Biathlon
Biathlon World Cup opener in Östersund: Germans off the pace
December 08, 2025 / Sportschau
Germany’s biathletes had a subdued start to the Olympic season in Östersund, collecting only two fourths, three eighths and one tenth place across individual and relay events and missing all podiums. Sporting director Felix Bitterling downplayed concerns, citing difficulty combining clean shooting and fast skiing on the same day, while athletes like Philipp Nawrath and Philipp Horn reflected contrasting form profiles. On the women’s side, Franziska Preuß struggled and fell ill, Julia Tannheimer showed speed but too many penalties in pursuit, and Vanessa Voigt climbed 22 places; the team targets rebounds in Hochfilzen with an eye on peaking for Antholz 2026.
Biathlon: Sebastian Samuelsson takes second in Östersund pursuit after late drama
December 07, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sebastian Samuelsson finished second in the men’s pursuit in Östersund after a tense final shooting and sprint. Quentin Fillon Maillet won by 6.7 seconds after cleaning the last shooting, while Johan-Olav Botn was third. Among the Swedes, Martin Ponsiluoma placed 12th, Malte Stefansson 15th, Viktor Brandt 25th, Jesper Nelin 42nd and Melker Nordgren 51st.
Winter sports: Another podium for Anna Magnusson – third in the Östersund pursuit
December 07, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sweden’s Anna Magnusson claimed third place in the women’s pursuit at the Biathlon World Cup in Östersund, following up her sprint podium two days earlier. Austria’s Lisa Hauser won after a strong final lap to overtake early leader Suvi Minkkinen, while Sweden’s Hanna Öberg surged 50 places to finish ninth.
Östersund pursuit: Giacomel just misses the podium as France’s Fillon Maillet wins
December 07, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel finished fourth in the men’s pursuit at the Östersund IBU World Cup opener after a last-standing miss denied him a podium. Quentin Fillon Maillet took the victory ahead of Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson and Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn, with Campbell Wright sixth and Lukas Hofer 16th. In the women’s pursuit, Lisa Vittozzi placed 11th and Dorothea Wierer, hampered by back issues late on, slipped after reaching the top six; Austria’s Lisa Hauser won ahead of Suvi Minkkinen and Anna Magnusson.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2025/12/07/image-f3e89717-b0c4-4c18-99d6-de391a732218-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Johan-Olav Botn after a dream week in Östersund: “A bit of a new situation for me”
December 07, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn capped a superb week in Östersund with third place in the men’s pursuit after winning the sprint the day before and claiming his first-ever World Cup victory in the earlier individual. He described the pursuit as tough with slow conditions and admitted mixed feelings at the finish, but said he was increasingly satisfied afterwards. With about two months to the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Botn leads the overall World Cup and is firmly in contention for a Norwegian team spot.
Biathlon: Lisa Hauser wins pursuit in Östersund
December 07, 2025 / Krone.at
Austria’s Lisa Hauser claimed her first World Cup victory in three years by winning the women’s 10 km pursuit in Östersund. Starting 4th after the sprint, she shot a perfect 20/20 and caught Finland’s Suvi Minkkinen after the final shooting, winning by 2.5 seconds; Sweden’s Anna Magnusson was third. It is Hauser’s sixth career World Cup win and her first since the Annecy mass start in 2022.
Comment: Norway’s young biathlon coach is a model — Finland should look to Norway for its next cross-country head coach too
December 06, 2025 / Yle
Yle’s Pekka Holopainen argues that Norway’s 27‑year‑old Erik Torneus Kulstad has transformed Finland’s biathlon program beyond expectations and that Finnish cross-country skiing should similarly recruit its next head coach from Norway. With Teemu Pasanen departing and veterans like Krista Pärmäkoski retiring, Finland faces a rebuild before Lahti 2029, making an external, Norwegian hire especially attractive.
Sprint in Östersund: Giacomel 8th at +38.3; Vittozzi and Wierer face a one-minute deficit for the Pursuit
December 06, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
At the Östersund IBU World Cup sprints, Finland’s Suvi Minkkinen and Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn took the wins. Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi and Dorothea Wierer each missed two targets and will start the Pursuit about one minute behind, while Tommaso Giacomel finished 8th at 38.3 seconds and is well placed to move up. Sunday’s Pursuit races are scheduled for 13:15 (women 10 km) and 15:20 (men 12.5 km).
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2025/12/06/image-6d6e011b-7bcf-4c10-b5e1-147b6f880590-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn wins again in the Östersund World Cup sprint; Martin Uldal second
December 06, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Johan-Olav Smørdal Botn captured his second straight World Cup victory in Östersund, winning the men’s sprint with perfect shooting to retain the yellow leader’s bib. Teammate Martin Uldal also shot clean to finish second, with France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet third. Sturla Holm Lægreid (4th), Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (6th) and Sivert Guttorm Bakken (7th) rounded out a dominant day for Norway ahead of Sunday’s pursuit races.
Youth and Character: What Lesser Criticises in German Biathlon
December 04, 2025 / sportschau.de
In a Sportschau winter-sports podcast Erik Lesser analyses why German biathlon results have become rarer at the top level and points to mental factors, depth of the talent pool and youth development. He praises some individual runners but says shooting calmness and a broader base of young athletes — like Norway has — are missing in Germany.
US biathlon secures best mixed relay result in four years
December 04, 2025 / Lake Placid News
Team USA finished sixth in the mixed relay at the IBU World Cup opener in Östersund, Sweden — the nation’s best result in the event since 2021 — with Maxime Germain, Campbell Wright, Chloe Levins and Deedra Irwin combining for the result. The U.S. men also placed fifth in the 4x7.5 km relay, their best since Soldier Hollow 2024, while the women’s relay took 16th to open the 2025–26 season.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2025/11/18/image-6d4fe478-5c71-4fd7-b4d4-f14cc765f094-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Anne Bünemann de Besche switches to Denmark and targets a Milan–Cortina 2026 Olympic berth
December 04, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norwegian-born biathlete Anne Bünemann de Besche, 25, has changed allegiance to Denmark and is aiming for a wildcard spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics. After podiums at Norway’s summer biathlon nationals and solid form in early-season races, she plans to use IBU Cup and select World Cup starts to meet criteria before the January 18 selection deadline. Denmark has added Norwegian shooting coach Svenn-Arne Nordheim and struck a waxing partnership with Germany as it builds towards long-term growth in the sport.