Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Mayomaniac]

Very impressed by Gus Schumacher with all russians and norwegians present.

The guy was already a world champion in the junior ranks, he seems to be one of the biggest talents around.

 

[Mayomaniac]

It's a joke that the Norwegians got the WC final after acting the way they did.
The races in Lillehammer are usually great, but how about giving Russia a WC race either as the season opening or final?

 

[Bubba]

The guy was already a world champion in the junior ranks, he seems to be one of the biggest talents around.

Of course he is.
Bolshunov and Klæbo aside there is usually a huge gap from juniors to seniors in skiing and this is his first year with the big boys.
Amundsen also a big talent, 3 year senior from probably the best supported nation and same level as Schumacher..

 

[Bubba]

It's a joke that the Norwegians got the WC final after acting the way they did.
The races in Lillehammer are usually great, but how about giving Russia a WC race either as the season opening or final?

Not disagreeing that the norwegian cross country ski team behaving strange this season, they've found a way to participate in other diciplines this winter after all, so it's
not like it is an official ski federation policy.
I think it started with decicions by individual skiers and just spread quickly so that soon enough the cross country dicipline of the federation supported their "boycott".

My opinion:
A season without Holmenkollen is like a cycling season without RVV.
Sure, you can do it, but it's not the same.
Few things are this year anyways.

 

[Bubba]

Wow.
Diggins in interval start with Johaug chasing behind.
The americans in general and Diggins especially have found another gear this year.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Eurosport: "Jess Diggins is just head and shoulders the best skier in the world right now."
Also Eurosport: "The Norwegians really didn't have good skis today while the Americans really got it right."

 

[Bubba]

Eurosport: "Jess Diggins is just head and shoulders the best skier in the world right now."
Also Eurosport: "The Norwegians really didn't have good skis today while the Americans really got it right."

Lol.
I feel sorry for anyone having to listen to them.
How do they explain the amount of norwegians in the first page in both events?

Up here in Norway land, there are no one saying (at least so far) that the norwegians have had bad skis or Diggins being head and shoulders the best.

Johaug said she did a good race.
A little bit stunned.

Good for skiing this.

 

[roundabout]

Noone has to listen. There are mute buttons now.

At least that's what I do when there is a comnentator who's name rhymes with Tarlton

 

[BullsFan22]

Johaug stated that Karlsson fell in front of her after the 7.7 timing/split point, she said at the top of the hill the coaches told her she was 4 seconds ahead of Diggins.

I was actually surprised she didn’t win by more, to be honest, yes it appears that Karlsson’s crash did likely decide the final outcome. When the gap was that low I thought Diggins would win by 5, 6 seconds at least, so the Eurosport idiots saying the Norwegians didn’t have good skis are clueless. That said the gaps to 4th and beyond are massive, even if Diggins is a 5-15km skate specialist.

Nepryaeva hurt her hand after the 7.7 time check. Couldn’t move her thumb, apparently after a crash. Hopefully it’s only a sprain or hyperextension, otherwise it could be season over if it’s a break or even a fracture, IMO. Not a good last 10 days or so for the Russian women as far as health is concerned. Sorina out with a knee injury, Zhambalova out with Coronavirus, Kuleshova (Sedova) out with an injury, Stupak just coming back from a cold and now Nepryaeva with the hand injury. Not looking god for Oberstdorf and their medal aspirations.

 

[KZD]

Eurosport: "Jess Diggins is just head and shoulders the best skier in the world right now."
Also Eurosport: "The Norwegians really didn't have good skis today while the Americans really got it right."

She isn't even head and shoulders above the rest in the skating technique while in classic she is certainly outside of the top5.

Ebba Andersson looks really strong but the Norwegians seem to be strongest team in the both genders right now (at distance races).

 

[search]

Nepryaeva hurt her hand after the 7.7 time check. Couldn’t move her thumb, apparently after a crash. Hopefully it’s only a sprain or hyperextension, otherwise it could be season over if it’s a break or even a fracture, IMO. Not a good last 10 days or so for the Russian women as far as health is concerned. Sorina out with a knee injury, Zhambalova out with Coronavirus, Kuleshova (Sedova) out with an injury, Stupak just coming back from a cold and now Nepryaeva with the hand injury. Not looking god for Oberstdorf and their medal aspirations.

two broken bones, according to Russian media. She needs a surgery, and won't be able to train for at least a month. So her season is almost certain to be over, yep

 

[BullsFan22]

She isn't even head and shoulders above the rest in the skating technique while in classic she is certainly outside of the top5.

Ebba Andersson looks really strong but the Norwegians seem to be strongest team in the both genders right now (at distance races).

She’s in the form of her life, even better than this time 3 seasons ago, IMO. Can she keep her form for the next 5 weeks or so?

