Biathlon World Cup 2015-2016 (Week 3) - Men's 15km MASS START race

BMW IBU Biathlon World Cup 2015-2016 (Week 3/Day 4) - Men's 15km Mass Start race 20.12.2015, Pokljuka Jean Guillaume Beatrix Tops Svendsen for Mass Start Win First Career victory France?s Jean Guillaume Beatrix shot clean to claim his first-ever World Cup win in today?s mass start, covering the 15K in 35:33.7. Norway?s Emil Hegle Svendsen finished second, a mere 0.3 second back with one penalty. His teammate Ole Einar Björndalen finished third with two penalties, and was third, 2.5 seconds back. Simon Schempp of Germany matched Björndalen's shooting in a photo-finish for third place, but the German missed the podium for the first time this week. Schempp's teammate Andreas Birnbacher finished in a season-best fifth place, with one penalty, 7.2 seconds back. Sixth went to Simon Desthieux of France, with one penalty 11.4 seconds back. Final Competition Day at Pokljuka The men's mass start opened the final competition day in Pokljuka under perfect weather conditions, warm and windless. Martin Fourcade in Yellow was one of the favorites, but his two penalties in the first prone put him near the back of the field, in the 17th position, skiing alongside his brother Simon. Despite perfect conditions, one-by-one, the top men picked up penalties. Leaving the final standing stage, Björndalen, Svendsen, Beatrix and Schempp had a 10-second gap on the rest of the field. First World Cup Win Svendsen and Beatrix battled for the first place in the last 100 meters. The Norwegian seemed faster and looked confident in his first place, but Beatrix slipped ahead at the finish line, crossing with arms raised in victory. The happy Beatrix commented on the sprint, "I didn't think I could win as Emil was strong. He looked a little tired on the last downhill though. Thanks to good skis I managed to make a nice finish." He commented on his early season futility. "The beginning of the season was not good for me. I always finished in the 15th place and I knew I could do better. I was looking forward to the competition. This is my first clean shot in career, I am happy about it." Svendsen commented, "It is nice to finish a year with a podium. It's sad to lose on such a margin though." He added on his plans, "I need some rest to be in my best shape, but mentally I am very motivated." Photo Finish for Third Everyone in the stadium will remember the dramatic finishes of today. After Beatrix's surprising victory, their eyes were fixed on the two men battling for third: Björndalen and Schempp, who crossed the line simultaneously, resulting in the photo-finish. Björndalen commented, "The last sprint was very hard. I focused on the third place, but Simon was so close to me. I saw his shadow on the finish line and tried to move out my feet." On Beatrix's first win, he added, "It's amazing feeling to win for the first time. You reach the goal after working for so many years. I think it will be easier for him to gain more victories in the future."