Botet and Uldal win in the Sprint in Geilo

IBU Cup

06 Dec 2024

Botet and Uldal win in the Sprint in Geilo

Paula Botet of France and Martin Uldal of Norway are the winners of the Sprint competitions in Geilo, Norway. After three consecutive podium finishes in Idre Fjall Uldal achieved his first IBU Cup win of the season. Botet’s second win of the season also brought her a renewed lead in the Total Score.

Second Sprint win of the season for Botet

Botet demonstrated immaculate shooting, registered the second-fastest skiing time, and clocked a winning time of 22:14.9. Germany’s Marlene Fichtner followed in second for her first-ever IBU Cup podium finish, just 31.4 seconds behind, also achieving perfect shooting. Rounding out the top three was Sweden’s Johanna Skottheim, who overcame one missed shot to finish 36.9 seconds off the lead.

THE WINNER’S WORDS - PAULA BOTET

I started with an early bib (2) the tracks were slow. As an earlier starter, you wait for a long time before you know the outcome. Shooting 10/10 and skiing fastest is the thing I love about biathlon.

Chloé Chevalier of France placed fourth, narrowly missing the podium by just over one second, while Norway's Marit Oeygard secured fifth with a clean shoot but trailed by one minute. Fellow Norwegian Siri Skar completed the top six, finishing 6.1 seconds behind Oeygard.

IBU Cup 2 Geilo - Sprints

Uldal wins an all-Norwegian podium battle

The Men’s 10km Sprint at the IBU Cup delivered an all-Norwegian podium, with Uldal taking the win. Uldal secured victory with a time of 25:21.8, despite one missed shot, showcasing strong skiing to stay ahead. Johan O. Botn finished second, 13.9 seconds behind, with two missed shots but the fastest skiing time. Sverre D. Aspenes claimed third place, just 0.9 seconds behind Botn, with one miss in the standing shooting.

THE WINNER’S WORDS - MARTIN ULDAL

After three podiums in Idre Fjall, I really wanted to win today. It wasn’t my best day, but I worked hard on the tracks to keep the ski speed as high as possible. Hitting 9 out of 10 targets was a very decent shooting performance.

Germany’s Roman Rees came close to the podium, finishing fourth with perfect shooting and only 16.9 seconds off the lead. Isak Frey, another Norwegian, placed fifth, 35.3 seconds back with one penalty. France’s Oscar Lombardot completed the top six, finishing 45.5 seconds behind Uldal despite two missed shots.

Photo: Marius Nordnes: IBU Photo Pool

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