Strong biathlete in the sprint – 4th place: Top result for Weger in Kontiolahti – Sport

• In the 10km sprint in Kontiolahti, Benjamin Weger shines with 4th place.
• The Valais hit the mark with all 10 shots.
• For women, Aita Gasparin is the best Swiss woman in 32nd place on 7.5 km.

The number 13 brought good luck to Benjamin Weger: the biathlete from Valais made an excellent performance in the Kontiolahti sprint and finished 4th in the 3rd race of the season, Weger missed the 5th podium of his career by 6.5 seconds.

Weger impressed on the cross-country ski trail and shone at the shooting range, where he took all 10 shots to the target. The 31-year-old veteran only had to admit defeat to Norwegian victor Tarjei Bö, his brother Johannes Tignes Bö (3rd) and German Arnd Peiffer (2nd).

The last time Weger ran in fourth place was the winter before the last one in the Nove-Mesto sprint in the Czech Republic. The last of his 4 podium rankings dates back to 9 years ago. At that time Weger also achieved 3rd place in the sprint at Kontiolahti.

18 points for Finello

Jeremy Finello also ran a good race in the shadow of Weger. The 28-year-old from Western Switzerland made two mistakes in the standings but finished 23rd. This not only entitles Finello to start the pursuit race on Saturday, but also brings Finello points to the 18 World Cup.

Swiss women lose the exploit

The Swiss were unable to take advantage of Weger and Finello’s performance in the 7.5km sprint. With a mistake, Aita Gasparin ran to 32nd place. Elisa Gasparin secured herself just below World Cup points as 36th.

Swedish World Cup leader Hanna Öberg won nearly 10 seconds ahead of French Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet. Elvira Öberg completed the podium. For the winner’s younger sister, it is the best result in the World Cup.