With fantastic weather and perfect track conditions, the Biathlon Alpen Cup took place in Hochfilzen last weekend. Over 350 participants from a total of 14 nations competed in the sprint races on Saturday and the short individual events on Sunday. There was plenty of reason for the local biathletes to celebrate.

In the men's sprint, won by Germany's Raphael Heiland, Sami Mesotitsch (Carinthia) secured an impressive second place. In the Youth 2 category, Simon Grasberger from St. Ulrich took the victory, finishing ahead of Lower Austria's Samuel Eder. In Youth 1, Tyrol’s Tim Denner also reached the podium. In the women's sprint, only Tyrolean Luna Hois managed a podium finish in the Youth 2 category.

In the men's short individual competition, Leon Kienesberger (Upper Austria), Sami Mesotitsch, and David Neumayr (Salzburg) narrowly missed the podium, finishing in 4th to 6th place. Tim Denner, however, capped off a flawless weekend by winning the Youth 1 category again on Sunday. Simon Grasberger also returned to the podium on Sunday, securing 3rd place, while the victory in Youth 2 went to Salzburg's Simon Hechenberger. In the women's events, Katharina Puergy (Tyrol) was the sole local athlete to secure a podium spot, finishing 3rd in Youth 2.

Fotoquelle: OK Hochfilzen / Weigl