Julia Simon flies to sprint victory in Otepaa to fend off challenge from Vanessa Voigt and Karoline Offigstad Knotten

Julia Simon clinched her first World Cup win of the season with victory in the sprint in Otepaa in Estonia. The Frenchwoman was comfortably the fastest skier in the race and looked set to win easily after clearing her first nine shots, but then had to do a penalty loop after missing her final target on the stand.

Ad/> That opened the door for Norway's Karoline Offigstad Knotten, starting later and shooting clear to lead by 11.1 seconds after the second shoot. BiathlonFillon Maillet once again tops podium to close in on World Cup season victoryA DAY AGO However, Simon's superior ski speed proved too much for the Norwegian who eventually had to settle for third, also pipped by Germany's Vanessa Voigt.

Simon ended up 11 seconds clear of Voigt, who took her first World Cup podium, with Knotten 1.8 seconds further back to earn the second podium of her career. Knotten's performance denied Germany's Denise Herrmann a third successive podium after doubling up in Kontiolahti last week.

But it was Simon who made it back-to-back French victories in Estonia following Quentin Fillon Maillet's victory on Thursday, winning the fourth World Cup event of her career. In the race for the overall crystal globe Marte Olsbu Roeiseland took a step closer to the big globe, finishing tenth, but just two places behind closest rival Elvira Oeberg, with the Norwegian also on the brink of taking the sprint title with one race to go in the discipline.