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With winter returning to Otepaa overnight, Johan Olav Botn of Norway and Voldiya Galmace-Paulin of France won in the Sprints, the last individual IBU Cup competitions of the 2024/2025 season. Camille Bened of France secured a Total Score title. Paula Botet, also from France, won the Sprint Cup Score.

Fever has forced Johannes Thingnes Boe to withdraw from his final races in Pokljuka. This decision was made on Friday morning, and in consultation with the national team management - the Norwegian now hopes to be fit again for the final competitions of his career in Holmenkollen.

Slovenia’s Jakov Fak shot clean, surged into the lead after the last standing stage of this afternoon’s Pokljuka Men’s 15 km Short Individual and pulled away for a home stadium 40:52.6 victory. Fak’s win was his first since 2015 when he also won the IBU World Championships Mass Start and his first home victory since taking the Pokljuka Sprint on 13 December 2012.

Warm temperatures, yesterday’s heavy rain and very wet snow made the tracks slow and sloppy, but France’s World Champion Julia Simon bested the elements this afternoon, shooting clean for a 38:08.2 win in Pokljuka Women’s 12.5 km Shot Individual. Simon’s third win of the season was her second consecutive victory in an Individual competition after taking the WCH title in Lenzerheide last month.

France's Amandine Mengin and Norway's Kasper Kalkenberg dominated the IBU Junior World Championships in Oestersund. They have thus qualified for the season finale of the BMW IBU World Cup in Oslo at Holmenkollen.

The Short Individual races at the season’s final IBU Cup in Otepaa, Estonia saw Sivert Guttorm Bakken win for Norway and Susan Kuelm for the home nation. Kuelm, to great delight of the OC and local fans, brought Estonia the first-ever IBU Cup win. Voldiya Galmace Paulin of France and Isak Frey of Norway won the Individual Cup Score.

Tuesday’s Sprint Pursuit in Torsby delivered plenty of drama, serving as a fitting climax to the first-ever IBU Para Biathlon World Cup season. Three Crystal Globe winners were already known heading into this final event, while three more still needed to secure their titles. The Nations Cup, too, remained undecided until the very end.

Johannes Thingnes Boe and Sturla Holm Laegreid both have fond memories of Pokljuka and hope to relive their winning feelings and get an edge before the grand finale in Oslo-Holmenkollen. For Franziska Preuss and Lou Jeanmonnot. Pokljuka caries no strong feelings. They see a 36-point gap from different perspectives - Preuss wants to increase it, and Jeanmonnot wants to melt it.

Due to the bad weather conditions in Pokljuka, Slovenia, with warm temperatures and heavy rainfalls in the past two days and forecasted for the upcoming days, the competition schedule for the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon has been changed. Both Individual competitions will be held as Short Individuals on Thursday, 13 March. Friday is a spare day used for venue maintenance and as a fallback option if no competitions can be held on Thursday. The Mass Starts are moved to Saturday and the Single Mixed and Mixed relays will be held on Sunday.

Oceane Michelon’s last 15 days of biathlon have been something special: IBU World Championships Relay Gold medal and Mass Start Silver, followed by a stunning third place in the Nove Mesto Women’s Pursuit, capped by the Nove Mesto Women’s Relay win that vaulted France to the World Cup Relay Score Crystal Globe.