Biathlon · International
Paula Botet wins first Biathlon World Cup race in wet Oberhof sprint
France's Botet hit all ten targets to win on 9 January, ahead of two fellow first-time World Cup podium finishers.
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Botet's promotion delivers an immediate win
Paula Botet converted her return to the Biathlon World Cup into a first victory at Oberhof on 9 January 2025. The French athlete completed the women's 7.5 km sprint without a missed target as rain, strong wind and soft snow made the opening race of the calendar year unusually demanding. It was her first World Cup appearance of this season, following an IBU Cup campaign that had already produced six individual podiums and two wins. The success therefore followed competitive momentum at the level below the World Cup, rather than an uninterrupted run on the top circuit. Botet's previous best World Cup result had been 21st in 2022. At 24, she made a substantial leap in one afternoon, keeping her shooting together even as the conditions left her cold and wet.
A podium that changed three careers
The official result records Botet's winning time as 22:52.8. Norway's Maren Kirkeeide finished second in 23:23.9, a deficit of 31.1 seconds, after one miss in prone and a clean standing stage. Bulgaria's Milena Todorova placed third, 35.0 seconds back, with her single penalty coming in standing. The top three consequently represented three countries and three different shooting profiles: Botet was the only one to avoid the penalty loop altogether. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet remained close enough to finish fourth despite three misses, 40.3 seconds behind. Suvi Minkkinen was fifth at 47.8 seconds, followed by Oceane Michelon at 49.9. Lou Jeanmonnot finished seventh, giving France four athletes among the first seven and several strong starting positions for the subsequent pursuit.
Finland's depth strengthened behind the medal places
The Finnish federation highlighted a broader team performance behind Minkkinen's fifth place: all four Finnish women finished among the top 30. Sonja Leinamo achieved a career-best eighth after hitting both sets of targets. She described the result as surprising because she had initially been focused on securing a pursuit start. Her clean shooting and improved skiing combined to put her well inside the leading group. Venla Lehtonen finished 23rd even after three standing misses, while Inka Hamalainen reached 30th and earned her first World Cup points. Minkkinen was pleased with a controlled effort that grew stronger toward the finish, although one standing error cost her time. Those accounts give the result a second dimension beyond Botet's breakthrough: several athletes used a difficult race to establish new competitive reference points, and Finland left the sprint with every starter qualified to contest the pursuit.
The breakthrough extended across the whole podium
The IBU's later Oberhof review identified Botet, Kirkeeide and Todorova as first-time World Cup podium finishers. That distinction is central to the race's place in the January schedule. The podium was not simply another exchange of positions among established winners: every athlete standing on it had reached a new career milestone. The federation included all three in its Athlete of the Week ballot, reflecting the breadth of the breakthrough. For Botet, the most immediate achievement remained concrete and measurable: a promotion from the IBU Cup, ten successful shots and victory in the first women's World Cup race of 2025.
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