 

[BullsFan22]

two broken bones, according to Russian media. She needs a surgery, and won't be able to train for at least a month. So her season is almost certain to be over, yep

Yeah you could see her facial expressions, she was straining and crying. It must hurt like hell. I hope they are smart and don’t try anything stupid like thinking about speeding up the process and bringing her back this season. Complications could derail a career. Her season hasn’t been that feat, nowhere near as good and consistent as last season or the season before, where she lost the WC title due to sickness, after finishing 2nd in the Holmenkollen 30km and third in the Drammen sprint. Last year she got sick after Falun, so it hasn’t been a test stretch for her with these health issues.

 

[zarnack]

So at this rate who are going to ski for Russia in 4x5 relay?

Schumacher's 10th is indeed noteworthy, like Moch's 10th a week ago, who is about the same age. Considering lack of upcoming skiers these days, any prospect stands out really.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

When the gap was that low I thought Diggins would win by 5, 6 seconds at least, so the Eurosport idiots saying the Norwegians didn’t have good skis are clueless. That said the gaps to 4th and beyond are massive, even if Diggins is a 5-15km skate specialist.

It was just a bit of cognitive dissonance. Patrick had to balance his doe-eyed admiration for Come On Jess with his belief that Norway has the divine right to bogart the podium.

 

[BullsFan22]

So at this rate who are going to ski for Russia in 4x5 relay?

Schumacher's 10th is indeed noteworthy, like Moch's 10th a week ago, who is about the same age. Considering lack of upcoming skiers these days, any prospect stands out really.

Well, assuming Sorina comes back and is ready for the World’s it’s going to be Kirpichenko, Zhambalova, Sorina and Stupak. Missing Nepryaeva is a big blow. Having her on the second leg would have been very useful, especially if she was in good form. Kirpichenko and Zhambalova have had pretty good seasons so either of them on the first leg would be a good thing, they should be able to hang with the leaders, but in the second leg things will likely spread out with Johaug and Karlsson (likely 2nd leg) pushing the pace, so not having Nepryaeva really hurts the Russians. I can’t see them putting Stupak on the 2nd leg, unless they want to hang in with the leaders longer, but then they have a much weaker anchor, who is not going to hang with Diggins, Weng and likely whoever the Swedes put. I don’t think they get a medal in the relay, unless all four them have great legs. I am sure Stupak will have a good leg, she’s always skied a good relay race. They absolutely need Sorina to be back and in the same form she was before the injury, otherwise they have no chance.

Schumacher hasn’t really had a bad race at all this season, a couple top 10’s a few more top 20’s. Again, the worry though is that he may be being overraced by the coaches.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Of course he is.
Bolshunov and Klæbo aside there is usually a huge gap from juniors to seniors in skiing and this is his first year with the big boys.
Amundsen also a big talent, 3 year senior from probably the best supported nation and same level as Schumacher..

Amundsen could get a place on the 15km skating team at the WC, he finished 3rd at the Norwegian NC, was good in the stacked domestic races and the 4th best Norwegian today. I assume that Klaebo won't race the 15km freestyle, sprint, teamsprint, skiathlon and relay should be his schedule.

 

[BullsFan22]

It was just a bit of cognitive dissonance. Patrick had to balance his doe-eyed admiration for Come On Jess with his belief that Norway has the divine right to bogart the podium.

Mike is usually the one saying ‘come on Jess,’ did Patrick start doing it as well?! Oh my...Well you can’t expect them to stop now. They’ve been doing it for years. Mike is definitely the least biased commentator of those three (the third one being Goldstrom) so that should tell you a lot. Winterton loves Norwegians and he keeps bringing up Northug and Bjørgen as if they are still racing. I really don’t get it. What did they say about Bolshunov and Klæbo today? Did they admire Klæbo for sticking in behind Bolshunov and what a great performance it was?? I can imagine what they must have said last week after the relay and probably banged on those same drums today and will likely continue until eternity. I am glad I don’t have them as Eurosport commentators.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Mike is usually the one saying ‘come on Jess,’ did Patrick start doing it as well?! Oh my...Well you can’t expect them to stop now. They’ve been doing it for years. Mike is definitely the least biased commentator of those three (the third one being Goldstrom) so that should tell you a lot. Winterton loves Norwegians and he keeps bringing up Northug and Bjørgen as if they are still racing. I really don’t get it. What did they say about Bolshunov and Klæbo today? Did they admire Klæbo for sticking in behind Bolshunov and what a great performance it was?? I can imagine what they must have said last week after the relay and probably banged on those same drums today and will likely continue until eternity. I am glad I don’t have them as Eurosport commentators.

