Biathlon: Giacomel fights for the podium but is fifth in the Pursuit, JT Boe dominates in Pokljuka

One mistake too many at the last polygon deprives the blue of the joy of the first podium in the World Cup which now seems mature in a race where Johannes Boe demolishes the competition with an abysmal gap and puts a rich mortgage on the crystal ball .

Saturday 7 January 2023 6 minutes reading time

Before leaving room for the medley relays on Sunday, the men's Pursuit closes the program of the individual races of the Pokljuka World Cup stage. In the Sprint of the eve, Johannes Thingnes Boe has established a very large advantage of a couple of mistakes over the rest of the world while in the group of the first pursuers there is also Tommaso Giacomel ready to fight for the first podium of his career. Wearing the Giallorossi bib, the twenty-nine-year-old Norwegian champion arrives at the first shooting range with more than a minute advantage and after 5/5 he exits before the first pursuers enter. Laegreid and Tarjei Boe are not wrong and find themselves at 1.01.4, no errors also for Lapshin, Giacomel and Fillon Maillete at one minute and twenty seconds. Didier Bionaz goes through a penalty lap, twenty-fifth at 2.42.7, and an error also arrives for Patrick Braunhofer who is at 3.16.5. The script does not change and Johannes Boe enters the second polygon with a 75 second advantage and concedes an error, he is not wrong, in the season he has only missed one target on the ground, Laegreid who drops below a minute behind. Tarjei Boe, Giacomel (a 10/10 for him on the ground) and Fillon Maillet are not wrong either, who are just over a minute away and have at least half a minute ahead of the rest of the group. In the first standing session, Johannes allows himself the thrill of making a mistake on the first target to then continue straight on like a Frecciarossa and exit the penalty loop well before the first shot from his pursuers. Giacomel and Fillon Maillet compete in fast shooting and chase without making a mistake at 55 seconds, Tarjei Boe is 5 seconds further back. Laegreid who misses twice is fifth at 1.25.0 and continues to be a four-way race for the two lowest steps of the podium. The Giallorossi high-speed train continues its run and makes no mistakes in a final series at the end of which it allows itself to celebrate but it is a duel to the death for second position. Giacomel puts pressure on Fillon Maillet forcing him to make a mistake but in turn runs into two mistakes. Fillon Maillet is second at 1.21.8, Tarjei Boe is chasing him at 12 seconds, Laegreid at 13 and Giacomel at 22. Tarjei Boe reaches and passes Fillon Maillet who, however, counterattacks in the last lap while Johannes Thingnes Boe (0-1-1-0) wins hands down with a 1.04.9 lead over Quentin Fillon Maillet (0-0-0 -1) who gets on the podium for the first time at 1.04.9. Third place for Tarjei Boe (0-0-0-1) at 1.06.6 and fourth Sturla Holm Laegreid (0-0-2-0) at 1.17.8. Tommaso Giacomel (0-0-0-2) at 1.31.0 is fifth, with his best career result, sixth is Vetle Christiansen (1-0-1-0) at 1.48.9 and seventh is Filip Andersen (1- 0-0-0) to 1.53.8. Sixth Norwegian in the top ten with the eighth position is Johannes Dale (2-0-0-1) at 2.02.0, ninth Lapshin (0-2-0-0) at 2.04.1 and tenth Hartweg (0-0 -0-0) to 2.12.8. Didier Bionaz (1-1-0-0) is twenty-fourth at 3.25.2 and in points, thirty-sixth, also Patrick Braunhofer (1-0-0-0) at 4.31.4. David Zingerle (1-0-1-3) closes in fifty-eighth position at 7.56.7

Social media engagement