“Another took down the targets”: Italians impressed with fair play at the European biathlon – Sport

Winning a continental title is one of the great achievements in any sport. However, earning respect can sometimes have even greater value.

Biathlon fans saw an unusual development in the 15km individual start at the European Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

There, Italy’s Michela Carrara was preparing to celebrate with the gold after finishing first with one fault. Shortly after the end of the competition, the organizers changed the ranking and announced the German Lisa Maria Spark as the champion.

They received information from the Italian team that in one of Carrara’s shootings, two of her shots were inaccurate, but the targets were mistakenly shot down by another competitor.

“I really didn’t know there was crossfire, the coach told me after the race. The decision was made and I think in the end it’s good that the better rider won,” Carrara said.

“I didn’t get the gold, but we got the award for fair play,” added the Italian.

Spark finished in 45:02.4 minutes with a flawless shot to claim the biggest win of his career.