The climax of the Biathlon World Cup is now underway in Oslo. The men’s sprint race took place yesterday, with Frenchman Eric Perrot claiming the overall cup title. Read also the comments from Finnish athletes about the race.

The overall victory in the men’s Biathlon World Cup was decided on Friday when Frenchman Eric Perrot sealed the cup championship with a third-place finish in the sprint race at Oslo’s Holmenkollen. For Finland, the season’s final sprint did not go well, with Tero Seppälä finishing as the best at 28th place.

The sprint race on Friday was won by Norway’s Sturla Holm Lægreid, who finished 3.9 seconds ahead of France’s Emilien Jacquelin and 4.6 seconds ahead of Perrot. Each of them incurred one penalty. The sprint cup competition was extremely tight, as Lægreid and Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson ended up tied on points. Lægreid took the cup victory after winning two races, while Samuelsson managed just one win.

Alongside Seppälä, Tuomas Harjula (41st in the sprint) and Arttu Heikkinen (42nd) qualified for Saturday’s pursuit race. Olli Hiidensalo (79th) and Otto Invenius (84th) were eliminated from the pursuit.

Tero Seppälä incurred two penalties from the prone position but shot cleanly from the standing position, finishing 1 minute and 48 seconds behind the winner.

“It wasn’t a very good day. The standing shooting was the most positive aspect of the day. I tried to push myself on the course, but the gaps were significant. We weren’t at a good level with our skis today. The two penalties in prone shooting are frustrating, as they cost me a chance for a better placement,” Seppälä lamented.

Tuomas Harjula finished 41st in the sprint, shooting one penalty from the prone position and clearing the standing position cleanly. He finished 2 minutes and 7 seconds behind the winner.

“I felt good, but the clock didn’t agree. The result is unsatisfactory,” Harjula summed up.

Arttu Heikkinen secured a spot in the pursuit as the third Finnish man, finishing 42nd in the sprint. He shot cleanly from the prone position but incurred one penalty from the standing position, finishing 2 minutes and 8 seconds behind the winner.

“The conditions were quite tough today, skiing in slush. The shooting was decent. My skiing feeling wasn’t extremely good, but it was about what I expected given the conditions at this time of year. We’ll head out tomorrow to fight,” Heikkinen stated.

Olli Hiidensalo placed 79th in the competition. He shot three penalties from the prone position and one from the standing position, finishing 3 minutes and 13 seconds behind the winner.

“The prone shooting was poor, there’s no denying that. Whenever I miss, it’s my own mistake. The conditions didn’t cause any errors today, and I don’t know the reason for the misses. I tried to push myself afterward, but my fighting spirit was left on the prone mat. The international season is wrapped up with this race,” Hiidensalo reported.

“The fourth place at the Olympics stands out most from the season. It was incredibly tough. The best Finnish result in twenty years, until Suvi improved it by a notch. Still, it’s the best men’s result in a long time. I’ve managed to perform well throughout the season. Even though I missed some races, I’m around the thirtieth spot in the overall cup. Overall, the season has been solid,” he concluded.

Otto Invenius finished 84th. He shot one penalty from the prone position and two from the standing position, finishing 3 minutes and 24 seconds behind the winner. – It was a challenging race. Everything felt off. I haven’t been able to get back in shape after being ill, Invenius lamented.

“The positives from the season include the Olympics. I was healthy before and during the competitions. It’s enjoyable when you’re in good shape. Health is the most important thing, and this year it hasn’t been great,” he shared.

The men’s and women’s pursuit races will take place at Holmenkollen on Saturday.

Read the race results here.

Text: STT Urheilu/Matilda Suhonen/Teemu Virtanen