On Thursday, the biathlon World Cup event in Otepää kicked off with the men's 10 km sprint, where Norwegian athlete Sturla Holm Lägreid secured first place. The sprint showcased impressive marksmanship, with competitors in the top ten registering only two misses combined. Lägreid, who finished second in the same event in Otepää the previous year, crossed the finish line with a time of 23 minutes and 28.5 seconds, marking a noteworthy performance.

Following Lägreid, the French athlete Emilien Jacquelin took the second place, also completing the course without any misses, finishing just 10.7 seconds behind. In third was Germany's Philipp Nawrath, who finished 17.8 seconds after the leader. Close behind were Norway's Isak Frey and Quentin Fillon Maillet of France, who had won the Otepää sprint four years prior. This event underscores a high level of competition, with athletes demonstrating both speed and accuracy.

The Estonian competitors had a notable showing as well. Kristo Siimer, who had a clean shooting record, initially finished in first place during the race but ultimately ended in 15th position with a time of +1:05.0 due to performance in the latter part of the race. Mark-Markos Kehva, who ranked 50th, also qualified for the pursuit race. Their performance reflects both the challenges and ambitions of Estonian biathletes in the international arena, as they continue to aim for improvement in future events.