Paralympis fairy tale continues
Walter celebrates the gold sensation in biathlon
3/8/2022 8:26 am
Huge surprise at the Paralympics in Beijing: Leonie Walter wins gold in the biathlon. The 18-year-old prevailed in the class for the visually impaired over ten kilometers on the Zhangjiakou trail and won the second gold medal for the German team.
Young hope Leonie Walter sensationally won the second German gold medal at the Paralympics in Beijing. The 18-year-old triumphed in the middle-distance biathlon in the visually impaired class in 41:21.0 minutes, after shooting clean she was 3.7 seconds ahead of the Ukrainian Oxana Shishkova in a heart-stopping final. Previously, the athlete from SC St. Peter had already won bronze in the biathlon sprint with guide Pirmin Strecker and on the unpopular classic long-distance cross-country skiing.
“I was on target, I waited and didn’t know if it was enough. At some point everyone jumped up and then it was clear to me: ‘Ok, I’ve got it’,” said Walter on ZDF: “With a flawless shooting you have a bonus , then it’s much easier. Without the good shooting it wouldn’t have been as successful.”
Walter got off to a slow start but continued to work her way up the field with her flawless shooting. On the final lap, the favorite Ukrainian made up a lot of ground after her two penalties, but the German made it to the finish after 10 kilometers with a thin cushion. Her teammate Johanna Recktenwald finished fourth, 5:03.4 minutes behind and with three penalties, a good three minutes away from bronze.
Walter completed the German set of medals on Tuesday. Martin Fleig had previously won silver in the sitting class, Anja Wicker won bronze in the women’s starting class. “A complete set of medals on the track, that exceeds all expectations,” said DBS President Friedhelm Julius Beucher.