RUSSIA: BIATHLON: French biathlon star Martin Fourcade wins "Champions Race" in Moscow

Record ID: 858267

  • Title: RUSSIA: BIATHLON: French biathlon star Martin Fourcade wins "Champions Race" in Moscow
  • Date: 6th April 2013
  • Summary: SKIERS COMING AROUND BEND FANS CHEERING SKIER FALLING RUSSIAN FAN SKIERS COMING AROUND BEND, ONE FALLING NORWEGIAN FAN HOLDING FLAG BIATHLETES AFTER RACE CONFETTI FALLING ON TO MEDALS STAND GIRL HOLDING FLOWERS SWEDISH BIATHLETE BJORN FERRY AND BELARUSSIAN BIATHLETE DARIA DOMRACHEVA DANCING ON STAGE AWARD CHEQUE FOR FIRST-PLACE FINISH IN RACE, THEN PAN TO FRENCH BIATHLETE MARTIN FOURCADE AND MARIE DORIN HABERT CROWD CHEERING FOURCADE TOSSING MEMENTOES TO FANS BOY CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRENCH BIATHLETE MARTIN FOURCADE, SAYING: "Yeah the race was fantastic. The finish was a bit odd with (Russian biathlete) Anton (Shipulin), but I decided it was a really good competition, nice show, and we are all happy to be there and to enjoy the Moscow Champions Race." NORWEGIAN BIATHLETE TORA BERGER BEING INTERVIEWED NORWEGIAN FANS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORWEGIAN BIATHLETE TORA BERGER, SAYING: "It was really fun to start here, and I really like this. The spectators were really good, and the track was also good, so it was really fun to start here. But I was not strong enough today. I had some mistakes, so, but I'm, I'm satisfied." TRAINERS STANDING NEAR STAGE VARIOUS OF BIATHLETES ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 21st April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • City:
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVACFAEIPKXDP9D8T4N8SP3F8LFM
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  • Story Text: The biathlon's "Champions Race" was held for the third time in Moscow on Saturday (April 6).
    Though it was still cold in the Russian capital, there was little snow. However race organisers made sure that there was enough snow inside Olympiyskiy Stadium.
    The race drew popular athletes such as Frenchman Martin Fourcade and Norwegian biathlete Tora Berger to name a few.
    The commercial tournament started with two competitions in which Anastasia Kuzmina of Slovakia won the women's race, and her brother Anton Shipulin - who competes for Russia - was the first to cross the finish line in men's mass start.
    But the main event of the competition was the mixed relay that saw two falls where the last of them decided the winner of the race.
    Just as Shipulin was making one of the last turns ahead of the finish line, Fourcade - the top-ranked biathlete in the world - caught up with the Russian and overtook him, resulting in Shipulin making a wrong move and falling onto the artificial snow in the stadium.
    "Yeah the race was fantastic. The finish was a bit odd with (Russian biathlete) Anton (Shipulin), but I decided it was a really good competition, nice show, and we are all happy to be there and to enjoy the Moscow Champions Race," Fourcade said following the race.
    Another big star of the race, Berger, wasn't as successful. She finished in seventh-place in the women's mass start and came in sixth with her countryman Emil Hegle Svendsen.
    However the Vancouver Olympic champion, and this season's best, was happy and optimistic after the race.
    "It was really fun to start here, and I really like this. The spectators were really good, and the track was also good, so it was really fun to start here. But I was not strong enough today. I had some mistakes, so, but I'm, I'm satisfied," Berger said.
    The winners of the mixed relay Fourcade and Marie Dorin Habert went away with a cheque of 20,000 euros.
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