Positive day for Italy at the World Biathlon Championships where they won their first medal since the start of the competition. The team's leading athlete, Lisa Vittozzi, came second in the pursuit behind champion Julia Simon. On the challenging snows of Nove Mesto, in the Czech Republic, she broke the domination of the French athletes so far. The bronze went to the French Justine Braisaz. The other Italians, however, finished quite far behind: Dorothea Wierer in 21st place, Samuela Comola in 23rd, and Michela Carrara in 33rd.

The words

«Today I didn't want to be beaten. For me it was a perfect race and this medal gives me a lot of confidence - Vittozzi reaffirmed -. I came here not knowing what to expect because I had suffered from back pain but when I'm well I can compete for the medals and I will do so in the next races. The French are very strong - she further commented -. I tried to keep very strong mentally, I didn't want to waste energy in the first part, because I wanted to save myself for the end»