Doping in XC skiing

[The Hitch]

lol at this biathlon race

Horner won again I see.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What about Austirans? Any ideas? Eder faster on skis then many? Landertinger out of his slump just in time? That's concerning too.

The Austrian team's level rising and falling as one has been pretty consistent over the last few years. When they're fast, they're ALL fast, and when they're slow, they're ALL slow.

He's a cold fish if he dopes at the age of 40 when he's already won everything. Why risk destroying everything he has accomplished?

Today's win took him level with Bjørn Dæhlie's record for number of Winter Olympic medals. If he can hold on to a medal position in the pursuit he will become the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time.

That is a possible motivation.

I'm not saying he's definitely doping, I'm saying that there is no way a 40-year-old, who was a dominant athlete in a very shady era, whose form had been declining over the last three seasons, getting back to world class level to the point where he is skiing on a par with the very best skiers 15 years his junior on the highest stage of all, should not raise eyebrows from a Clinic standpoint, legend or no legend (and make absolutely no bones about it, Ole Einar Bjørndalen is an absolute legend).

 

[The Hitch]

He's a cold fish if he dopes at the age of 40 when he's already won everything. Why risk destroying everything he has accomplished?

For many athletes its always about the next win that next kick. **** everything that came before.

 

[Discgear]

Bjørndalen shot 8.2 sec faster than Landertinger on the final shoot! Lander was under 2 sec behind at the finish.

B had the second fastest shoottime overall, and third fastest time in the ski.

Trond, since this is a thread on doping. What's your take? Is it that Landertinger must have been juiced, since he had faster skiing time than OEB on the last lap?

 

[kanari]

I'm not saying he's definitely doping, I'm saying that there is no way a 40-year-old, who was a dominant athlete in a very shady era, whose form had been declining over the last three seasons, getting back to world class level to the point where he is skiing on a par with the very best skiers 15 years his junior on the highest stage of all, should not raise eyebrows from a Clinic standpoint, legend or no legend (and make absolutely no bones about it, Ole Einar Bjørndalen is an absolute legend).

I have no problem with people raising the question, it just seems to me that it would be an incredibly stupid risk to take at this point in his career. Then again he's always had a special mentality so who knows what he's thinking.

 

[MrRoboto]

He's a real weirdo. But I guess you have to be like that to achieve what he has done.

 

[roundabout]

What about Austirans? Any ideas? Eder faster on skis then many? Landertinger out of his slump just in time? That's concerning too.

Uh, what about Soukup?

Oh, right.

Please think before posting.

 

[William H]

I was glad that Shipulin faded towards the end, because his early pace was crazy.

As it is, I don't find the result too crazy. It seems like Svendsen and Fourcade weren't quite at top form - and Svendsen must have had some sort of problem in the last couple of Ks because he lost 13 seconds there - and Bjoerndalen has been knocking on the door before this year

You could say Bjoerndalen's performance stretched belief, considering his age, but you'd say the same about his whole career, surely

 

[Kokoso]

Uh, what about Soukup?

Oh, right.

Please think before posting.

What's your problem with him?

 

[roundabout]

My problem is with your "logic". Landertinger is 4th in the WC and finished top 10 in his last 7 races.

Soukup - 41st in the WC, 1 top 10 all year, but not a peep out of you about him.

Says it all really.

 

[roundabout]

You could say Bjoerndalen's performance stretched belief, considering his age, but you'd say the same about his whole career, surely

The guy is 40 and won 2 races in the last 4 years

Also finished 10, 16 and 22 overall in 3 previous completed seasons and did not win a single individual medal in the last 3 World Championships.

Seems legit that he is back to form.

 

[Kokoso]

My problem is with your "logic". Landertinger is 4th in the WC and finished top 10 in his last 7 races.

Soukup - 41st in the WC, 1 top 10 all year, but not a peep out of you about him.

Says it all really.

Well he was badly injured. But I can understand your logic, on the contrary.

 

[roundabout]

Badly injured, but not badly enough to not be in form for the most important event in years despite showing very little before.

Keep on twisting.

Funny how 2 of his 3 podiums have come at the Worlds and Olympics.

