Annecy World Cup mass start: Sharpshooter Strelow pipped on the line

Justus Strelow produced a near-perfect biathlon in the first men’s mass start of the winter in Annecy–Le Grand-Bornand, missing no targets and positioning himself for a rare World Cup podium. After 15 grueling kilometers and 20/20 shooting, the 28‑year‑old German started the final lap in third place but faded in the finishing straight, where Norway’s Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen sprinted past to take the final podium spot. Strelow placed fourth, just 0.5 seconds off the podium.

Tommaso Giacomel of Italy claimed a clear victory in 33:35.1 with one penalty, breaking away after the third shooting and cleaning the final standing stage to seal the win. France’s Eric Perrot also shot clean to secure second place, while Christiansen recovered from two early misses to reel in Strelow on the last lap.

The race began with Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson setting a high early pace. Germany’s athletes focused on stabilizing their shooting after a difficult pursuit the day before. Strelow and Philipp Nawrath both cleaned the first prone quickly, keeping them near the front. Philipp Horn incurred one penalty, and David Zobel took two early loops, dropping to the back.

Strelow continued his flawless day through the second prone and the first standing, staying with leaders Giacomel and Perrot as Samuelsson and Martin Ponsiluoma slipped back with two penalties each. Giacomel then accelerated before the final shooting, opened a gap, and hit five more to ski unchallenged to the finish. Perrot and Strelow also cleaned, but while Perrot held a safe margin, Christiansen’s late charge erased a 17‑second deficit to deny Strelow a podium.

Germany’s other results: Horn finished 16th with four penalties, Nawrath 22nd with four, and Zobel 25th with three. Despite the narrow miss, Strelow called it a strong race and a welcome "early Christmas present" after recent struggles.