HOLMENKOLLEN (Nettavisen): A thrilling duel went down to the wire between Sturla Laegreid and Éric Perrot, with both athletes hitting 20 of 20 targets.
Laegreid secured the victory in a sprint to the finish.
“He is phenomenal, once again,” commented NRK veteran Ola Lunde.
Laegreid was also extremely pleased with his performance.
“It was a tough final lap, and then it came down to a sprint, which is my weakest side, but I managed to grab it,” a beaming Laegreid told NRK.
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Message About the King
Following his victory, Laegreid also achieved another milestone:
“I gain to meet the King for the first time, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
– What will you talk about?
“Maybe a little about biathlon and the team heading to the World Championships in football. We’ll see, he gets to steer the conversation,” said the victorious athlete.
CLOSE RACE: Sturla Holm Lægreid and Eric Perrot battled to the finish line. Photo: Thomas Fure (NTB)
After meeting with the King, Laegreid spoke with Nettavisen, revealing he began thinking about the potential meeting during Saturday’s race.
“Meeting him has been a big dream, and I’ve won in Kollen before, but not while he’s been here, so it was something I was thinking about heading into the final shooting,” he told Nettavisen.
– What did you talk about?
“We talked a little about how exciting today was, and then I remembered to send his greetings from everyone I know, and said that everyone is a huge fan of the King and the Royal House,” Laegreid said.
He added that the King and Queen were impressed with his recent results.
Johan-Olav Botn, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, and Isak Leknes Frey finished fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, while Sverre Dahlen Aspenes and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal ended in 14th and 16th place. Martin Uldal came in 21st.
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Intense Duel
Laegreid topped the podium in Friday’s sprint, securing a new World Cup victory, the sprint cup, and the right to start first in Saturday’s pursuit.
The in-form athlete held a four-second lead over Émilien Jacquelin and a five-second advantage over Éric Perrot, and it quickly became clear that the race would be a head-to-head battle between Laegreid and the latter.
Both Laegreid and Perrot shot clean through the first three stages, building a lead of over 25 seconds on Jaquelin.
“That’s a level!” exclaimed NRK’s Ole Kristian Stoltenberg after the final shooting stage.
“It’s an enormous level they’re performing at,” added Ola Lunde.
The two contenders also shot clean on the final stage and had to settle the outcome in a sprint to the finish.
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