Biathlon · International
Lou Jeanmonnot wins Oberhof pursuit as Elvira Oberg climbs from 37th to third
Jeanmonnot won with one miss on 11 January, while Oberg's 34-place rise produced an exceptional pursuit podium.
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Jeanmonnot regains control in standing
Lou Jeanmonnot returned to the top of the Biathlon World Cup podium in the women's 10 km pursuit at Oberhof on 11 January 2025. Starting seventh, the French athlete missed once in the first prone stage and then hit her remaining 15 targets. Her two clean standing visits proved decisive as the leading positions changed around her. Sprint winner Paula Botet and Maren Kirkeeide each collected two penalties at the second prone, allowing Julia Simon to move ahead. Simon then missed four times in the first standing stage, and Jeanmonnot took command. The winner described the result as a welcome response to disappointing races at her home World Cup in December. She also moved into the lead of the World Cup pursuit standings.
Kirkeeide holds second while the top six stay close
The official final results put Jeanmonnot first in 31:14.9. Kirkeeide maintained the second place she had earned in the sprint, finishing 18.1 seconds behind with two misses. Elvira Oberg took third at 26.2 seconds, just 2.7 seconds ahead of Oceane Michelon. The closest finish among the leaders came for fifth: Selina Grotian crossed in 31:48.5, one tenth ahead of Jeanne Richard. Milena Todorova was seventh, followed by Suvi Minkkinen in eighth. The eight leading athletes all finished within 39.9 seconds of Jeanmonnot, so relatively small differences at the range mattered throughout the final loops. Braisaz-Bouchet placed ninth and Simon tenth, illustrating how the pursuit reordered a strong French contingent without removing it from the upper reaches of the result.
Oberg's recovery was built one shooting visit at a time
The Swedish federation's detailed account traces Oberg's rise from 37th on the start line. She gained seven places on the opening lap and left the first shooting visit 23rd after a clean prone series. Another set of five hits took her to 15th, and strong skiing brought her still closer before the first standing. Her third clean series moved her to sixth. Oberg then reached the final shooting visit in fifth, with the podium within reach, but one miss sent her out for the last lap in seventh. The recovery was not complete until the final climb, where she passed four rivals and established herself in third. Sweden reported that she was fastest overall on the course and fastest on the final lap. Her eventual podium therefore combined 19 successful shots with the repeated skiing gains needed to erase a poor starting position.
A record-setting pursuit transformation
The IBU later confirmed that Oberg's move from 37th to a podium exceeded the previous women's World Cup benchmark, a rise from 32nd to third by Florence Baverel-Robert in Oslo in the 1999/2000 season. Oberhof thus produced two linked achievements: Jeanmonnot's controlled win at the front and a historically large recovery behind her. The result also left the overall title race open, with Franziska Preuss still leading as the circuit moved toward Ruhpolding.
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