Russia’s Svetlana Ishmouratova produced an exemplary display of marksmanship and a fast ski time to win the women's 15 kilometre biathlon at Cesana San Sicario.

Team mate Olga Pyleva clinched silver and Germany’s Martina Glagow bronze.

Ishmouratova missed only one of the 20 targets with her light-weight .22 calibre rifle from four separate shoots, two from the prone position and two from standing.

The 33-year-old soldier from Siberia recorded a brisk time of 49 minutes 24.1seconds over the winding 3km-long circuit, which the biathletes had to complete five times. 

Ishmouratova, currently ranked 7th in the World Cup rankings, brought good form into the Olympics, having won the 15km event in Brezno-Orsblie, Slovakia last December.

Pyleva, the most accurate shooter in the World Cup events with a 94-percent accuracy rate, only notched up one time penalty coupled with a ski time of 50 minutes 09.6 seconds.

Defending gold medallist, Andrea Henkel paid the price for two missed targets in her final shoot, combined with a ski time more than two minutes behind Ishmouratova.

Germany's Kati Wilhelm, Salt Lake City 2002 gold medallist in the sprint and relay, and silver medallist in the pursuit, also picked up five one-minute penalties for errant shooting and was bumped off the podium after a strong early showing.

The 15 kilometre individual event was introduced into the Olympic program at Albertville 1992.

The athletes start at 30 second intervals and must cover a course which has an overall rise and fall between 600 and 750 metres and shoot 20 shots during four shooting series of five targets.

Shooting is carried out in sequence: from the ground, standing, from the ground, standing. For each target missed there is a penalty of one minute added to the total race time.

AFP