Rapid-fire Lisa Vittozzi dazzles in Hochfilzen pursuit

Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi delivered a scorching comeback to win the women’s pursuit at the Hochfilzen Biathlon World Cup. Starting 14th, the Italian carved through the field with brilliant, lightning‑quick work on the range—completing all four shootings in a combined 85 seconds—and strong skiing to secure the victory.

Sweden’s overall World Cup leader Anna Magnusson exited the final shooting just after Vittozzi and chased hard but could not close the gap, finishing 11.4 seconds behind in second. Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide claimed third at +39.5 seconds.

Germany’s Anna Weidel produced a mixed performance. Although she began the race from eighth and incurred two early penalty loops, she shot clean in standing while many rivals faltered, vaulting her up to fourth after the last shooting. On the closing lap, however, the pace surged and she was repeatedly overtaken, ultimately placing tenth, 14 seconds off the podium. “I can feel it’s moving in the right direction,” Weidel told Sportschau, noting progress after a difficult opening in Östersund.

It was a difficult day for Vanessa Voigt, who slid from seventh to 29th. Despite two clean prone stages, her very deliberate shooting tempo—nearly twice as long as Vittozzi’s—prevented any gains, and three standing penalties pushed her far down the order. German teammates Marlene Fichtner (31st, 1 miss), Janina Hettich‑Walz (33rd, 2), Julia Tannheimer (42nd, 4), and Julia Kink (49th, 3) all started with sizable time deficits from the sprint and could not contend.

The victory underscores Vittozzi’s form and hallmark precision, while Magnusson retains the overall lead with another strong result. The Hochfilzen weekend also featured relay action and broader coverage of the women’s and men’s races.