Julia Simon of France took the sprint victory at the Biathlon World Cup in Otepää, Estonia, on Friday, with Czech Republic’s Tereza Voborníková finishing a strong seventh. Voborníková will start just 55 seconds behind Simon in Saturday’s pursuit race, matching the start time of Swedish star Elvira Öberg.
The seventh-place finish is a career best in a sprint for Voborníková, who edged out Öberg by two-tenths of a second. The two athletes will begin the pursuit race side-by-side.
Mezi elitou už je jako doma! 🤩 Terka dala dneska v Otepää dvě nuly a 7. Místem si vylepšila své maximum ve sprintu! 👏 pic.twitter.com/02H4OKbbpj
— Český biatlon (@ceskybiatlon) March 13, 2026
“There’s a lot to race for, and I hope I can get some rest,” Voborníková said after the race. Norway’s Karoline Knottenová will start nine seconds before Simon, and France’s Océane Michelonová will begin 16 seconds back.
The bronze medalist from the Olympic mass start event, Voborníková, shot flawlessly in Otepää, finishing just over half a minute off the podium. This performance continues a string of strong results for the Czech biathlete.
Voborníková’s result moves her to 14th place in the overall World Cup standings with 360 points. A top-eight finish in the pursuit race would see her move up to 13th, surpassing Franziska Preuss, who recently retired after the Olympics.
Lucie Charvátová will also compete for the Czech Republic in the pursuit race, starting two minutes and five seconds behind Simon in 45th position.
