Anastazia Kuzmina of Slovakia Wins First Women's Gold Medal in Vancouver
Marie Dorin of France claimed the bronze medal, finishing 10.9 seconds behind Kuzmina.
Torino 7.5 kilometer sprint silver medalist Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek finished 20th. 2006 Olympic gold medalist Florence Baverel-Robert of France and bronze medalist Lilia Vaygina-Efremova of Ukraine were not among the field of 88 ladies who started the event.
Anastazia Kuzmina's victory was unexpected because she was not well known on the world circuit prior to the Vancouver Games. She placed second in the 12.5 kilometer mass start event at the 2009 Biathlon World Championships one year ago, but otherwise her resume is largely limited. According to NBC broadcasters, Kuzmina switched from the Russian team to the Slovakian team in order to spend more time with her son, who was apparently not allowed at the Russian camp.
By contrast, 23-year old Magdalena Neuner's record sports a laundry list of biathlon victories. She owns six World Championship gold medals, including the 2007 7.5 kilometer sprint title. She has multiple wins in the 4x6 kilometer relay, as well as golds in the 10 kilometer pursuit, the 12.5 kilometer mass start and the mixed relay.
Four Americans competed in the 7.5 kilometer sprint, which involves an endurance, speed and accuracy testing combination of skiing and shooting. Sara Studebaker posted the best finish of the four, placing 45th with a time of 22 minutes, 6.3 seconds. Laura Spector and Lanny Barnes finished back-to-back in 77th and 78th positions, while Haley Johnson finished her competition in 80th place.
The next round of 2010 Olympic biathlon action is set for tomorrow as the Men's 10 kilometer sprint is scheduled for 11:15 AM Pacific.
Sources
2009 Biathlon World Championships
Women's 7.5 Kilometer Sprint Biathlon Results, NBC Olympics
Magdalena Neuner, Wikipedia
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