Lisa Vittozzi in triumph, Dorothea Wierer off the podium

Lisa Vitozzi in triumph

Lisa Vittozzi returned to success in the women’s individual World Cup in Ruhpolding, Germany. The Sappada native, the author of a race bordering on perfection in which she controlled the pace in the opening lap and then unleashed all her power on the narrow skis in the third and fourth laps, secured her third career victory on the highest circuit, the first in the format, four years after the last time.

The Sappada-born member of the Carabinieri Sports Center, after a negative weekend in Pokljuka, regained her brilliance at the polygon, completing the race 39″ ahead of France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, who finished second at the finish line without a mistake, and 45″2 ahead of the other transalpine Julia Simon, who finished third with a mistake.

Dorothea Wierer finished just off the podium, in fourth place with an error and 1’09″ behind Vittozzi. The winner of the last two individual races held at the Chiemgau Arena, she stroked the virtual podium for a long time, missing it only because of a mistake on the last polygon, at the expense of a Jeanmonnot literally unleashed on the narrow skis. The South Tyrolean finisher will have a chance to make up for it in the relay on Saturday, Jan. 14.