Bjorn Ferry captures Sweden's second gold in Whistler

From Sportsbeat Staff, in Whistler

BJORN Ferry scored Sweden's second gold of the Games, missing just one target on the way to 12.5km pursuit victory at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

BJORN'S IN CHARGE: Sweden's Bjorn Ferry shoots 19 from 20 in the 12.5km pursuit to claim Olympic gold at the Whistler Olympic Park (Getty Images)

The 31-year old started more than a minute behind 7.5km sprint winner Vincent Jay at the Whister Olympic Park but hauled in the Frenchman before sprinting clear in the closing stages to win in 33.38.4 minutes.

Competing in his third Olympics, Ferry had impressed to finish eighth in Sunday's sprint event, but starting 1:12 minutes behind Jay, few had touted the Swede's chances of repeating compatriot Charlotte Kalla's success in Monday's cross country.

But, having completed two flawless shoots in the sprint, Ferry's precision on the range was his greatest weapon again as he sailed through his first three shooting stages without a miss.

And despite one error on his final standing shoot, the Swede had enough in the tank to ski clear of Jay and claim his first Olympic medal with Austria's Christoph Sumann sweeping in for silver and Jay settling for bronze.

"I lost five to six weeks of training in mid-September and October, but I felt I was in great shape for the Olympic Games," said Ferry, who won mixed relay gold at the 2007 World Championships in Antholz.

"I've won a medal at the world championships before, but never had an individual medal so this is a special moment.

"I started to feel like I could win it on the second lap when I was skiing with Simon Eder and Christoph Sumann, who like me, also had great skis. After the first two to three loops, I said to myself, 'I can manage a great race'.

"Vincent Jay was tired, I saw it in the penalty loop. Then I was in the lead and realised that now I can win this race."

The race had started off as a straight duel between Jay and Norway's sprint silver medallist Emil Hegle Svendsen but after the latter missed in his second prone shoot, the Frenchman established clear ground between himself and the rest of the field.

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen had completed a sprint and pursuit double at Salt Lake City in 2002 and Jay stayed on track to emulate the Norwegian as he skied away from the standing shoot in first, despite a solitary miss.

Bjoerndalen himself had shot back into contention by the third shoot as he moved into third behind Jay and Ferry.

But the 36-year old will have to wait for that elusive sixth Olympic gold after two misses in his final shoot saw the Norwegian finish seventh.

Instead, Austria's Christoph Sumann, who lies third in this season's World Cup standings, impressed on the day, missing twice in total but powering past Jay in the closing stages to claim silver, 16.5 seconds behind Ferry.

The Frenchman looked like he was skiing through treacle by the end but just managed to ward off the challenge of Austria's Simon Eder to secure bronze, another 11.7 back.

Great Britain's Lee-Steve Jackson, who equalled his best-ever finish of 55th in the 10km sprint on Sunday, could not quite repeat the trick and came home in 56th place, 6:16.3 off the pace.

Germany's Magdalena Neuner won the women's biathlon 10km pursuit in Whistler

IN PICTURES: Bjorn Ferry wins 12.5km pursuit gold at Whistler Olympic Park

AS IT HAPPENS: Day five from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver