Fantastic Vittozzi, Italy returns to the podium after three years

Great race in Finland. Sappadina received the baton from Comola, Wierer and Sanfilippo and was almost infallible at the shooting range

CONTHIOLATES (FINLAND). In that Kontiolahti who in 2015 at the World Cup had given her her first world medal (a bronze in the relay), Lisa Vittozzi finds the podium in the World Cup.

With her, Italy in the squad finds him who, in yesterday’s relay, managed to get on the third step of the podium. It had been over three years that the Italians hadn’t been on the podium: the last time, in fact, was in December 2018 in Hochfilzen (Austria) with the quartet made up of Lisa Vittozzi, Alexia Ruggaldier, Dorothea Wierer and Federica Sanfilippo.

Yesterday, in the Finnish town, three of those four took third place: together with Samuela Comola, author of the launch, in order Wierer, Sanfilippo and Vittozzi. A “revolutionary” relay, with Vittozzi lined up in the last fraction rather than in his “first”.

The sappadina made a mistake in both series, promptly recovered with reloads, showing an excellent condition on skis and obtaining the first podium of the season in the Cup.

In the first fraction, Comola had used two top-ups and handed over the baton to Wierer in thirteenth place, one minute from Norway. Excellent fraction for the South Tyrolean of the Fiamme Gialle: a single recharge and fast on skis, keeping the gap from Norway, but overcoming, thanks to the shot, as many as nine nations and handing the gearbox to Sanfilippo in fourth place, less than two seconds late from the podium. The policewoman used only two reloads and put a fraction of a level on the track, handing over the baton to the “Plodar Sniper” in third place at 1’06 ” 9 from Norway. A third place maintained until the finish line crossed behind the “Vikings” and Sweden.

“I reacted well to the mistake in the first ground shooting,” explains the sappadina from the Carabinieri Sports Center. «The strategy worked. We had been missing the podium for a long time, now we must not stop but continue on this path ».

«I am very happy, it doesn’t seem true to me to be awarded in the World Cup», said Comola. “It is the prize for the commitment that our team has always put into this format, perhaps personally I could do something better with the two refills in standing shot”.

Today the World Cup offers the men’s relay while tomorrow the sprint (women 12.45, men 15.30, Eurosport live TV. Mass starts on Sunday.

Order of arrival relay: 1. Norway 1h09.48.1 (0 + 4); 2. Sweden + 37”7 (0 + 8); 3. Italy + 1’00”2 (0 + 7); 4. Germany + 1’57”1 (2 + 9); 5. Switzerland + 2’37”1 (1 + 12); 6. Austria; 7. United States, 8. Czech Republic; 9. Estonia; 10. Poland.