Elvira Öberg finished ahead of her sister Hanna Öberg in the distance race in Kontiolahti, Finland, on Thursday.
It was about to be a second straight victory in the 12.5-kilometre mass start, but Julia Simon of France was faster and won by 5.6 seconds with only one miss.
Öberg missed a shot in the final standing shooting and lost the victory; she had a total of two misses.
Julia Simon and Elvira Öberg stood side by side at the final shooting.
"It's a shame when you're up there and leading for a long time but don't manage to complete the standing stage, but it's still a good competition," says Elvira Öberg, who had both of her targets standing.
“Standing still”
Elvira Öberg started strongly and led after the two opening shots.
"I'm super happy with how I'm shooting, but I had a hard time standing still," says Öberg.
Anna Magnusson was three seconds behind Öberg in third place and had a fall.
"I'm really happy. I've been fourth twice, so on the last lap I thought only I could keep this podium position," says Magnusson.
The Swedes also closed in on leading Frenchwoman Lou Jeanmonnot and second-place Suvi Minkkinen of Finland in the overall World Cup.
“Continue driving”
The Frenchwoman - 16th and 35th in the last two competitions - has 879 points, Minkkinen 703, Magnusson 695, Elvira Öberg 671 and fifth-place Hanna Öberg 649 points.
Two competition weekends remain.
"I'm going to enjoy this a little, but I'm going to take it with me and just keep driving," says Magnusson.
On Saturday, the Swedish Biathlon Association also announced that Johannes Lukas will continue as head coach of the national biathlon team, which he has led since 2019.
"It feels safe and comfortable. I have been super satisfied with Johannes as a coach," says Elvira Öberg.
Hanna Öberg was on course for a top finish, but missed three shots in the third shooting round. With a total of six missed shots, she dropped to 24th place.