Usually it's Mike saying "come on Jess" (or its biathlon equivalent, "come on Susan") just to serve as punctuation after Patrick has spent half the race praising her. In the biathlon he does still like to talk about Ole Einar Bjørndalen as much as possible. Mike is definitely the best of the three, and the biathlon races we've had recently where he's been commentating solo as Patrick is on XC duty have been a vast improvement. The main thing behind this is that Dixon is the only one of the three who appears to be capable of interpreting the information in front of him and also reading a timing screen to know who is relevant to the competition, whereas Winterton is obsessed with making everything shorter and mass start because then the camera will just follow the people at the front and he doesn't need to have any knowledge about midfield runners or people having a good race from the late pot as he can just raise some discussion point about somebody like Klæbo or Bø after the finish to cover for the fact he has no idea who all the people coming into the finish in the second group are. And it's pretty frequent I find that Mike is raising a point about what's actually happening in the race, but Patrick just talks over to him with some kind of storytelling about the main stars' path through the race that is sometimes contradicted by the point Mike is trying to raise. I actually think Goldstrom is less biased than Patrick and Mike, although he is much more clueless about the technical facets of the sport and kind of bluffs his way through. The biathlon/XC team have good technical knowledge but their knowledge of the athletes varies between mediocre and abysmal as more and more of their frame of references retire.

 

[BullsFan22]

It's a joke that the Norwegians got the WC final after acting the way they did.
The races in Lillehammer are usually great, but how about giving Russia a WC race either as the season opening or final?

The chances in giving Russia the WC finals (or any WC weekend this season) were slim. Traveling all the way to Tyumen in Corona times was always going to be tough, and considering the (still) unstable political situation it just wasn’t going to happen. Still, giving it to Norway after they tried to play with FIS to alter the calendar and then missed two months of the season is extremely hypocritical and disrespectful, in my opinion. FIS let them off the hook again. Corona hasn’t gone anywhere. They should have just stayed at home the whole season.

 

[Bubba]

Amundsen could get a place on the 15km skating team at the WC, he finished 3rd at the Norwegian NC, was good in the stacked domestic races and the 4th best Norwegian today. I assume that Klaebo won't race the 15km freestyle, sprint, teamsprint, skiathlon and relay should be his schedule.

Yup, he could.
It's up to Klæbo really.
If he wants the 15km freestyle, he'll get it.
Based on his form lately I'll wager he'll pass on the spot.
Amundsen is next in line.

I see him doing possibly top 10, nothing more.
Much like today.
Around the same level of Schumacher maybe, perhaps a tad better.

 

[Mayomaniac]

The lap in Falun is just not great for a mass start, it all comes down to the final sprinting lap.
Apparently Young broke his Femur in that nasty crash over ther barriers.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not a good day for the Britons with Musgrave being taken out as well! Andersson wiped out in the end of the women's race, good finish for Linn Svahn, as you say not a particularly great course as it was a case of the sprinting types with some durability just trying to hang on for the final section with the sprint course. They've got to feature Mördårbacken properly really. Gutted for Hennig, would like her to grab a podium in an individual World Cup event rather than just stages. Would be good to see some more colours up near the front and some more high profile German interest would be beneficial for the sport.

 

[BullsFan22]

That many racers, classic, boots with no ankle support, high speed technical descents, tired and sometimes nervous legs, it’s no surprise there’d be that many crashes. Bolshunov with another massive performance. He was fortunate they didn’t speed up. Pity for Poroshkin, I think he could have challenged for the top 5, but he crashed, with Musgrace, Bolshunov and others. That Young crash look nasty. He hit the fence and he was tended to relatively quickly, which was great to see. That’s not just season ending, that’s potentially career altering. What a shame. Ustiugov had himself a very quiet, but very good race. Finished 7th, and second Russian. He may be close to getting a ticket to Germany.

 

[BullsFan22]

Not a good day for the Britons with Musgrave being taken out as well! Andersson wiped out in the end of the women's race, good finish for Linn Svahn, as you say not a particularly great course as it was a case of the sprinting types with some durability just trying to hang on for the final section with the sprint course. They've got to feature Mördårbacken properly really. Gutted for Hennig, would like her to grab a podium in an individual World Cup event rather than just stages. Would be good to see some more colours up near the front and some more high profile German interest would be beneficial for the sport.

Stupak finished faster than Svahn, she was just too far back. Just like Val Müstair, she left it a wee bit too late, I think had she placed herself a place better at the top of the final climb before the long downhill she could have even beaten Svahn, just my opinion though. Kirpichenko another fantastic classic race, finishing in 5th, just missing the podium. Maybe it’s not all lost for the Russians in terms of World Champs. Was Diggins ‘head and shoulders above everyone today as best skier in the world?’