German biathlete Michael Greis won the opening gold medal of the Turin Winter Olympics after a near-perfect performance in the men's 20-kilometre individual race.
The 29-year-old missed just one of his 20 targets on the shooting range to clinch his first Olympic title with a combined time of 54 minutes 23 seconds.
Norwegian five-time Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjorndalen had to settle for second place, 16 seconds behind Greis, after missing a target in each of his first two shooting sessions.
Bjorndalen's 36-year-old team-mate Halvard Hanevold produced a powerful finish to take the bronze - a further 52.9 seconds back.
