Lisa Vittozzi: Italian claims first individual Biathlon World Championship gold in Nove Mesto

BySportsbeat

Published 13/02/2024 at 19:28 GMT

Italy's Lisa Vittozzi surged to her first Biathlon World Championship gold in Nove Mesto, beating Germany's Janina Hettich-Walz and France's Julia Simon to top the podium. Vittozzi was flawless on the range and was able to improve on the silver she won in the pursuit behind Simon, who added a bronze to three golds she has taken in Nove Mesto.

‘Sensational!’ – Vittozzi claims first Biathlon World Championship gold in Nove Mesto

Lisa Vittozzi claimed her first individual Biathlon World Championship gold medal as she shot clear to win the women's individual in Nove Mesto.

The Italian was flawless on the range to get the better of Germany's Janina Hettich-Walz and France's Julia Simon - who had already taken the sprint and pursuit titles in Czechia.

Simon led the way after three shoots but a miss on the final standing shoot opened the door for Vittozzi, whose speed over the final lap was enough to hold on for the victory by 20.5 seconds from Hettich-Walz, who also shot clear.

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The Italian has already shown her fine form at this event, taking silver behind Simon in the pursuit, and she was able to upgrade as the 29-year-old added a second gold to her collection after being part of the victorious women's relay in Oberhof a year ago.

Hettich-Walz took silver on a fine day for the German athletes, with three of the top five as Selina Grotian and Vanessa Voigt were also perfect on the range to take fourth and fifth respectively. The 27-year-old Hettich-Walz had never previously reached the podium at either the World Championships or on the World Cup circuit.

Despite having to settle for bronze, finishing 9.1 seconds behind Hettich-Walz, Simon continued her fine run at these Championships, taking her tally to three golds and a bronze in her four races in Nove Mesto.

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