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Jönsson claims third biathlon win of the season

Sweden’s Helena Jönsson, the reigning biathlon World Cup champion, cruised to her third victory in five races on Thursday be winning the women's 15km individual race in Slovenia.

Published: 17 December 2009 14:49 CET

The 25-year-old reigning world 10km pursuit champion, who has already won at Hochfilzen, Austria, and Östersund, Sweden, this season, was the surprise World Cup winner last winter and was faultless with the rifle here.

“I have real confidence in my shooting at the moment, that is what is making a real difference,” said Jönsson.

Her winning time was 43 minutes 4.1 seconds and she finished 22.6 seconds ahead of her nearest rival and compatriot Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek who claimed second and made just one mistake on the shooting range.

Slovakia’s Anastasiya Kuzmina was third having also picked up one penalty point and she finished 27.3 seconds behind Jönsson.

Jönsson’s win consolidates her first place in the overall World Cup standings with 277 points compared to Olofsson-Zidek who has 234.

The biggest surprise of the day was the performance of Germany’s Magdalena Neuner, world number one in the 2007-08 winter and six-times world champion, who finished 18th and picked up four penalty points.

The 22-year-old has still yet to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics which will be held in Vancouver from February 12-28.

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VIDEO: Thousands of Danes to join coronavirus musical clap-along

More than 10,000 Danes have signed up for a coordinated three-minute explosion of clapping and musical noise at 7pm on Monday, following in the steps of the balcony sing-a-longs seen in Italy and Spain.

Published: 16 March 2020 10:28 CET
VIDEO: Thousands of Danes to join coronavirus musical clap-along
The clap-along in Vesterbro on Sunday night quickly rippled through along Gråstensgade (pictured). Photo: Google Maps
The actor Rasmus Hammerich expanded the 7pm clap-along, which he launched on a small scale near his home in Copenhagen's Vesterbro district, into a national event on Monday morning, after more than 16,000 people expressed interest in less than 24 hours. 
 
“My Facebook account is lit,” he laughed, when The Local contacted him. “I think it's a good idea for everybody to recognise that we're still here, that we're in this together, and that we're doing this for a reason.” 
 
The group's Facebook page asks people to “clap and make some noise for Denmark”: “Let us applaud those holding the system together! Let us applause those sitting alone, so they don't feel so alone! Let's give cheer because we are together in all this!” 
 
Hammerich said he had decided not to follow the Italian and Spanish example and ask people to sing a particular song “because the singing tradition in Denmark isn't so great and I thought people would be too shy to do it”.  He said he also felt songs were “too personal”  
 
“Some people don't like the national anthem, some people do, so I say 'if you want to sing, then sing',  but I won't recommend any song.” 
 
Hammerich said that in Vesterbro on Sunday night, the applause and noise he and his friends made cheering and bashing pots had had quickly rippled through the streets. 
 
“Because it was so quiet, people opened their own windows and started doing it. At the end of the three minutes, people in my street in Copenhagen started shouting 'good night' to everybody and it was really beautiful.” 
 
He is calling on those who join the event on Monday evening end by shouting in unison “Good night, see you in the morning!”. 
 
Here's a video of the clapping, cheering and pot banging in Vesterbro on Sunday night (courtesy of Maria Bartholomaeussen). 
 
 
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