Dorothea Wierer enjoys home comforts with win in Antholz

The Italian came from behind in the 10km pursuit to edge out Laura Dahlmeier and compatriot Lisa Vittozzi for her sixth career World Cup win.

Dahlmeier and Lisa Theresa Hauser shot cleanly on the opening prone stage to lead a chase group of seven, including Wierer, by 22 seconds but that was down to just 16 seconds by the conclusion of the second prone.

As Hauser dropped away, Dahlmeier extended her lead by the time she reached the first standing stage with some strong skiing but shot slowly on the range and missed her final shot – allowing Wierer and Vittozzi, who shot rapidly and cleanly, to overhaul the German and establish a 21.4-second advantage.

The Italian duo shot fast on the final range, incurring a penalty apiece, and Wierer left with a 7.6-second lead over her compatriot and the clean-shooting Dahlmeier.

The home favourite then put the hammer down on the final skiing loop to cruise to victory, while Dahlmeier pulled away from Vittozzi with 400 metres left to take silver – six seconds behind the winner – as the second Italian took bronze.

It was just Wierer's second World Cup win of the season but her consistency means she leads the overall standings on 592 points, with Vittozzi 24 points behind.

Sportsbeat 2019