SALT LAKE CITY (voa) – Russian Olga Pyleva has come back from eighth place heading into the final leg of the competition to win the gold medal in the women’s biathlon 10-kilometer pursuit.
The 26-year-old Russian made up a deficit of one minute and three seconds and missed just one target on her way to the gold. She playfully stuck out her tongue at the TV cameras Saturday, as she crossed the line in 31 minutes, 7.7 seconds. Pyleva said she would have been happy with any medal, so winning a gold was wonderful.
Kati Wilhelm of Germany won the silver, 5.3 seconds back while Irina Nikoultchina of Bulgaria took the bronze, 8.1 seconds off the winning pace.
Five-time world champion Magdalena Forsberg of Sweden was in the lead until she had two misses at the final shooting station, pushing her back to a sixth-place finish. She won bronze medals in the other two women’s biathlon events.
MEN’S BIATHLON
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway has overcome two shooting errors to become the first biathlete to win three gold medals in the Winter Games, as he dominated the men’s 12.5 kilometer pursuit.
Bjoerndalen began Saturday’s event 29 seconds ahead of Germany’s Sven Fischer, based on results from Wednesday’s 10-K sprint. The Norwegian almost lost his lead after missing his first shot and having to ski a penalty loop. But the three-time Olympian made up the time on the Soldier Hollow course and cruised to a 43-second victory in a time of 32 minutes and 34.6 seconds.
Raphael Poiree of France won his first-ever Olympic medal as he captured the silver, while Ricco Gross of Germany took the sixth medal of his career by winning the bronze.
