Neuner wins the sprint World Cup in Oslo

Just before the competition began, it was still uncertain whether Magdalena Neuner would be able to start in Oslo at all. The Wallgau native was suffering from a bad cough on the morning of the competition. But Neuner refused to let this handicap stop her. She took to the start highly motivated and, after the race, celebrated her fifth World Cup win of the season and her 24th overall: the 24-year-old Neuner secured the small crystal globe in the biathlon sprint standings. With her triumph in the sprint World Cup, Neuner, who had already excelled at the Biathlon World Championships, gained 38 points in the overall standings. As a result, with just the final two races of the season remaining, she is only 22 points behind the leader, Finland’s Kaisa Mäkäräinen, and has her sights firmly set on victory in the overall World Cup.

There is also news from the other German biathletes at the legendary Holmenkollen in Oslo: Andreas Birnbacher of Schleching, who scored his first World Cup victory in the sprint, returned home for personal reasons before the awards ceremony in Oslo. Alexander Wolf of Oberhof, who had failed to qualify for the World Championships in Russia, surprised everyone by taking third place at the biathlon World Cup Final in Oslo. Relay world champion Miriam Gössner, who missed six shots in the sprint World Cup, finished a disappointing 35th. Sabrina Buchholz came only 54th in the final standings.