It denied a final climactic sprint for the race win and the World Cup title on the home straight of the Holmenkollen ski centre, as Preuss seized the momentum to win from Sweden’s Elvira Öberg and the crestfallen Jeanmonnot.
Preuss and Jeanmonnot, who missed one target each and started the last loop together before Öberg caught up, had a long embrace in the finish area.
“I apologised but she said there was nothing unfair and that she tripped over her pole,” Preuss told broadcasters ARD.
France reportedly lodged a protest but withdrew it a little later.
Preuss won the title by 20 points after having lost the lead to Jeanmonnot by five points the previous day.
“It was a sick fight,” Preuss said of the epic duel between the two. “It was a challenge. I just gave my best. Our level was so high and I could have had no regrets if I had lost. It was an amazing fight.
“There were many challenges but also many nice moments.”
Preuss capped her best season with the maiden World Cup title, plus the sprint and mass start discipline titles. She won four races and had nine further podiums, and won four medals at the recent world championships, including pursuit gold.
Jeanmonnot won eight World Cup races and had two further podiums, amd won the pursuit and individual event titles.
The men’s mass start is later Sunday and marks the farewell of Norwegian superstar Johannes Thingnes Bø who is ending his glittering career highlighted by 23 world titles and five Olympic golds career together with older brother Tarjei Bø who was on the start list after missing Friday and Saturday due tto illness.
Another Norwegian, Sturla Holm Lægreid, clinched the men’s overall title on Saturday.
(dpa)
