ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Johan-Olav Botn of Norway stormed through the final lap to win an emotionally chargedOlympic gold medal in a nerve-jangling men's 20km individual biathlon race at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena on Tuesday.
Eric Perrot of France took the silver, 14.8 seconds behind, with Botn's compatriot Sturla Holm Laegreid claiming bronze.
Botn’s victory was a long-awaited moment of redemption for a Norway team still reeling from the December death of teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, and who missed out on the podium in Sunday’s mixed relay.
Botn kept his cool on the range, hitting all 20 of his shots on his four stops there before a controlled burst of power for the last lap saw him eclipse Perrot, who was left to rue his single costly miss.
“Yes Sivert, we did it!” Botn exclaimed after he crossed the line, in honour of Bakken.
"My thoughts were pretty good the whole way through the race. I go out on the last lap and went through a real emotional rollercoaster. It was really special," Botn told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
"When I crossed the finish line there and saw that there was a one next to my name, I broke down a little."
Starting at 30-second intervals with the top-ranked racers bunched in the middle of the pack, the competitors skied five four-km laps, stopping four times at the range and alternating between shooting from the prone and standing positions.
The winner is decided by the lowest overall time, but each miss on the range adds a hefty one-minute penalty, often leading to sharp drops in the standings for the errant shooter.
After claiming gold in the mixed relay, Perrot's challenge came undone with a miss in the first standing shoot and, though his skiing was electric, he faded badly on the final lap, opening the door for Botn to blaze past him in the standings.
"It takes a lot to be an Olympic champion, and big congratulations to Johan-Olav, who was phenomenal with his 20 for 20. These are magical moments," Perrot told French TV.
"I just need to put aside the big ambition that I've always had, but what a joy. These are childhood dreams."
Laegreid made the most of a good day on the range, hitting 19 of 20 shots to sweep into the bronze medal position ahead of Finland's vastly experienced Olli Hiidensalo, 48.3 seconds behind winner Botn.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; additional reporting by Vincent Daheron; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ken Ferris)
