NORWAY’S EMIL HEGLE Svendsen won his third Olympic gold medal by a ski’s breadth in a thrilling finish to the men’s mass start biathlon today.
Svendsen and rival Martin Fourcade of France both crossed the line in 42:29.1 after 15 gruelling kilometres of cross-country skiing and shooting.
Only a photo could separate the two in the end. Here’s how close it was:
The race could have very nearly ended in disaster for Svendsen, who led Fourcade in the final meters. He raised his arms to celebrate a split second before the line and was very nearly pipped as Fourcade lunged from behind with one last slide.
The confusion wasn’t helped by the fact that televison feeds initially declared Fourcade the winner before the photo finish was reviewed and the placings were reversed.
Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic finished third.
