RUHPOLDING, Germany (AP) — Ole Einar Bjoerndalen anchored Norway to the gold medal in the mixed relay Thursday, the opening day of the biathlon world championships.
Norway successfully defended the title even though Bjoerndalen crossed the finish line 8.2 seconds behind Slovenia’s Jakov Fak. The jury ruled the Olympic great should not have done a penalty loop because one target malfunctioned and did not go down even though he had hit it. The Norwegian team was credited with 30 seconds, putting it ahead of Slovenia into first.
Germany earned the bronze after squandering a big lead with poor shooting.
