– I am so impressed. I do not have words. It’s so sick. I don’t think people understand how sick it is, says Marte Olsbu Røiseland to news about World Cup debutant Juni Arnekleiv. The WC reserve was informed by news’s reporter as recently as Thursday that she would make her WC debut at Friday’s sprint in Oberhof. – Now you took me to bed, Arnekleiv said to news on Thursday. And when the 23-year-old first got the chance, she didn’t let herself be asked twice. Arnekleiv went out with starting number 89 (out of a total of 96 starters), with the hope of being among the top 60. THE DEBUT SLIDE: Juni Arnekleiv could smile well after impressing as a WC debutant. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB She was. And so it was. The WC debutant delivered two full houses, was responsible for Friday’s big surprise and became Norway’s second best, only beaten by Marte Olsbu Røiseland. – It was completely raw. It was great fun. I didn’t expect to get up so high today, says Arnekleiv to news after the fall debut. – What have you learned from this? – That it pays to shoot ten hits, go fast and have fun, replies Arnekleiv with a smile. LAY OUT STRAIGHT: Juni Arnekleiv gave everything in her debut and lay straight after after crossing the finish line. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB Was reviewed before the start Arnekleiv won the last sprint in the IBU Cup in Obertilliach and is number seven overall, but has not competed in the World Cup this season. On Friday, the debutant was Norway’s second best in the sprint with a 12th place, one minute and four seconds behind the victorious Denise Herrmann-Wick. She hadn’t even had time to test the track in Oberhof before she surprised and impressed everyone. It was Ida Lien who took her through the course before the start. – It looks like it helped. If I could contribute a little, I’m happy, says Lien to news. TV 2’s biathlon expert Ole Einar Bjørndalen described Arnekleiv’s performance as “beyond”. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold also allowed herself to be impressed. – It’s really quite raw, says Tandrevold, who also had to see himself beaten by Arnekleiv, to news. – It means an incredible amount, it’s so cool that she only comes in at the very end there and has such a good time, says Ragnhild Femsteinevik to news. Pushed off the podium While Arnekleiv was Norway’s second best, it was Marte Olsbu Røiseland who did the best of the Norwegians. But her one missed shot on the first shooting probably cost her a WC medal. She was on her way to the first podium of the season and WC bronze, but a strong finish by Swedish Linn Persson ensured that Røiseland had to settle for a sour 4th place. NORWAY’S BEST: Marte Olsbu Røiseland sniffed for a podium place for a long time, but had to settle for fourth place. Photo: Matthias Schrader / AP The 32-year-old from Froland has been close to the podium several times since his comeback from illness. There have been 4th, 5th and 6th places, but the individual podium has been a long time coming. On Friday, it was almost, again. Without it affecting her: – I am aware that I am not in the best shape I can be in. So then I have to play with the cards I have. Denise is the strongest now, so it is completely deserved that she takes the victory today, says Røiseland to news. The experts were impressed by Røiseland’s run. – What a comeback she has delivered, said Andreas Stabrun Smith on news’s radio broadcast. – A fantastic run by Marte Olsbu Røiseland, news’s biathlon expert Ola Lunde followed up. – This is like a golden race for her after everything she has been through, said TV 2 expert Ole Einar Bjørndalen. Home victory However, no one could match the great home hope, Denise Herrmann-Wick, who secured WC gold for Germany. – It’s boiling here, shouted Ola Lunde in an attempt to drown out the cheers from the home crowd who were ecstatic after Herrmann-Wick’s second flawless shooting. The German was strongest in the track and beat Swedish Hanna Öberg to the finish line by 2.2 seconds. It was both silver and bronze for Sweden as Persson beat Røiseland by five seconds at the finish line. There were several Norwegians who showed WC form on German snow on Friday afternoon. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold had the best time after the first shooting, but was noted for two misses on the second shooting. Thus, all medal opportunities disappeared and the heavy trend in standings continues for Tandrevold. Here you can see where it went wrong for Tandrevold. On Wednesday’s mixed relay, she had to go out in the penalty round. However, it ended well, with a medal of the highest value. In the WC’s first individual exercise, it was 14th place. Ragnhild Femsteinevik was number 36, Karoline Knotten number 37 and Ida Lien number 42.
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Arnekleiv didn’t think she would go to the World Cup – surprised everyone in her debut – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
