CHONGLI, Zhangjiakou, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Norwegian team, including three biathletes from their 2018 squad, beat defending champions France to win the biathlon 4x6km mixed relay title at the Beijing Winter Games here on Saturday.
The 2018 silver medalists, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland, Tiril Eckhoff and Johannes Thingnes Boe were joined by four-time Olympian Tarjei Boe as the third leg for Norway, who skied home in one hour six minutes and 45.6 seconds.
Roeiseland, who won silvers in mixed relay and women's 7.5km sprint in 2018, led the first leg at 17:18.6 to top the field.
"We did a great job, the whole team, and I'm so happy to race with such good teammates. It's my first Olympic gold, so I'm super happy," said Roeiseland.
Three-time Olympian Eckhoff, the Sochi 2014 mixed relay winner, spent two minutes more due to three penalty loops, but the Boe brothers won the time back. The younger Johannes took the anchor leg and lifted Norway from the fifth place to the winner.
"You would like to try of course. My feeling to anchor team Norway for gold, it doesn't get any bigger than this," Johannes said.
"It went so up and down. Even if we were in front most of the time, ahead of others, we felt we never had control of the situation," 33-year-old Tarjei said on the race.
Starting a completely new team with Anais Chevalier-Bouchet, Julia Simon, Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet, France had to settle for second place, 0.9 seconds behind Norway.
Jacquelin was happy to be in good form.
"I was pretty happy to see that my shape is back, and it will be better and better the more I will race. So that's nice for the Olympics."
The Russian Olympic Committee team, composed of Uliana Nigmatullina, Kristina Reztsova, Alexander Loginov, and Eduard Latypov, took the bronze 1.5 seconds behind Norway.
Loginov called the result "a nice finish to the day. This medal is not just a bronze, but it's a medal that was won."
Asked about how he managed to take ROC into the lead on the third leg, Loginov said he didn't know.
"I think I got wings after the good shooting. I was in a good mood and I am happy that I was able to work well today from the first metre to the last," said Loginov.
China finished 15th in the race, four minutes and 42.5 seconds behind the leader.
The 4x6km mixed relay was admitted into the winter Games in 2014, in which Norway claimed the gold. ■
