ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian biathlete Maren Kirkeeide surged past her rivals in the final few-hundred meters to claim gold in the women's 7.5km sprint at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, clocking 20 minutes and 40.8 seconds.
The victory marked Kirkeeide's first Olympic medal, following a difficult start to the Games as she incurred two penalty loops in the mixed relay, dropping Norway to fourth place, before finishing 49th in the women's 15km individual event.
After the prone shooting stage, Kirkeeide was part of a group of more than 20 athletes who shot clean, sitting 10 seconds behind the then-leader. A blistering final loop, however, saw the Norwegian surge ahead of France's Olympic debutant Oceane Michelon, finishing 3.8 seconds clear.
Michelon's compatriot Lou Jeanmonnot claimed the bronze medal despite one miss, crossing the line 23.7 seconds behind Kirkeeide.
"I got some positive feedback from the coaches and then got some extra motivation. It helped me all the way to the finish line. You never know how fast the other ones are going, so I just tried to do my best. I would have been happy with a silver medal, but it is really amazing to take the gold," Kirkeeide said.
China's Chu Yuanmeng and Meng Fanqi both finished inside the top 60 and qualified for Sunday's 10km pursuit. Chu placed 31st in 22:32.7, marking the country's best-ever result in the event at the Winter Olympics since Turin 2006. ■
