Germany's Ricco Gross has won the men's World Cup 12.5 - kilometer pursuit biathlon race in Anterselva, Italy.
Gross captured his first World Cup title of the season with perfect shooting and a total time of 33:44.07.
Norway's Halvard Hanevold was second - 29.8 seconds back with two penalty laps. Countryman Frode Andresen finished third - 34.7 seconds off the lead with four shooting misses.
Raphael Poiree of France did not compete in Friday's race, but he retained his overall lead with 358 points. German Michael Roesch is second, just eight points back, with Sven Fischer of Germany third overall, with 337 points.
The competition runs through Sunday and continues with a women's 10-kilometer pursuit race. The men's and women's mass-start races are Sunday.
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting from a variety of positions. Athletes must ski penalty laps to make up for shooting misses.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
