Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Silhouette]

The Norwegian team is not bringing Kalvå in for the 30km. Sometimes I can't understand how they think. What is the possible downside to letting her race? We certainly don't have 4 other people who are more qualified. I'm not even sure we have 4 other women who will want to compete in the event.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Johaug is not going to race the team sprint. Good decision.

Valnes + Klæbo
U.Weng + Falla

Weakest teams since, well, the beginning of team sprints. I guess the hope is Valnes has improved after some rest.

If Niskanen, Bolshunov and Poromaa race against him, poor guy may have nightmares tonight.

 

[BigCoward]

If Niskanen, Bolshunov and Poromaa race against him, poor guy may have nightmares tonight.

Everyone is acting like he is a total scrub.

He is defending WC sprint silver medalist, team sprint gold medalist, and is number 5 in the sprint standings. And is better at classic based on previous results.

 

[Mayomaniac]

If Niskanen, Bolshunov and Poromaa race against him, poor guy may have nightmares tonight.

Is Poromaa racing the team sprint?

 

[BigCoward]

Riiber you fool. He just skied the wrong way and lost 30 seconds of his lead.

 

[BigCoward]

Have to feel sorry for Riiber. Arguably the best NC athlete ever, missing out on probably 2 golds due to covid/carelessness.
Amazingly well timed by Graabak.

 

[KZD]

Have to feel sorry for Riiber. Arguably the best NC athlete ever, missing out on probably 2 golds due to covid/carelessness.
Amazingly well timed by Graabak.

This is not the first time that Riiber makes this kind of mistake, I believe but he can still win gold in team's race. What's more hilarious is that Norway doesn't even need him to get first and second today.

 

[BigCoward]

This is not the first time that Riiber makes this kind of mistake, I believe but he can still win gold in team's race. What's more hilarious is that Norway doesn't even need him to get first and second today.

After today you would have to say they are the clear favourites. Another couple of days on snow should make a big difference for Riiber.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Riiber you fool. He just skied the wrong way and lost 30 seconds of his lead.

Theresa Stadlober approves.

 

[Norbea]

Riiber you fool. He just skied the wrong way and lost 30 seconds of his lead.

Think it was more like 40 seconds. A terrible mistake to make.

Well, that might be the result of not knowing the tracks or his way around the stadium after only having stayed in a hotel room for almost two weeks.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This is not the first time that Riiber makes this kind of mistake, I believe but he can still win gold in team's race. What's more hilarious is that Norway doesn't even need him to get first and second today.

Was it Lahti he decided to do an extra lap? And then a couple of days later dislocated his shoulder in the relay just overstretching in his regular stride, not even taking a fall or anything...

 

[search]

tomorrow's team sprint will take earlier as planed as well, btw: Quali at 8:15 cet, finals on from 10:15

and yes, Poromaa is confirmed to race with Svensson. Sundling & Dahlqvist at the women's side, more or less as expected. Doesn't make much sense to race Karlsson more than necessary

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They could change the rules, so that the startlist for the mass start was only determined by results during the Olympics, now that it don't affect the WC standings.

That is what they do to an extent though.

In the standard World Cup, the top 25 of the World Cup are entered plus five best performers from that weekend not previously qualified to allow for form.

At the Worlds and Olympics, the qualification if I remember rightly goes (in order of priority):

1. All individual medal winners from the championships to that point (the mass start is invariably last save maybe the relay)
2. The top 15 of the overall World Cup, if not already qualified under 1)
3. The best performers at the championships not already qualified under 1) or 2).

In theory therefore, there would be a minimum of 6 positions available on form at the Olympics, if the sprint, pursuit and individual had 9 different medalists, none of whom were in the top 15 of the World Cup, but obviously that's somewhat unlikely. In fact, I believe Denise Herrmann and Tiril Eckhoff are the only medalists in any individual discipline who isn't in the top 15 of the World Cup, so there's 13 women and 15 men who are entered in the Mass Start based on their championship performance (and obviously if medalists didn't get an automatic invite so there were 15 women also, then having won and podiumed respectively, Denise and Tiril would obviously have qualified as one of the 15 best championship performers outside the top 15).