 

[kingjr]

I find Leguellec and Soukup a ton more dodgy tbh. Bjørndalen doesn't surprise me, his problem in the last few years hasn't been his peak performance, but his consistency, usually being strong in the first race at a weekend and then fading away, getting slower as the weaks go by and being stronger again after a longer break. He can still challenge the younger athletes in terms of speed, but he doesn't recuperate very well anymore, as you would expect from a 40 year old.

All in all a fairly ordinary Olympic biathlon race. You never quite get what you've expected from loking at the season so far.

did not win a single individual medal in the last 3 World Championships.

was only one shot away from gold in last years sprint


All in all, I'd say Bjørndalen wasn't stronger than expected, but Fourcade and especially Svendsen were weaker than expected

 

[peloton]

Yup, sorry to say it, but Bjørndalen outskiing Martin Fourcade and Emil Hegle Svendsen on one of the tougher sets of trails in world biathlon really, really needs to be here.

It does, but to be fair this was a sprint, 5 years ago he would have won by minutes the same distance.

How he does in the races that will come will be telling. No way can he recover as well as the young ones.

 

[Armchaircyclist]

The guy is 40 and won 2 races in the last 4 years

Also finished 10, 16 and 22 overall in 3 previous completed seasons and did not win a single individual medal in the last 3 World Championships.

Seems legit that he is back to form.

-----------
Biathlon is not cycling, the margins are really really small. If you watched closely today you'd have seen that the early starters got better skiing conditions. Bjørndalen beating Svendsen on the last lap says it all.

Winning medals in the world championship is not necessary to be a top athlete in biathlon. Bjørndalen has proved in world cup that he is good enough to win on a lucky day, and he did it today. GOTTA LOVE THE GUY He lives on the road at 40, and when told by old norwegian hero Dæhlie that he needed to keep his motivation up - he answered that was not even an issue for him. He is an athlete 24 hours a day for 20 years. CRAZY but gotta love him. Even lost his hot biathlete girlfriend Santer, did not affect him at all.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

-----------
Biathlon is not cycling, the margins are really really small. If you watched closely today you'd have seen that the early starters got better skiing conditions. Bjørndalen beating Svendsen on the last lap says it all.

Winning medals in the world championship is not necessary to be a top athlete in biathlon. Bjørndalen has proved in world cup that he is good enough to win on a lucky day, and he did it today. GOTTA LOVE THE GUY He lives on the road at 40, and when told by old norwegian hero Dæhlie that he needed to keep his motivation up - he answered that was not even an issue for him. He is an athlete 24 hours a day for 20 years. CRAZY but gotta love him. Even lost his hot biathlete girlfriend Santer, did not affect him at all.

The rumour was that he lost her because he got a little too close to Darya Domracheva when Poirée was coaching the Belarusians.

 

[Armchaircyclist]

It does, but to be fair this was a sprint, 5 years ago he would have won by minutes the same distance.

How he does in the races that will come will be telling. No way can he recover as well as the young ones.

-------
Recovery from a 33 minutes race, with one rest day, and then another race where he gets the advantage of his lead from this race... He'll do very well there if he can keep his shooting together, most likely another medal.

After that I hope he'll help get us a gold in the relays..

 

[roundabout]

-----------
Biathlon is not cycling, the margins are really really small. If you watched closely today you'd have seen that the early starters got better skiing conditions. Bjørndalen beating Svendsen on the last lap says it all.

Winning medals in the world championship is not necessary to be a top athlete in biathlon. Bjørndalen has proved in world cup that he is good enough to win on a lucky day, and he did it today. GOTTA LOVE THE GUY He lives on the road at 40, and when told by old norwegian hero Dæhlie that he needed to keep his motivation up - he answered that was not even an issue for him. He is an athlete 24 hours a day for 20 years. CRAZY but gotta love him. Even lost his hot biathlete girlfriend Santer, did not affect him at all.

Yes, the 2 and a half minutes in starting time made all the difference between Bjorndalen and Svendsen in skiing.

Having better results than 1 win and 1 podium in 43 races in 2012 and 2013 seasons makes for a top athlete. Or just 4 top 10 finishes in 20 races last year.

He was in obvious decline and suddenly picked it up again.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Yes, the 2 and a half minutes in starting time made all the difference between Bjorndalen and Svendsen in skiing.

Having better results than 1 win and 1 podium in 43 races in 2012 and 2013 seasons makes for a top athlete. Or just 4 top 10 finishes in 20 races last year.

He was in obvious decline and suddenly picked it up again.

The is the secret to OEB's resurrection:

Harder, more painful training regime than the others.

 

[manafana]

defo can c it if it happened in cycling then it happened in sking especially with the money the nordics put into it, belgium is to cycling what norway is to skiing.

 

[Kokoso]

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If you watched closely today you'd have seen that the early starters got better skiing conditions.

I watched closely and no, there weren't better skiing conditions.

 

[ToreBear]

It's usually not a good idea to get too focused on when someone is faster than someone else, since we don't know the details about someone elses problems on that day.

M Fourcade hinted in between all the praise of Ole Einar that his skis were not the best.

If you look at the first splits, Ole Einar was many seconds slower(10ish?), than both Emil and Martin.

Before that first split it's a steep climb up from the stadium. It's at altitude, so if you start too hard, the lactate will build up and you will pay for it on the last round.

Add to that, the shooting time is important etc.

Personally I think Bjørndalen was lucky to have both Martin and Emil performing sub optimally at the same time(How often does that happen?).

Also, another note. When all members of a team ski real fast on the same day, it could be doping, skis or both. So the Austrians team effort could have other explanation than doping when they all seem to have good races at the same time.

On Soukup I have no opinion, since I don't really have any idea whether this was above his level or not.

One more thing on Bjørndalen. Remember he injured his back in the spring/summer of 2011, and it took a long time before he got back to normal.

 

[ToreBear]

IBU Press Release
09.02.2014, Sochi / IBU
Subject: Waiving of B sample and Disciplinary Hearing for Karolis ZLATKAUKAS of Lithuania
On 28 January 2014 and in compliance with the IBU Anti-Doping Rules as well as the World Anti-Doping Code, the IBU announced the provisional suspension of three biathlon athletes, two from Russia and one from Lithuania. This decision was based on Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) Reports indicating the presence of a non-specified substance in these athletes' A samples.

Copyright IBU/
One of the three athletes, Mr. Karolis ZLATKAUKAS of Lithuania, has now waived his right of opening the B sample. Mr. Karolis ZLATKAUKAS' adverse analytical finding in the A sample was the result of a sample collected in Obertilliach, Austria on December, 19 2013 as an Out-of -Competition Test. The sample was taken by the Austrian NADA on behalf of the IBU.


The laboratory report (from the laboratory in Seibersdorf) of the urine sample showed the presence of recombinant erythropoietin. Recombinant erythropoietin belongs to group S2: Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances/erythropoietin (EPO) of the WADA Prohibited List.

As the substance detected is prohibited under the applicable Prohibited List, the IBU will now initiate the disciplinary procedure, and the case will be assigned to the IBU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel for adjudication.


With regard to the formal procedure and according to the IBU Anti-Doping Rules, Art. 7.1.5, the A sample result is thus officially accepted by the athlete. The IBU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel will schedule a hearing of Mr. ZLATKAUKAS, which will be held in the IBU Headquarters in Salzburg in the near future.


Mr. ZLATKAUKAS' provisional suspension will remain valid until the final decision is taken by the IBU Anti-Doping Hearing Panel. The final decision will be published as soon as it is available.


Mr. ZLATKAUKAS admitted that he made a mistake. He pointed out in a letter to the IBU that with his action he deeply disappointed the IBU, the Lithuanian Biathlon Federation and his team. He closed his comments by offering an apology to the whole Biathlon Family for his actions.


Nicole Resch
IBU Secretary General

http://www3.biathlonworld.com/en/press_releases.html/do/detail?presse=2122

Kudos to Karolis for admitting, and saving everyone from spending a ton of money on the case.

I don't know what the status is now, but with the next wada code opening for 4 years for EPO, I think and hope there is room for a reduction if one admits it before going through the process. Perhaps a Reduction to 3.5 years or something.

Edit: Well done in deducing the correct athlete Libertine!

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

Horner won again I see.

Yep. The decade for the 40+ olds.
Now we have to wait for the first one in the 50+ club...