Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Sivert Guttorm Bakken take victory in mass start finales to win crystal globes
BySportsbeat
Updated 20/03/2022 at 16:47 GMT
Drama in Oslo on final day of Biathlon World Cup season as mass start titles go to Frenchwoman and Norwegian. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet took the victory and it was enough to pip Elvira Oeberg to the title. Sivert Guttorm Bakken took the win and it was enough to deny overall champion Quentin Fillon Maillet the mass start globe.
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet
Image credit: Getty Images
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet followed up her Olympic biathlon title in the mass start with crystal globe in the discipline after winning the final World Cup event of the season.
The Frenchwoman took glory on a dramatic day in Oslo where the home crowd were able to celebrate Sivert Guttorm Bakken who won the men's mass start to take the crystal globe.
It was the women who were racing first, with Braisaz-Bouchet taking the World Cup title by just two points.
She missed a target on each of her first two shoots before shooting clear thereafter to finish 7.8 seconds clear of Franziska Preuss, with overall champion Marte Olsbu Roeiseland finishing third.
That left Elvira Oeberg needing to finish fourth to take the crystal globe, but she was pipped to the post by compatriot Linn Persson, costing her the win.
It was a different story in the men's race where Bakken was the beneficiary of some tactical teamwork.
With overall champion Quentin Fillon Maillet having missed three targets across the first two shoots, the race for the mass start title was wide open.
Coming out of the final shoot, Bakken knew that a win would clinch it, but second would likely see Fillon Maillet deny him.
Sturla Holm Laegreid set the pace but rather than ski away from Bakken, he pulled his compatriot along before the youngster came through to take the win and the mass start crystal globe.
Fillon Maillet fought back to finish seventh, but it was not enough, with Bakken taking the title by four points.
Bakken said: "It's amazing, I don't know if I realise it yet. I have lots of friends and family in the stands, it's unbelievable."
Fillon Maillet will take the consolation of the overall crystal globe and sprint and pursuit titles, not to mention his five Olympic medals, while Laegreid's second place was enough for him to overhaul Sebastian Samuelsson for second in the overall standings.
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