It will also pass down the line if people elect to DNS, we can be fairly confident that Tandrevold will not be taking the start at the weekend, so her invite will pass down the line to whoever is next on this week's performances. Others may arise, but she's the only obvious case at the moment.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Now that's a war of words.

Commentator of the Swedish Expressen newspaper has well developed sense of smell - he smells C8 fluoro on my skis ( and those of German girls too) from far, far away. Even if it's not there.

I have a suggestion, Tomas - why don't you demand to do a check in my undies - in case I hide a motor there, like in you know, Karlsson-who-lives-on-the-roof/ Karlsson på taket book. That headline surely would sell better, don't you think ?!

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[Samu Cuenca]

That is what they do to an extent though.

In the standard World Cup, the top 25 of the World Cup are entered plus five best performers from that weekend not previously qualified to allow for form.

At the Worlds and Olympics, the qualification if I remember rightly goes (in order of priority):

1. All individual medal winners from the championships to that point (the mass start is invariably last save maybe the relay)
2. The top 15 of the overall World Cup, if not already qualified under 1)
3. The best performers at the championships not already qualified under 1) or 2).

In theory therefore, there would be a minimum of 6 positions available on form at the Olympics, if the sprint, pursuit and individual had 9 different medalists, none of whom were in the top 15 of the World Cup, but obviously that's somewhat unlikely. In fact, I believe Denise Herrmann and Tiril Eckhoff are the only medalists in any individual discipline who isn't in the top 15 of the World Cup, so there's 13 women and 15 men who are entered in the Mass Start based on their championship performance (and obviously if medalists didn't get an automatic invite so there were 15 women also, then having won and podiumed respectively, Denise and Tiril would obviously have qualified as one of the 15 best championship performers outside the top 15).

It will also pass down the line if people elect to DNS, we can be fairly confident that Tandrevold will not be taking the start at the weekend, so her invite will pass down the line to whoever is next on this week's performances. Others may arise, but she's the only obvious case at the moment.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, for instance, have been very poor during these games and opted out of the pursuit because of it. She could have been replaced with one of the Chinese biathletes who just missed the top 60 and presumably would have loved to have gotten another competition, but the rules don't allow it. And despite JBB's bad results she will still be allowed to do the mass start, which I'm not a big fan of. Since she is 7th in the WC standings, it would also be a bit cruel to deny her entry, but since there are no WC points on offer, I still think it would be alright to leave her out.

And now that I have written this, she's probably going to deliver a great performance in the relay tomorrow and leave me with egg on my face.

 

[YavorD]

Is there a reason why there are so many biathlon events at the Olympics? Usually the same people win medals in both men's and women's events. So I guess there's not much variable between the events.

Disagree with that. For me Biathlon is one of the most interesting sports out there, Yes, in this Olympics you have dominating wins by the samo athletes, but nothing can be taken for granted (okay, most of the times..) before the last shooting. We've seen multiple times a minute of a lead being thrown away by a horrible shooting performance. Yes, you occasionally have the fastest skier to be the most reliable in the range as well, but that's the same for every sport. Plus, all the disciplines have quite different inner dynamic, depending of the circumstances..


Also, in many sports you have people winning multiple medals in the Olympics/worlds.

 

[KZD]

Is there a reason why there are so many biathlon events at the Olympics? Usually the same people win medals in both men's and women's events. So I guess there's not much variable between the events.

While I agree that there is no need to have 4 individual events in the Olympics, 3 would be enough and among the team events, I would like the single mixed relay to replace the mixed relay as its an original format and not just a relay with 2 men and 2 women, the same could be said about speed skating + short-track, cross-country skiing or ski-jumping and at least biathlon is one of the traditional Winter Olympic sports unlike snowboard or freestyle skiing that give way too many medals.

