Biathlon: Hauser ruins the French party in the Mass Start of Annecy, Wierer twelfth

There are five French biathletes in the first eight of the mass start of Le Grand Bornand with a challenge at the last polygon between the Chevalier sisters but Lisa Hauser surprises everyone with her second victory of the season. Setback by Dorothea and Vittozzi, twenty-third, who remain outside the top ten at the finish line.

Sunday 18 December 2022 5 minutes reading time

The sun greets the start of the first women's Mass Start of the season in Le Grand Bornand where the track conditions seem more regular than those recorded yesterday with some biathletes heavily penalized by their equipment. It is the overflowing Julia Simon of this period who takes on the task of dictating the pace in the first round with Lisa Vittozzi in the top positions and Dorothea Wierer in the belly of the group. At the first polygon, Hanna Oeberg, Herrmann, Colombo and Linn Persson and Lisa Vittozzi were wrong twice. The fastest shooting was Simon who gains a few seconds on the others, Wierer (5/5) is at 9.3 seconds, Vittozzi at 50.8. In the second lap a group of a dozen biathletes forms with the Norwegian Tandrevold leading the dance while Vittozzi and Persson still lose a few seconds. In the second session on the ground, Julia Simon and Davidova make mistakes. At the head of the race remain Elvira Oeberg, Hauser, Anais Chevalier and Tandrevold. Wierer, Magnusson and Fialkova are six seconds behind while two more mistakes by Vittozzi arrive at 1.44.0. Dorothea tries to get back to the front but her action is unsuccessful and her small group shows up at the first polygon standing up with a delay of about ten seconds. The leading quartet split after the shot; Anais Chevalier is not wrong, she finds herself 7 seconds ahead of Magnusson and 9 over her sister Chloe. Tandrevold, Elvira Oeberg and Hauser are 20 seconds behind, Dorothea Wierer 25 seconds after a penalty lap. Julia Simon is still wrong and is at 32 seconds while Lisa Vittozzi scores a 5/5 at 1.41.9. With Magnusson collapsing on skis, an unprecedented couple formed by the Chevalier sisters forms in the lead, separated by about ten seconds. Both Anais and Chloe are wrong while Hauser is not wrong, who comes out with a 7 second advantage over Anais Chevalier and Julia Simon. Chloe is at 24 seconds, Elvira Oeberg after a penalty loop at 25 with Magnusson, Jeanmonnot and Chauveau. Another mistake for Dorothea Wierer who is ninth at 32 seconds. In the last lap Elvira Oeberg makes a desperate attempt to conquer the podium while the Austrian flies towards her second victory of the season. Hauser (0-0-1-0) prevails with 12.3 seconds on Julia Simon (0-1-1-0) and 14.3 on Anais Chevalier (0-0-0-1). Fourth place for Elvira Oeberg (0-0-1-1) at 15.8 while Sophie Chauveau (1-0-1-0) conquers the best placement in her short career with fifth place at 22.6. Sixth the transalpine Jeanmonnot (0-1-1-0) at 27.2, seventh Magnusson (0-0-0-1) at 30.6, eighth Chloe Chevalier (0-0-0-1). The Norwegian Femsteinevik (1-0-0-1) is ninth at 47.9 seconds and Tabdrevold (0-0-1-2) is tenth at 51.5 Dorothea Wierer (0-0-1-1) is twelfth at 53.0 while Vittozzi (2-2-0-1) is twenty-third at 1.55.0.

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