Fillon Maillet completes weekend double while Eckhoff gets off the mark

Quentin Fillon Maillet completed a weekend to remember and Tiril Eckhoff sealed a first victory of the season during Sunday's biathlon action in Kontiolahti. Fillon Maillet, winner of the 10km sprint on Saturday, eased to victory in the 12.5km pursuit — his sixth pursuit triumph of the season and enough to seal the Crystal Globe in the discipline. Ad/> «Having a victory in the pursuit is very good,» he said.

«It was very hard on skis; my shape is not so good compared to Emilien [Jacquelin]. KontiolahtiFillon Maillet completes weekend double while Eckhoff gets off the markAN HOUR AGO »I know I must be the best on the shooting range. Maybe some stress on the last mistake but I did not know how Emilien would shoot, but (otherwise) it was very good." Fillon Maillet made just one error on the range, missing his last shot, while his compatriot Jacquelin paid the price for two shooting penalties as he finished fourth.

The victor came home in 32:55.0, 8.2 seconds clear of runner-up Erik Lesser, who returned to a World Cup podium for the first time since a third-placed finish at the same venue in November 2020. Italy's Lukas Hofer was third ahead of Jacquelin, who now trails his fellow Frenchman by 174 points in the overall World Cup standings with five races remaining. The women's 10km pursuit was won by Eckhoff, who followed Saturday's 7.5km sprint winner Denise Herrmann into the first prone stage but left it 22 seconds clear after the German received a shooting penalty.

The Austrian led the way thereafter, crossing in 31:40.8, with a shooting mistake at the final stage not enough to let the chasing pack back in to the race. The clean-shooting Dorothea Wierer finishing second having started in 17th while Herrmann was third. «It