The women opened the home World Cup weekend in Hochfilzen today with a sprint race. In bright sunshine and a fantastic atmosphere, Germany's Franziska Preuß was in a class of her own at the start and celebrated her second World Cup victory of her career, despite one missed shot. Completing the podium were France's Sophie Chaveau (+7.7 seconds) and Norway's Karoline Offigstad Knotten (+10.1 seconds), both of whom did not make any shooting errors.

From an Austrian perspective, World Cup debutant Anna Andexer achieved the best result of the day with a 25th place finish. The 21-year-old from Salzburg showcased her talent, remained error-free at the shooting range, and crossed the finish line with a time deficit of 1:07.6 minutes. Just behind her, Anna Gandler also secured a good position for the pursuit, finishing in 27th place with a time deficit of 1:09.3 minutes, having made only one mistake on her last shot. Another Austrian, Lisa Hauser, also finished in the World Cup points. The Tyrolean had two missed shots in the prone position but managed to limit the damage with a flawless standing shoot, finishing in 34th place (+1:17.0 minutes). Dunja Zdouc (+2:33.8/1 missed shot) and Lea Rothschopf (+2:39.6 minutes/2 missed shots) finished in 78th and 81st places, respectively.

Anna Andexer (25th place): "I never thought I would achieve this and was so nervous. I can hardly believe it; it's amazing. It was really tough physically today, but I worked even more precisely at the shooting range. To have such a result in the end is just incredible, and I am really thrilled."

Alle Fotos: ÖSV/GEPA