Kirkeeide and Frey win Sprints in Martell

Maren Kirkeeide and Isak Frey, both of Norway and with a perfect day on the shooting range, won in a closely-contested Sprints in Martell.

Kirkeeide won for the fourth time in the IBU Cup. For Frey, it was a premier win.

Kirkeeide wins for the first time in 2023/2024

Kirkeeide was 11th after the prone and then stepped up her tempo to win in 24:23.1. Maya Cloetens of Belgium, also with a clean sheet, finished 6.7 seconds behind Kirkeeide for a career-first IBU Cup podium. Stina Nilsson of Sweden, missing twice in the standing, finished third, 13,4 seconds behind the winner. It is the second podium of the week for the Swede.

The Winner’s Words - Maren Kirkeeide

It was a fun race today, although the conditions were not easy. It took a clean shooting and a strong push in the last lap to win. It is great to be back in the IBU Cup after I fell ill in the middle of Trimester 1.

Watch Women’s Sprint Highlights here

Kristina Oberthaler of Austria, with 10/10, finished in fourth place, 23 seconds behind Kirkeeide. Anaelle Bondoux of France, with seven misses and the fastest skiing time, finished fifth, 24.5 seconds behind the winner. Anna Andexer of Austria missed two shots and completed the Flower ceremony, 24.6 seconds behind Kirkeeide.

Jenny Enodd remained in the Total Score standings lead.

Frey takes Men’s Sprint

Frey was third after the prone stage and took the lead after the standing shoot. Although behind at the last intermediate time, Frey’s strong finish sprint landed him a spot atop the podium. His teammate Mats Oeverby, with one miss, finished second, just 2.6 seconds behind. Danilo Riethmueller of Germany, the fastest skier of the day, missed one shot in the standing and finished third, 4.7 seconds behind Frey.

The Winner's Words - Isak Frey

I had a great day on the shooting range. I saw that Mats was really fast today; I fell behind at the 8.5 kilometres but had a strong finish. It is fun to win for the first time in the IBU Cup in such a close fight with my teammate.

Watch Men's Sprint Highlights here

Oscar Lombardot of France, with one miss in the standing, finished fourth, 25.6 seconds back. The Short Individual winner Vebjoern Soerum, with two misses, finished fifth, 34.2 seconds behind Oeverby. Austrian junior Fabian Mueller, with 9/10, completed the Flower ceremony in sixth place, 53.9 seconds behind the winner.

Johan Olav Botn remained in the Total Score standings lead.

Photo: IBU Pool: H. Deubert