After a disappointing ending to last season and series of injuries over the summer, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold erased many doubts, doubling up for Norwegian Season Opener Sprint and Mass start wins. After a single-penalty 20:59.6 Norwegian Season Opener Sprint win, she followed up with a dramatic photo-finish 37:15.8 victory in Sunday’s Mass Start over second-place Maren Kirkeeide. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen started his season strong, shooting clean in a 23:40.5 Sprint win, but finished second to Endre Stroemsheim in Sunday’s Mass Start. Over In Idre Fjall, the Swedish Opener featured Short Individuals on Saturday, with clean-shooting Anna Magnusson taking the women’s 12.5 km in 34:57.3 while Ukraine’s 21-year-old Vitalii Mandzyn with two penalties winning the men’s 15 km in 38:45.7. Elvira Oeberg with two penalties and Sebastian Samuelsson with a single miss won the Sunday Sprints, in 23:09 and 26:38.9, respectively.

For everyone, the first competitions of the season are all about putting the bib on and either gaining confidence or seeing where fine tuning is necessary in the next two weeks. After her big double and sterling fast finish, win there was little doubt for Tandrevold, “I feel I am where I need to be physically.”

Excellent Shooting in Sjusjoen Sprints

Behind Tandrevold, Emilie Aagheim Kalkenberg and 22-year-old Gro Randby both matched the winner on the range, finishing second and third, 12.1 and 28.6 seconds back respectively. Two-time Olympic Sprint Champion Anastasiya Kuzmina impressed at age 40, with her one-penalty fourth place, 44 seconds back.

In the Mass Start, Tandrevold had three penalties, and pushed hard in the last loop, setting up the photo-finish leaning win over the two-penalty Kirkeeide. Dorothea Wierer had a sterling comeback from 15th in the Sprint, finishing third with two penalties. 31.6 seconds back.

Behind Christiansen in the Sprint, Vebjoern Soerum, with one penalty finished second, 2.4 seconds back. Clean-shooting Martin Uldal and Eric Perrot finished third and fourth, 7.7 and 7,9 seconds back, respectively.

Christiansen finished second in the mass start, with one penalty, 25.5 seconds behind Stroemsheim’s 37:21, while IBU Cup star Johan-Olav Botn, with three penalties finished third, 31.2 seconds back.

2024 World Cup Total Score winner Johannes Thingnes Boe finished 10th in the Sprint with two penalties and 17th in the Mass Start, 1:38.9 back with five misses.

Magnusson Tops Elvira

With Hanna Oeberg sidelined by a cold, Elvira Oeberg was expected to take the short individual, but Magnusson shot clean while Elvira missed one shot, finishing 54.1 seconds back. Third went to Johanna Skottheim, with two penalties both in prone, 1:48.8 back.

Mandzyn’s two-penalty shooting won the Short Individual over Jesper Nelin, with four misses, 44.8 seconds back. Viktor Brandt with three penalties finished third, 1:10.5 back. Favored Sebastian Samuelsson missed four shots in 5th place, 1:22.3 back.

Samuelsson and Elvira Dominate Sprints

Samuelsson rebounded with a powerful performance in Sunday’s 10 km Sprint, skiing away from the field after a single standing penalty, his 26:38.9 was 56.5 seconds in front of two-penalty Jesper Nelin. Rene Zahkna shot clean in third, 59.6 seconds back.

Likewise, Elvira with two penalties, won big in 23:09.2, 48.6 seconds ahead of Anna-Karin Heijdenberg and Ella Halvarsson, 50 seconds back; both with three penalties.

Photos: IBU/Nordic Focus, Svensk Skidskytte