Biathlon
Kirkeeide wins women’s mass start in Le Grand-Bornand: “A class apart”
December 21, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide claimed her first World Cup victory by winning the women’s 12.5 km mass start in Le Grand‑Bornand, France, after a decisive final lap. She missed once on the opening prone, then cleaned the remaining stages to outsprint French stars Lou Jeanmonnot and Justine Braisaz‑Bouchet, while Camille Bened faded to fourth. The race capped the last World Cup weekend before Christmas, with icy conditions and a roaring home crowd of about 30,000.
Annecy World Cup mass start: Sharpshooter Strelow pipped on the line
December 21, 2025 / Sportschau
Germany’s Justus Strelow shot a perfect 20/20 and was in podium position entering the final stretch of the men’s mass start in Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand, but Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen surged past in the last meters to push him to fourth by 0.5 seconds. Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel won decisively in 33:35.1 (1 penalty) ahead of France’s Eric Perrot (0), while Germany’s Philipp Horn, Philipp Nawrath and David Zobel finished 16th, 22nd and 25th respectively after multiple penalties.
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Maren Kirkeeide claims first World Cup victory; Giacomel wins men’s mass start
December 21, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide earned her maiden biathlon World Cup win in the women’s mass start at Le Grand-Bornand after out-sprinting French stars Justine Braisaz‑Bouchet and Lou Jeanmonnot, having closed down leader Camille Bened on the final lap. Later, Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel won the men’s mass start ahead of Eric Perrot, with Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen storming the last loop to take third. The piece also notes strong Norwegian results, Olympic selection timing, and that Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold skipped the race.
Biathlon: Elvira Öberg’s setback — three misses in the first shooting
December 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
Elvira Öberg’s difficult start to the season continued in the women’s mass start at Le Grand-Bornand, where she missed three shots in the opening prone and left the range last, 1:09 behind the leader. Shooting coach Jean‑Marc Chabloz said her group was far right, likely due to body position on the mat, while Öberg, who otherwise felt physically good, lamented the costly start. She finished 19th with five total misses, 1:23 behind winner Maren Kirkeeide.
Biathlon: Samuelsson and Ponsiluoma shoot themselves out of contention in the mass start
December 21, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsiluoma were in podium contention midway through the men’s mass start in Le Grand-Bornand, France, but multiple penalties in the latter shootings dropped them out of the medals. Samuelsson finished 9th with three misses, 55 seconds behind winner Tommaso Giacomel, while Ponsiluoma ended 11th with five total misses. SVT expert Mona Brorsson lamented the missed Swedish opportunity, as Jesper Nelin struggled to 27th after five misses.
Biathlon World Cup: ageless Wierer third in France in the pursuit
December 20, 2025 / La Gazzetta dello Sport
Dorothea Wierer finished third in the women’s 10 km pursuit at the IBU World Cup stop in Le Grand-Bornand, behind winner Lou Jeanmonnot and Suvi Minkkinen. Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi was sixth and Rebecca Passler 13th, while the men’s pursuit was won by Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn with Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel climbing to 15th.
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Candid Tandrevold: “I’m really angry with myself” after Annecy pursuit
December 20, 2025 / Eurosport Norway
Norway’s Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold lamented two misses on the final standing stage that dropped her to 24th in the women’s pursuit at Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot won ahead of Suvi Minkkinen and Dorothea Wierer, while Maren Kirkeeide led the Norwegians in 12th. With the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics approaching, NRK commentator Torgeir Bjørn said Norway’s women’s Olympic roster is already taking shape.
Biathlon: Norway’s breakout star Johan‑Olav Botn was once left out — considered switching to Sweden
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norwegian biathlete Johan‑Olav Botn, now leading the overall World Cup and wearing the yellow bib with three wins this season, says he was not given a single World Cup start last year despite dominating the IBU Cup. During that period he seriously considered changing nationality to compete for Sweden and even spoke with a Swedish coach. His rapid rise this winter underscores how close he came to leaving Norway after the snub.
Biathlon World Cup: Veteran Eder shines again – Hauser impresses
December 20, 2025 / Kronen Zeitung (krone.at)
At the Annecy (Le Grand-Bornand) World Cup pursuits, Austria’s Lisa Hauser finished 8th with one penalty, 48.1 seconds behind winner Lou Jeanmonnot, while 42‑year‑old Simon Eder shot clean and climbed to 9th, 1:18.6 behind Johan‑Olav Botn. Eder celebrated his first World Cup top‑10 since spring 2023, and Hauser called her charge from 20th in the sprint to 8th in the pursuit “almost like an unofficial World Cup win.” Teammate Anna Andexer took 26th and also qualified for Sunday’s mass start.
Johan‑Olav Botn praised after pursuit victory: “Incredible”
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the men’s biathlon pursuit in Le Grand‑Bornand after shooting clean, claiming his third World Cup victory and extending his lead in the overall standings. France’s Émilien Jacquelin was second and Norway’s Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third, while Swedes Sebastian Samuelsson and Martin Ponsiluoma placed fifth and sixth after early shooting troubles. Botn celebrated in a quirky way, joking that he’d been told he doesn’t celebrate enough.
Botn triumphs in pursuit: “Raw to watch”
December 20, 2025 / NRK Sport
Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the men’s 12.5 km pursuit at the Biathlon World Cup in Le Grand‑Bornand with a flawless 20/20 on the range, delighting a record crowd of 21,000. Teammate Sivert Bakken revealed he had predicted in summer that Botn was the world’s best biathlete, while Ola Lunde praised Botn’s current shooting level as among the best he has seen. Émilien Jacquelin finished second and Johannes Dale‑Skjevdal third; other Norwegians included Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (7th), Sturla Holm Lægreid (8th), Sivert Bakken (18th) and Isak Frey (36th).
Biathlon: Sebastian Samuelsson’s shooting collapse in Annecy: “It’s crazy”
December 20, 2025 / SVT Sport
Sebastian Samuelsson started the pursuit in Annecy as sixth but missed three shots in his first prone, dropping to 18th before recovering to finish fifth. Coach Jean‑Marc Chabloz called the early shooting “crazy” and hard to explain. Norway’s Johan‑Olav Botn won the race, his third victory of the season; Martin Ponsiluoma was sixth and had the second‑fastest ski time behind Samuelsson.