Biathlon Olympic champion Arnd Peiffer clinched a podium finish for the first time this winter as second in the sprint at the World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland. The 33-year-old only had to admit defeat to the also faultless Norwegian Tarjei Bø, 13.9 seconds back. Third over the ten kilometers went to overall World Cup winner Johannes Thingnes Bø from Norway, who made a mistake. For the German men it was the second podium finish in the third race of the season for Erik Lesser in the individual last Saturday after third place.
“I knew I was doing well. I was actually too aggressive, so I thought I couldn’t pull it off, «said Peiffer on ARD. Above all, he is “extremely happy that it went well at the shooting range this time. That worried me in the first sprint. “
Peiffer, who surprisingly won sprint gold at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, improved again after finishing 17th (individual) and seventh (sprint) on the opening weekend. The oldest athlete in the German team certainly brought all ten shots to the target and showed a convincing performance on the 2015 World Cup routes in eastern Finland.
His team mate Benedikt Doll made a shooting error and finished eighth, 50.9 seconds back. On Saturday the biathletes compete in the pursuit race over 12.5 kilometers, on Sunday the relay follows.
