Anna-Karin Heijdenberg of Sweden and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway prevailed in the second Sprint at the IBU Cup in Obertilliach, Austria. For Dale-Skjevdal, it was a back-to-back win as he battles back problems and searches for a new opening in the Norwegian World Cup squad.

Paula Botet and Dale-Skjevdal premiered the green bib as the IBU Cup Total Score leaders.

Heijdenberg, shooting 10/10, was third after the prone and took the lead after the standing stage. The winner of last season’s Sprint at the Open European Championships stopped the clock at 21:00.8. Aasne Skrede of Norway, also with 10 hits, finished second, 7.7 seconds behind the winner. Rebecca Passler of Italy, likewise perfect with 10/10 and the fastest shooter of the day, placed third, 15.9 seconds behind Heijdenberg. Despite one miss in the prone, Dale-Skjevdal again dominated the men’s Sprint, winning in 22:59.2. France’s Valentin Lejeune, with 10/10, led after the standing shooting but lost too many seconds to Dale-Skjevdal in the final loop and finished second, 13.2 seconds behind. It was the first IBU Cup podium for Lejeune. Another Frenchman, Oscar Lombardot, backed up his second place from the first Sprint with another 10/10 shooting performance and a third-place finish, 22.2 seconds behind the winner.

Photo: Léo Authamayou: IBU Pool