Ostersund, Sweden - Emil Hegle Svendsen dominated a biathlon World Cup sprint race on Saturday while fellow-Norwegian star Ole Einar Bjoerndalen missed the podium by a fraction.

The two-time 2008 world champion Svendsen missed one of 10 targets in the shooting range and won the 10-kilometres race in 25 minutes 42.3 seconds. It was the seventh career win for the 23-year-old.

Tomasz Sikora of Poland trailed by 12.7 seconds in second place, also with one penalty loop. Simon Fourcade of France was third, 28.1 seconds off the pace after hitting all targets.

Ostersund, Sweden  - Helena Jonsson of Sweden won her first individual biathlon World Cup event by clinching the women's 15km before a home crowd in Ostersund on Thursday.

Jonsson, 24, made no errors on the shooting range on her way to victory in 45 minutes 05.1 seconds in the first women's World Cup event of the season.

Three-time Olympic winner Kati Wilhelm of Germany had to be content with second place, 39.7 seconds behind after one shooting error.

Russia's Yekaterina Yuryeva was third, 1:10.3 behind Jonsson with one shooting error, ahead of last season's champion Magdalena Neuner of Germany, who was 5.1 seconds further back after one error.

Ostersund, Sweden  - Germany's Michael Greis won the opening men's Biathlon World Cup race of the season Wednesday, a 20-kilometre race in Ostersund.

Greis missed just one target in the shooting range to claim victory in a time of 58 minutes 52.5 seconds to register the 10th World Cup victory of his career.

Norway's Alexander Os made two shooting mistakes on his way to a second place finish, 50.5 seconds behind the winner, with compatriot and world champion Emil Helge Svendsen third, 55 seconds behind Greis.