Johannes Thingnes Boe misses out on magnificent seven as France take relay win at World Championships

BySportsbeat

Updated 18/02/2023 at 15:58 GMT

Norwegians settle for silver, while Italy women also take gold. Boe had won three individual golds to go with two more in the relays, leaving him the possibility of scooping all seven in Oberhof. However, even the great Norwegian could not close the gap on last year's overall crystal globe winner Quentin Fillon-Maillet, who cruised home to win by 27.3 seconds.

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France denied Johannes Thingnes Boe the chance of a clean sweep of gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships thanks to victory in the men's 4x7.5km relay.

Boe had won three individual golds to go with two more in the relays, leaving him the possibility of scooping all seven in Oberhof.

However, even the great Norwegian could not close the gap on last year's overall crystal globe winner Quentin Fillon-Maillet, who cruised home to win by 27.3 seconds.

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In a thrilling race, France started strongly through Antonin Guigonnat and Fabien Claude to sit just 1.4 seconds behind leaders the Czech Republic at the halfway stage.

Norway, meanwhile, were more than a minute further back following Tarjei Boe's penalty on the standing shoot.

The Czechs were still first going into the final leg, France losing a little ground when Emilien Jacquelin also needed a penalty loop on the standing shoot.

But that advantage was quickly wiped out when Jonas Marecek had to ski two penalty loops on the prone shoot.

Fillon Maillet, by contrast, missed just one target over his two shoots, to maintain the 38-second advantage he had over Boe to take the gold.

After a difficult year for the Frenchman, the joy of World Championship success was overwhelming.

He said: "It is so, so good; so much emotion. I know the fight with Norway is so hard at this moment. My colleagues made a perfect relay and I finished the work. I am so happy. Thank you to all of my teammates; amazing."

Boe came home to take the silver for Norway, while Sweden completed the podium at the expense of the Czechs.

Meanwhile, in the women's 4x6km relay, Italy denied Germany a gold medal on home snow thanks to some brilliant shooting from Lisa Vittozzi.

Taking over on the final lap in the lead thanks to the work of Samuela Comola, Dorothea Wierer and Hannah Auchentaller, Vittozzi hit ten from ten to hold off the challenge of Denise Herrmann-Wick.

In fact, the Italians missed just two targets across the entire race to take the victory by 24.7 seconds from the Germans.

Sweden rounded out the podium, Hanna Oeberg perfect on the standing shoot to stay clear of Julia Simon and France.

Biathlon