Clean shooting cleared the way for the Boe brothers to win another Olympic gold medal for Norway in biathlon on Tuesday.
Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen skied the final leg of the four-man relay and hit all five targets at the last range before crossing first. Russian biathlete Eduard Latypov, who had been leading the race on the last leg, struggled at that final shooting stop. He used all three of his spare bullets and still needed to complete a penalty lap.
The Norwegians won the race won in 1 hour, 19 minutes, 50.2 seconds, giving Johannes Thingnes Boe his third gold medal and fourth overall at the Beijing Games. Tarjei Boe won his second gold to go along with a silver and a bronze.
Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway crosses the finish line in first during the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP PhotoKirsty Wigglesworth)
Strula Holm Laegreid skied the first leg for Norway.
The Russian team's collapse allowed France to win silver, 27.4 seconds behind Norway. The Russians took bronze, 45.3 seconds behind, after leading for almost all of the race.
Quentin Fillon Maillet skied the last leg for France and also missed a target in the final shooting range, but he was able to complete his set with a spare bullet.
From left, Emilien Jacquelin, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Fabien Claude and Simon Desthieux of France pose after their first place finish in the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP PhotoKirsty Wigglesworth)
The silver was Fillon Maillet's fifth medal of the Beijing Olympics. He had already won two gold and two silver.
The relay race had been scheduled to start at 5 p.m. but was moved up 2 1/2 hours because of frigid temperatures at the stadium. The cold was expected to drop to minus 20 degrees C (minus 4 degrees F) by 6 p.m., making it dangerous for the athletes to compete.
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Teammates talk with Eduard Latypov of the Russian Olympic Committee after their third place finish during the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP PhotoKirsty Wigglesworth)
Quentin Fillon Maillet of France crosses the finish line in second during the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP PhotoKirsty Wigglesworth)