Oberhof, Germany - Russian Ekaterina Jurjeva on Friday won her first biathlon World Cup event of the season, when she beat local hero Andrea Hinkel by just 2.4 seconds.

20,000 spectators saw Hinkel lead for much of the race, but although she had to run one penalty loop after missing a target, Jurjeva managed to just edge Hinkel for victory in a time of 22:09.7 minutes.

Hinkel said that she had been very tired towards the end. "The legs were really sore. On the final kilometres I was counting the declines down. But I am totally happy with my second place."

She said that she was very happy that she had managed to complete the race without missing a target. "Before Christmas many people suggested that I had a problem with my shooting."

Third place went to Sweden's Helena Jonsson, who finished 19 seconds behind the winner after misfiring six times.

Russian Svetlana Slepzova, who finished eighth on the day, maintains the overall lead. (dpa)