Vittozzi wins Italy's first-ever Olympic biathlon gold

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Italy's Lisa Vittozzi won the women's 10km pursuit at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday, clocking 30 minutes 11.8 seconds and securing the host nation's first-ever Olympic gold medal in biathlon.

Norway's Maren Kirkeeide collected the silver medal with three penalty loops, 28.8 seconds behind Vittozzi, a day after winning gold in the women's 7.5km sprint. Finland's Suvi Minkkinen took bronze with perfect shooting, finishing in 30:46.1 seconds.

According to the International Biathlon Union, Minkkinen's bronze medal also carried historic significance, marking Finland's first-ever Olympic medal in women's biathlon and the country's first Olympic biathlon medal since 1996.

Vittozzi entered the final standing shooting stage in second place, trailing Kirkeeide. However, Vittozzi shot clean while her Norwegian rival missed two targets, allowing the Italian to seize the lead. She went on to win with flawless shooting throughout the race.

Vittozzi said she was not surprised by her triumph. "The last couple of kilometers were an absolute dream. I always thought I was capable, but was also very aware of how good the other athletes are… The last lap I really wanted to break out into a big smile but I had to keep myself under control and focus all the way to the finish."

The pursuit featured the top 60 finishers from Saturday's women's 7.5km sprint. China's Chu Yuanmeng and Meng Fanqi both qualified for the event, starting 31st and 48th respectively. Chu missed one target in the second shooting stage and finished in 33:21.4, retaining her 31st position. Meng also incurred only one penalty loop and climbed to 39th in 34:01.6.

Earlier in the day, Sweden's Martin Ponsiluoma won the men's 12.5km pursuit gold medal in 31:11.19. Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid claimed silver despite two penalty loops, while France's Emilien Jacquelin took bronze.

The next biathlon competition at these Games will take place on Tuesday, when 20 teams, including Norway, France and Sweden, will contest the men's 4x7.5km relay. ■