HOCHFILZEN (Reuters) - Anton Shipulin was too strong on the skis as he held off great rival Martin Fourcade of France to give Russia the gold medal in the men's 4x7.5km relay at the biathlon world championships on Saturday. Shipulin missed a shot in the standing position in the final relay while Fourcade, who started his relay in third place some 12 seconds off the pace, hit all the targets. Russia have had troubled preparations as the International Biathlon Union (IBU) told them to give up the right to host the 2021 world championships amid doping concerns. Eleven-times world champion Fourcade, who has been leading calls to eradicate doping from the sport, and Shipulin were involved in controversy last week. The world championships end on Sunday with the men's and women's mass start events.

Source: The Star February 18, 2017 15:22 UTC