KRASNAYA POLYANA — Russia took bronze in the men's 20 kilometer individual biathlon race in the Sochi Olympics on Thursday, behind France and Germany.
French biathlon star Martin Fourcade won his second gold medal of the Olympics, missing one shot of 20 on his way to victory and finishing 12.2 seconds ahead of clean-shooting German Erik Lesser. The bronze went to Russia's Yevgeny Garanichev, the host nation's first men's biathlon medal of the Games, 34.5 seconds off the pace.
Combined with his win in the 12.5 kilometer pursuit Monday, the Olympics represent a validation at the highest level for Fourcade, who has dominated biathlon World Cup events over the last two seasons.
With its roots in military training, biathlon combines skiing and shooting. Missed shots require athletes to ski penalty loops that typically delay them by 20-30 seconds.
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