Germans dominate sprint biathlon World Cup event

The Associated Press
Published: January 16, 2009

RUHPOLDING, Germany: Magdalena Neuner overcame a shooting error Friday to edge Kati Wilhelm by two-tenths of a second in a 1-2 German finish in the women's 7.5-kilometer biathlon World Cup event.

Neuner, a five-time world champion, missed a target from the standing position and had to ski an extra penalty loop. But she still won by covering the distance in 23 minutes, 26.6 seconds and overcoming a seven-second deficit to Wilhelm, a three-time Olympic gold medalist.

"After the penalty round, I did not think I would be able to catch up," Neuner said. "But then I saw how I was cutting (into her lead) second by second. I've never had a closer win."

Darya Domracheva of Belarus was third, 14 seconds back.

Wang Chunli of China was fourth, and Russia's Svetlana Slptsova finished fifth to retain her overall World Cup lead.

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