Germany’s Herrmann takes up new sport, earns better medal

ZHANGJIAKOU, China — With a change of sport came a change in medals. An upgrade, really, from bronze to gold. And it took eight years. Germany’s Denise Herrmann won the oldest and longest biathlon event — the 15-kilometer individual race — on Monday at the Beijing Olympics, missing only one of 20 shots on the range.

Eight years ago at the 2014 Sochi Games, she won a bronze medal in cross-country skiing.

“I’m super proud that I have two medals in two kinds of sports,” Herrmann said. “It’s super amazing. Cross-country skiing is also cool, but biathlon is more so. Sometimes it’s a thrilling race.”

Herrmann won Monday’s race in 44 minutes, 12.7 seconds, finishing only 9.4 seconds ahead of Anais Chevalier-Bouchet of France. That seems like a lot of time for an Olympic event, but Chevalier-Bouchet missed her final shot on the range and had to add a one-minute penalty to her overall time.

Marte Olsbu Roeiseland of Norway, the overall World Cup leader and one of the most consistent shooters on the circuit, finished only 15.3 seconds behind Herrmann but uncharacteristically missed two shots — one prone and one standing. That added two minutes to her time.