New podium place slipped away for Knotten in final shooting – clear French victory

Karoline Knotten narrowly missed out on a podium finish after two missed shots in her final shooting round during the Hochfilzen event on Saturday. Despite having a strong position, her mistakes cost her dearly, allowing Lou Jeanmonnot to secure a clear victory with a flawless performance.

After a strong finish of 3rd place in Friday's sprint, Knotten entered the pursuit with high hopes. However, her chances diminished after she missed the last two shots, landing her in 10th place overall. "I had a tough day on the track and felt I lacked speed. The first three rounds went as planned, but I got a bit hasty on the last standing shot," she remarked to NRK after the race.

Knotten initially began 10 seconds behind the leading Franziska Preuss and had fallen back by double that distance following the first shooting round. Preuss maintained a strong pace, hitting all her targets during the prone shooting, while Knotten kept up with a flawless performance alongside Jeanmonnot.

Halfway through the 10-kilometer race, Preuss led with a significant 19.4-second advantage over Jeanmonnot, and Knotten was trailing about 40 seconds behind the German leader.

Unfortunately, two missed shots during the final round meant Knotten was unable to capitalize on her previously good performance. Vanessa Voigt came in 2nd, while Preuss managed to take 3rd despite missing three shots in total.

Looking ahead, Knotten expressed optimism about the upcoming relay competition, citing Norway's potential to surprise competitors. "We are outsiders, a true joker, and we have done well in relays before, so I’m positive about our chances," she commented regarding Norway’s prospects in the relay competition scheduled for Sunday.