Slovakia’s Anastazia Kuzmina wins gold in women’s 7.5-kilometer biathlon sprint

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Slovakia’s Anastazia Kuzmina won the gold medal in the women’s 7.5-kilometer biathlon sprint at Whistler Olympic Park.

Kuzmina missed one of 10 shots and finished in 19 minutes, 55.6 seconds Saturday on a course that had to be sprinkled with fertilizer to harden snow that had been pelted for days with rain and sleet.

Germany’s Magdalena Neuner took the silver, finishing 1.5 seconds behind Kuzmina, and Marie Dorin of France won the bronze with a clean shoot that put her 10.9 seconds off the lead.

The top American was Sara Studebaker, who finished 45th.

-- Houston Mitchell in Vancouver, Canada