OSLO, Norway (AP) Norway held off France and Germany to take the women's 4x6-kilometer relay gold medal at the biathlon world championships on Friday.
The team of Synnoeve Solemdal, Fanny Horn Birkeland, Tiril Eckhoff and Marte Olsbu clocked 1 hour, 7 minutes, 10 seconds, with six spares, at the Holmenkollen ski centre.
Olsbu held off France's Marie Dorin Habert and Germany's Laura Dahlmeier on the track. Olsbu hit all targets, though she needed two reserve spares on each station.
''I was nervous, I went into something I had not experienced before,'' Olsbu said.
Dorin Habert had to make up an 8.8-second deficit going out last, but France was 5.3 seconds adrift at the finish with eight spares.
Dahlmeier, the pursuit champion, was expected to overtake Norway going out 11.6 seconds behind Olsbu, but eventually eased down, with Germany finishing 28.6 seconds behind in third with four spares.
Poland was fourth, followed by Ukraine, Czech Republic and Italy.
