Ponsiluoma wins Olympic pursuit after final shooting turnaround

Martin Ponsiluoma won Olympic men’s 12.5-kilometre biathlon pursuit after overturning a large deficit at the final standing stage. The Swedish athlete started seventh and incurred only one penalty, moving into first when leader Émilien Jacquelin missed two targets.

Norway’s Sturla Holm Lægreid took silver, 20.6 seconds behind, with Jacquelin earning bronze, 29.7 back. Ponsiluoma had arrived at the final shooting nearly forty seconds behind the Frenchman before clean shooting changed the medal contest.

Éric Perrot finished fourth, just eight tenths behind Jacquelin, while Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal placed fifth and sixth. The victory gave Ponsiluoma his first Olympic medal, rewarding two clean standing stages following his earlier prone penalty.