HOCHFILZEN, Austria (AP) Simon Schempp helped Germany win the team relay gold in the opening event of the biathlon world championships on Thursday.
In his final 2.5-kilometer lap, Schempp held off a challenge by Martin Fourcade of France and Anton Shipulin of Russia, who were 17 seconds behind when leaving the shooting range but trailed the German at the finish by only 2.2 and 3.2 seconds, respectively.
The German team of Vanessa Hinz, Laura Dahlmeier, Arnd Peiffer and Schempp missed seven targets but avoided penalty loops to finish in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 6.41 seconds.
Olympic champion Norway had to ski two penalty loops and finished 46.2 seconds behind in eighth.
Germany last won the mixed relay world title in 2010, when Schempp was also part of the team.
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