s Olympic Biathlon medal was something that never crossed her mind. “Now it sounds amazing, but I never thought about that in the big picture before. I feel like I am just doing the races for myself. I just wanted to race when I can be happy afterwards. I was happy yesterday (after the sprint). I think that gave me this free feeling that yesterday I did a good race and today a perfect race. It is a nice feeling.”

Minkkinen admitted the commitment to hard work paid off. “That gives me the biggest emotions. I think what effort I put into this sport, especially in the last two training seasons. I did the high altitude plan only with this in mind. It is a little bit brutal that it is only measured in these two weeks. I am a little bit speechless that I was able to do the perfect race here.”