Biathlon kicks off at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina in less than a month and competition on the snow already is heating up.
IBU World Cup events resumed in Oberhof, Germany on Saturday after an emotional first day of 2026 competition on Thursday, followed by a day off due to weather on Friday.
The men's 12.5km pursuit and the women's 4x6km relay events took place under snowy skies in front of a raucous German crowd.
The wind was strong during the men's pursuit which resulted in a poor shooting day on the range for many biathletes, including the eventual winner.
Italy's Tommaso Giacomel won again in the men's 12km pursuit after he won the sprint on Thursday and honored his late friend, Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken.
"Six misses isn't any good, I think I was not deserving to win today with my performance, but I actually won, so that's it," Giacomel said after the race.
While Giacomel missed six times from the shooting range in the pursuit, he didn't miss on the final standing stage to clinch the victory.
He crossed the finish first in 37 minutes, 14.5 seconds for back-to-back inspired wins in Oberhof and earned the yellow bib. This is the first time an Italian biathlete from the men's team will wear the yellow bib in 34 years.
The historic victory was Giacomel's third consecutive World Cup title after he won the men's 15km mass start competition in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France prior to the holiday break.
Norwegian biathlete Martin Uldal finished just 4.5 seconds behind Giacomel to secure second place.
Sebastian Samuelsson claimed the final podium spot after he crossed the line 4.3 seconds behind Uldal.
Campbell Wright finished 21st overall for Team USA.
Conditions improved a bit after the men's pursuit, therefore shooting in the women's 4x6km relay was much cleaner across the board.
Lou Jeanmonnot, Oceane Michelon, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and Julia Simon of France torched the competition to take gold in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 21.9 seconds.
The French foursome evaded the penalty loop altogether en route to a relay victory.
"I think the team did a great job, it was not so easy to close this race, I'm really happy with this teamwork," Simon said after the win.
Norway's Marthe Krakstad Johansen, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Karoline Offigstad Knotten and Maren Kirkeeide chased the French winners and finished 53.7 seconds back to take second.
Selina Grotian, Julia Tannheimer, Janina Hettich-Walz and Franziska Preuss captured the final podium spot for Germany in front of their home crowd. They crossed the finish line nearly 35 seconds behind the Norwegian team.
The Americans placed 6th overall in the relay to earn the team's best finish since 2022.
World Cup competition wraps up in Oberhof with the men's 4x7.5km relay and the women's 10km pursuit events.