Anna Magnusson: "I'm a bit shocked. I didn't expect it at all, but it's an incredible success"

Epic day for the women's biathlon that crowns Magnusson in front of everyone after so many difficult moments. The Swede overcomes the obstacle of victory and now leads the chase on Saturday. For France, try the sumptuous Sophie Chauveau, the "rookie" you don't expect.

Friday 16 December 2022 7 minutes reading time

The Swede Anna Magnusson is today's star in Le Grand Bornand thanks to her victory in the sprint ahead of her compatriot Linn Persson. An incredible result greatly conditioned by the great work done by the skimen. "I'm a bit shocked. I didn't expect it at all, but it's an incredible success; it's fantastic. I just tried to do my best on the last lap. I was a bit surprised when I was told that I was still a few seconds ahead of Denise Herrmann. But I had fantastic skis." In fact, the Swede not only had exceptional skis under her feet but in the last lap she went faster than a specialist like Denise Herrmman, finishing her by 5 seconds at the finish line. "I wasn't really thinking about winning, especially not in a sprint. I thought I had a better chance in the individual, in the pursuit or in the mass start" concluded the 27-year-old from Pithea to the microphones of SVT. For her it is the first victory in the major circuit and now she will have the honor of opening the Pursuit on Saturday. Surprisingly, the Oberg sisters are not ahead of their compatriots, but Linn Persson on the second step with as many seasonal podiums obtained in the same race format and thus completes the Swedish double. "I'm very happy, I saw that Anna (Magnusson) was in the lead and I thought today she's going really fast" Persson told SVT very emotional even as she embraced her teammate during the floral ceremony. The joy of the entire national team at this extraordinary result also comes from the national coach Johannes Lukas, almost incredulous and moved: "I'm really shaking. It's incredible. A really fantastic day. A fantastic match... indeed perfect. Anna who wins in CdM. She worked very hard to achieve this result and really did everything possible. Problems with her feet, bones and a hand injury. She almost thought about giving up. She fought against herself overcoming her limits. She deserves this result exceptional" comments Lukas enthusiastically, paying homage to Magnusson's tenacity. In addition to the Swede there is also room for the darling of the house, the young Sophie Chauveau fourth at the finish line with bib number 86 capable of keeping French hopes high in a bad day for Julia Simon. In just five races held in the CdM, the 23-year-old transalpine finished the race with a perfect 10 out of 10 shooting and upon arrival her compatriots made her a real party. Chaveau recounted his emotions to our colleagues at Nordic Mag in this way: "I left the range after the walking session and I burst into tears on the next descent. I wanted to do this 10/10. I did it and I knew I was in a good position because, throughout the race I was told that I was in the top 15. At that point I realized that I could achieve a good result. It's a track that suits me, with difficult conditions". At that point Chauveau gave all of herself on the last lap with the push of the French public. "Then, I realized that I could do something extraordinary! I cried as soon as I crossed the finish line, trying to contain my emotions as I looked forward" The last lap is always the most tiring but the young Chauveau even worried Persson and Hermann up to one km from the end: "I knew it would be tough, but I gave my all. From the second intermediate, downhill, I started to have really bad legs. I couldn't see very clearly anymore, so I was really afraid of falling. I wasted time, but I really enjoyed it, it was incredible." she commented to Nordic Mag. In fact, she will be among the first to leave for the chase after Magnusson, Persson and Herrmann-Wick less than 20 seconds behind the leader. After this fantastic women's sprint full of surprises and unexpected names, the Grand Bornand program includes the men's pursuit on Saturday 17 December starting at 12.10 and the women's pursuit at 14.15.