Neuner, Fourcade win biathlon sprints

Feb 11, 2012, 13:08 GMT

Kontiolahti, Finland - World Cup leaders Magdalena Neuner and Martin Fourcade won biathlon sprints Saturday to increase their leads in the overall standings.

Germany's Neuner captured her 32nd World Cup victory in the women's 7.5km race while Fourcade of France just edged the men's 10km in temperatures of minus 16 degrees Celsius in Kontiolahti.

Fourcade posted 24 minutes 58.2 minutes with one shooting error to beat Russian Timofey Lapchin by 0.8 seconds. Benjamin Weger of Switzerland was third, 1.6 seconds back.

Fourcade moves to 720 points in the standings, followed by Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway on 710 and Andreas Birnbacher of Germany on 607.

Neuner, who missed last Sunday's race in Oslo because of a cold, was back to form in the women's sprint for her eighth win of the season, coming two days after her 25th birthday.

'My strength has returned but I didn't think it would go so well,' Neuner said.

'I wasn't able to train here in Finland, I just stayed in bed. At the start of the race my arms and legs were a bit uncoordinated.'

The record world champion could afford one shooting error to cross the line in 23:07.4 to beat Kaisa Makarainen of Finland by 12.3 seconds. Darya Domracheva of Belarus was third, 17 seconds behind Neuner.

Men's and women's pursuit races are scheduled at the venue Sunday.