Follow the Olympic Games on RDS and RDS Direc
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Christian Gow posted the third best Canadian performance in history in the 15 km mass start biathlon on Friday at the Beijing Olympics.
The 28-year-old Albertan took 13th place in the competition, mainly due to three missed targets at the last shooting range, he who had been perfect until then. Gow finished the race in 41 minutes, two seconds and five tenths (41:02.5), 2:48.1 behind winner Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway.
Sherbrooke resident Jules Burnotte broke into the top-20 in an individual event for the first time in his career by taking 18th place in 41:35.0 (+3:20.6).
Third Canadian in contention, Scott Gow took 25th place, 4:03.2 behind Boe’s reference time.
Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma finished in second place, 40.3 seconds behind the gold medalist. He is also the only biathlete to have finished the event less than a minute behind Boe.
The bronze medal went to Norwegian Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (39:26.9), who finished the race 1:12.5 behind his compatriot.
Boe thus ends the Beijing Games with five medals: four gold – he was also crowned in the sprint, relay and mixed relay – and one bronze in the individual event. These medals bring his career total to eight (5-2-1) in three Olympic Games, in addition to 24 (12 gold) won in six World Championships.
Christian Gow was the top Canadian with a 13th place finish.
Jules Burnotte took 18th place while Scott Gow took 25th position.
Braisaz-Bouchet tames the wind
French biathlete Justine Braisaz-Bouchet tamed the wind on Friday to become the 25-year-old Olympic mass start champion on Friday in Zhangjiakou.
Braisaz-Bouchet beat the Norwegians Tiril Eckhoff and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland.
The Frenchwoman started her race badly, with three penalty laps on her two lying shots. But while all the competitors, buffeted by the wind, had problems for the first standing shot, she blanked all her targets to go out on top tied with Roeiseland.
Faster on skis, she widened a gap of about fifteen seconds on her pursuers, and the only fault on her last shot was inconsequential, since her rivals also visited the penalty ring.
She was able to cross the finish line with the blue-white-red flag in hand, and afford her first gold medal in a major championship.
Braisaz-Bouchet had missed out on her first races, finishing only 40th in the individual (15 km) and 48th in the sprint.
