PHOTO: Bildbyrån
It was a nice third place for Elvira Öberg on the women’s side.
And when it was time for the men’s sprint on Friday, it was finally good news for Sweden.
Martin Ponsiluoma put in a great effort and finished in an impressive second place.
The Norwegian dominance has been, and continues to be, great in biathlon on the men’s side. The Swedish successes have mostly been absent since then Martin Ponsiluoma took home the victory in the premiere in Finnish Kontiolahti, but during Friday’s sprint it was time for Swedish success once again.
“It was mumma”
Martin Ponsiluoma missed a shot in the first of two shooters in the 7.5 kilometer sprint. But in the second shoot, “Ponsi” put on a monster streak in the standing shoot as he shot full while doing so at a furious pace.
– It was great, it’s so nice. It was the best thing that could happen to him, a real top series, says coach Jean-Marc Chabloz in SVT’s broadcast.
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Martin Ponsiluoma finished second after the superb Norwegian Johannes Thingnes Bö which at the moment is completely unstoppable. Thingnes Bö also won the race in unchallenged style, but just behind, the fight for the podium places tightened with Ponsiluoma finishing six seconds ahead of another Norwegian in the form of Sturla Holm Laegreid. This despite the fact that Ponsiluoma shot a bar while Laegreid shot full, which indicates that the riding form of the Swedish star is good.
– What a race!, says the commentator Ola Branholm in SVT’s broadcast.
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Ponsiluoma’s success
The shooting was also top class, and after Ponsiluoma’s super race it was clear that it was podium number 15 for the Swedish part this season. The Swede got to see Tarjei Bö shoot himself away in the last shot, and thus he could not threaten Ponsiluoma either. The second place stood, and Martin Ponsiluoma thus took his first podium in 2023 and the first since the victory in the premiere in 2022.
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The second place is a long-awaited and gratifying statement of form for the Swede, which shows that he is ready to compete at the top when the WC starts on February 8.
– The ramparts should be praised, it felt fantastically nice today. I went in and took the chance today and tried not to file too much on the details. It’s very nice with this form message, says Ponsiluoma after the super race.
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