Biathlon: Puff Misses European Championship Medal in the Sprint

Biathlon: Puff Misses European Championship Medal in the Sprint

As of 31 January 2025, 19:07 local time, German biathlete Johanna Puff, fresh off her European Championship gold in the individual race, could not replicate her success in the sprint event over 7.5 kilometers. Although Puff was impeccable at both the prone and standing shooting stages, her overall performance was not enough to secure a podium finish and she ended up in seventh place.

Swedish athlete Anna Karin Heijdenberg won the sprint with a time of 21:43.1 minutes, leaving the French competitor Amandine Mengin, who had one shooting error, 49.3 seconds behind. The bronze medal went to the Latvian Baiba Bendika, who despite two errors, finished just 0.1 second behind Mengin.

Among the men, both Lucas Fratzscher and David Zobel finished simultaneously in 25:28.3 minutes after each incurring a shooting error, resulting in a tie for ninth place with an additional 24.7 seconds added to their time. The top positions in the men's race were claimed by the Norwegians; Sivert Guttorm Bakken took gold with a time of 25:03.6 minutes, closely followed by his compatriot Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, who finished 6.6 seconds later, while Frederik Mühlbacher secured the bronze, 10.2 seconds adrift.

Additional reports highlighted hopes around other German biathletes as the season progressed, with a reference to upcoming challenges in securing a spot for the World Championships.