– NRK expert Ola Lundy said after the standing Tandrevold series at the WC race on Friday in Nove Mesto that she simply could not handle the pressure.
In the final shot, Tandrevold was just a few seconds behind leader Julia Simon. Thus, the final round could have been an exciting golden duel with Full House, but instead it was a failure. And prosperity. And prosperity.
– This is a complete crack here, says NRK commentator Jan Post.
Three rounds sent Tandrevold out of the gold and medal match, and she was a minute and a half behind Simon.
– For my part, perhaps the heart wanted a little more than the body, says Tandrevold to NRK.
As the chase got underway on Sunday, it was still important that the distance to the finish was as small as possible.
Tandrevold, on the other hand, lost 36.1 seconds on the final lap, and was almost two minutes behind gold medal winner Simon at the finish line. Fossum's athlete finished 25th, his poorest position of the season.
– I opened too hard and I think I might have overestimated myself a little bit with the way I was. It was a bit difficult to stand while filming, and I couldn't stay focused. Then it was completely empty in the final round, unfortunately, Tandrevold says.
Worst of the Season: Tandrevold finished 25th in the WC race.
Photo: BuildBerron
– I have to be honest and say that I simply missed getting rid of today. It was just me. It's embarrassing, but there's no one to blame but me, she continues.
There are no Norwegians nearby
Among the Norwegians, Tandervold was the biggest favorite before the start, but there were also expectations for Caroline Naughten and Johnny Arnecliffe, who have been on the podium in the sprint races this season.
They were far from that in Friday's race.
The best Norwegian was Arnekleiv in 14th place. The Dombas woman shot one strip. But he was still more than a minute and a half behind the gold medal winner.
Best Norwegian: Johnny Arneklev finished 14th.
Image: NTP
– It was very difficult. It was a war and the distances were quite large. “90 percent of the shooting is good, but not quite as fast as I would have liked,” Arnecliffe tells NRK.
Knotten was No. 33 with two misses, more than two minutes behind Simon.
“It's the worst sprint I've done all year,” Naughton tells NRK.
Like Tandrevold, Ida Lien failed three times on a standing shot, finishing just two minutes behind in 22nd place.
Thus, the four Norwegian women have been given a very difficult starting point before the World Cup hunt begins on Sunday.
Disappointed: Caroline Naughton thought she ran her worst sprint of the year against the sea of people in the Czech Republic.
Image: NTP
Favorites come true: – Feels like a dream
Favorite Julia Simon actually started in second place, and the Frenchwoman got off to a perfect start with five strokes on the prone shot.
She continued with five new shots in the standing shot, and put real pressure on the competitors in the golden match.
-It's the best speed she's done in a long time. “That would be pretty good,” Post says.
– He could be the world champion we saw in the Stand There series, says NRK expert Torgeir Björn.
Delivered: Julia Simon fired ten of the ten hits in the WC race.
Photo: Reuters
Simone has not been on the podium in a sprint since a second place in Pokljuka last January, but Friday's WC race was also the first time she has shot a full house over the distance since then.
“Not many people punish Simone when she shoots flawlessly,” Post commented.
Fassett showed that there was no one who could punish him. The French woman thus won her second individual World Cup gold medal – the first in the sprint.
-He feels crazy. I got a little emotional. It feels like I'm in a dream, Simon tells NRK.
A new French day of joy
For the French camp, it was another great day during the Biathlon World Cup. After the gold medal in the opening distance mixed relay on Wednesday, the women continued with the sprint race.
The gold medal ended with Simone, 4.9 seconds ahead of Justine Presaz Bouchet. Bronze-placed Lou Jeanmonnot claimed his first World Cup medal, while Sophie Chauveau secured a French quadruple.
– A bad day for the French national team. It's sick to think about it. For me it's completely unbelievable. I'm very happy. amazing. I don't have another word for it. It's wild, Simon says.
WC continues on NRK 1 with Men's race Saturday at 17:05.
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