If we talk about the Summer Olympics then swimming is worse in my opinion especially now with so many relays.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Now that's a war of words.

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Nika is a total badass and for someone so inexperienced, this isn't even her first rodeo when it comes to calling out certain superiority complexes and accusatory hypocrisies.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, for instance, have been very poor during these games and opted out of the pursuit because of it. She could have been replaced with one of the Chinese biathletes who just missed the top 60 and presumably would have loved to have gotten another competition, but the rules don't allow it. And despite JBB's bad results she will still be allowed to do the mass start, which I'm not a big fan of. Since she is 7th in the WC standings, it would also be a bit cruel to deny her entry, but since there are no WC points on offer, I still think it would be alright to leave her out.

And now that I have written this, she's probably going to deliver a great performance in the relay tomorrow and leave me with egg on my face.

I do get the whole allowing somebody who was 61st or 62nd to start the pursuit in case of withdrawals, but the reason that isn't the case in the rules is that the pursuit also has the shortest skiing laps, although nowadays the depth in the field is sufficient that it shouldn't be the problem it was when that rule was drawn up and the difference between 1st and 60th on the World Cup was double what it is today.

As for Justine, it's just logic. She was 48th in the sprint, and 2'34 down on Røiseland. The Olympics don't count for the overall World Cup and she's already qualified for the Mass Start, so there isn't really any reason to do it - she's not in the relay unit due to form, but it means she'll be hitting the Mass Start fully rested, as against the likes of Røiseland, Eckhoff, Herrmann, Sola, Alimbekava, Wierer, Dzhima, Reztsova et al who'll be on their sixth race of the Games.

 

[Norbea]

Jarl Magnus Riiber didn't know how to get out of the stadium after the race and ended up on the photo stance. Poor guy

 

[Norbea]

Johaug is not going to race the team sprint. Good decision.

Valnes + Klæbo
U.Weng + Falla

Weakest teams since, well, the beginning of team sprints. I guess the hope is Valnes has improved after some rest.

On paper: Valnes/Klæbo is maybe the strongest sprint combination ever. But form and the profile of the tracks makes it more uncertain. Still I don't see anyone who has a stronger team than this. I'll be disappointed with anything less than gold.

TU Weng/Falla on the other hand I don't have any expectation that they will get a medal. Maybe with some luck.

 

[BigCoward]

TU Weng/Falla on the other hand I don't have any expectation that they will get a medal. Maybe with some luck.

I honestly think Bjoergen could come off her sofa and improve that team.

 

[search]

I actually think it won't be that bad. Weng is solid, and Falla usually at her best at the big events. For that to happen she obviously would need to have recovered from her stomach problems at the beginning of the Games, but if she did, I can still see them in the fight for the medals, or maybe even the win, if Dahlqvist struggles.

 

[Norbea]

A word about Christiansen

Fun fact: Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen is the brother of Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen who won gold medals in the X-games free skiing in 2013 and in 2016 in slopestyle and big air. Tiril is married to Stian Lauritzen, son of Dag Otto Lauritzen, bronze medalist in the 1984 summer olympics in cycling. He also won a stage in the Tour de France in 1987.

 

[Sciatic]

Don’t the semifinals for the women’s team sprint seem lopsided, with Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland all in the same semi?

 

[search]

Don’t the semifinals for the women’s team sprint seem lopsided, with Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland all in the same semi?

It's based on FIS points, so the best team goes to heat 1, 2nd best to heat 2 and so on. Normally it's fair.

Problem is that both (whatever score is better) sprint as well as distance points are used to calculate that, so with very mixed teams like today, you sometimes end up with a somewhat odd order. A team of Johaug and Heidi Weng for example would be ranked 1st, although probably not standing too much of a chance.