Baiba Bendika Photo: Edijs Pālens / LETA
Latvian biathlete Baiba Bendika took 40th place in the ten-kilometer round of the eighth stage of the World Cup in Kontiolahti on Sunday, while Tiril Ekhofa from Norway celebrated the victory. German Denise Hermane started the chase first, but Ekhof went second with a five-second deficit. Hermane erred in the first shot while lying down, while Ekhof shot accurately and became the leader.
Before the last shooting, Echof’s advantage over Herman was 44 seconds, or about two laps. Until then, the Norwegian, who shot flawlessly, did not close two goals, but his closest competitors were also inaccurate, so Ekhoa retained the first place, finishing in 31 minutes and 40.8 seconds.
The second place was won by the Italian Dorothea Virere, who was 100% accurate in the line of fire and lost 15.9 seconds to the winner. Another 3.6 seconds later, Hermane crossed the finish line, measuring three free laps. Bendika started chasing 41st less than two minutes behind Herman. Cēsis made a mistake in each of the shooting, but standing up in the first line of fire closed all targets, which allowed to rise to the 38th place. However, in the last shooting, the Latvian did not shoot two goals and retreated to the 41st place, regaining one position and reaching the point by the finish.
At the finish, Bendika lost three minutes and 39 seconds to the winner. Later, there will be a 12.5 km running race for men. The competition is less competitive, as disqualified Russian and Belarusian athletes are not starting due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After this World Cup, there will be a stage on the Otepää track in Estonia, which will take place there for the first time. The season will traditionally end in Oslo.
