Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Mayomaniac]

Honestly, they had great crowds for those races. Thank God they had an idividual start on such a course, because getting away in a mass start race would have been almost impossible.

 

[BullsFan22]

Honestly, they had great crowds for those races. Thank God they had an idividual start on such a course, because getting away in a mass start race would have been almost impossible.

It would have been possible had they used the courses from the 2011 us junior nationals. The layout for the World Cup is easier than what was used in 2011. Teenagers skiing on harder courses than World Cup racers in their 20’s and 30’s. But are we really surprised by anything FIS does these days?

 

[dobrien]

Honestly, they had great crowds for those races. Thank God they had an idividual start on such a course, because getting away in a mass start race would have been almost impossible.

100% agree; they used the course the only way which made sense. What really saved this was the 18cm (7") of snow and cold weather we got on Wednesday; before that the temps had been as high as 13c (55f) for days on end and things were looking ugly. There was enough manmade to hold the race but it just wouldn't have been the same, and now the temps are going to rise again right away next week. The Nordic ski gods definitely smiled on the Twin Cities the past 5 days.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

8th place for Pace. Hmmm, it's still a good result for her, but I guess it might have been two much for me to ask to get two improbable Latvian podiums in the same day

 

[BullsFan22]

8th place for Pace. Hmmm, it's still a good result for her, but I guess it might have been two much for me to ask to get two improbable Latvian podiums in the same day

That’s a great result for her on a course that doesn’t suit her.

 

[BigCoward]

20 gold medals in World Championships for JTB. Equals Bjørndalen that remains the GOAT.

Still only 10 individual medals compared to 11 for OEB and Fourcade.

His consistncy in major championships over last 6 years since disapointing performance in Pyongchang is amazing -

41 races
21 golds
34 podiums
Non podium finishes were 5th, 5th, 5th, 5th 8th, 9th and 13th.

 

[roundabout]

Fourcade won individual gold #11 in the 35th individual WC race. JTB has 10 golds in 32 races.

 

[BigCoward]

Fourcade won individual gold #11 in the 35th individual WC race. JTB has 10 golds in 32 races.

I mean he can definitely break this (and all other) record if he wants to. He only needs 2 more wins to tie Fourcade. I wonder if he is aiming for 2026 then call it a day.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I mean he can definitely break this (and all other) record if he wants to. He only needs 2 more wins to tie Fourcade. I wonder if he is aiming for 2026 then call it a day.

Hes been open about that for a long time already. 2026 and then retire.

 

[BigCoward]

Hes been open about that for a long time already. 2026 and then retire.

I bet he would do another season if he was 1 or 2 behind OEB.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I bet he would do another season if he was 1 or 2 behind OEB.

As late as after the 20 km last week he repeated that it’s the end after the Olympics 26, so I would bet against you. We will know in 2026, but to me it also seems like Johannes is the kind of guy that would be fine with not beating a specific record.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

You guys remember Gunde Svan from way back when?

(I had to rewatch some Olympic glory docs from when Norway's men didn't absolutely dominate everything.)

 

[BullsFan22]

You guys remember Gunde Svan from way back when?

(I had to rewatch some Olympic glory docs from when Norway's men didn't absolutely dominate everything.)

Who?

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

You guys remember Gunde Svan from way back when?

(I had to rewatch some Olympic glory docs from when Norway's men didn't absolutely dominate everything.)

He had his peak before I was born, but he’s still a massive name in Sweden/Norway and is often in media. It’s not long ago he (and Wassberg) was critical in the media of the the way many top athletes today are listening too much to their personal coach and are not independent enough and therefore doesn’t learn to understand their body well enough (Frida and Ebba disagreed with him).

 

[kingjr]

You guys remember Gunde Svan from way back when?

(I had to rewatch some Olympic glory docs from when Norway's men didn't absolutely dominate everything.)

Only from watching loads of 80s XC skiing footage on YouTube many years ago.

Oh, and from this:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_ss5eAiGn4

 

[OJRvE]

You guys remember Gunde Svan from way back when?

(I had to rewatch some Olympic glory docs from when Norway's men didn't absolutely dominate everything.)

Swedish national TV just released a great documentary about him. Hopefully they or someone else will add English subtitles so non-Scandinavians can watch it.

He had his peak before I was born, but he’s still a massive name in Sweden/Norway and is often in media. It’s not long ago he (and Wassberg) was critical in the media of the the way many top athletes today are listening too much to their personal coach and are not independent enough and therefore doesn’t learn to understand their body well enough (Frida and Ebba disagreed with him).

He has been involved in a lot of TV-shows over the year so most (especially the young) recognize him as a TV-host instead of a skiing hero. He is particularly associated with the Swedish version of Fort Boyard.

I couldn’t really understand his criticism of athletes listening to their coach instead of the body. My impression is the Swedish top athletes (on the women’s side atleast) listen a lot to their bodies but uses the seasoned coach for advises. Especially when it come to hard decisions like skipping competitions and training. Both Ebba and Frida have had the greatest success when they spent a lot of time together with their dedicated coach prior to competition. I think it’s a bigger problem in biathlon where they follow the program of the national coach which is designed to fit everyone in the team.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Also, never forget what happened in Lillehammer exactly 30 years ago

 

[BullsFan22]

Also, never forget what happened in Lillehammer exactly 30 years ago

Halfway through the 2nd lap, the Norwegians started booing Fauner because he didn’t want to take the lead. 🤣

 

[Mayomaniac]

Halfway through the 2nd lap, the Norwegians started booing Fauner because he didn’t want to take the lead. 🤣

Today they had a big celebration in Cima Sappada with all the members of that relay team.

 

[BullsFan22]

Today they had a big celebration in Cima Sappada with all the members of that relay team.

De Zolt is 73 now. It’s so crazy to think about that. He was 43 in Lillehammer. 17 years older than Dæhlie, 18 than Fauner and 22 than Alsgård.

 

[Mayomaniac]

De Zolt is 73 now. It’s so crazy to think about that. He was 43 in Lillehammer. 17 years older than Dæhlie, 18 than Fauner and 22 than Alsgård.

Tbf, de Zolt being a late bloomer mainly belongs into another subforum...

 

[BullsFan22]

Tbf, de Zolt being a late bloomer mainly belongs into another subforum...

Oh no doubt about that, I just wanted to mention how it seems just like yesterday and how much older he was than the rest of the field at the time. I think the closest was Kirvesniemi, and he wasn’t a late bloomer.

 

[BigCoward]

It feels a bit of an after thought having 3 rounds after the world championship. I hope Tandrevold has her head sorted.
Realistically there are still 4 potential winners for the overall and it could be a great end to the season.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Oh no doubt about that, I just wanted to mention how it seems just like yesterday and how much older he was than the rest of the field at the time. I think the closest was Kirvesniemi, and he wasn’t a late bloomer.

It has to be said that he also benefited from the rise of skating technique.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Apparently Pellegrino-Barp will be the Italian main duo for the team sprint. That's a strong combination.