And the US using Diggins! What did I say about her classic improvement? She's like a completely different skier.Italy using Graz, potentially their best Skater, in the opening leg of the relay...
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And the US using Diggins! What did I say about her classic improvement? She's like a completely different skier.Italy using Graz, potentially their best Skater, in the opening leg of the relay...
Her technique now and before is night and day.And the US using Diggins! What did I say about her classic improvement? She's like a completely different skier.
Yup, i'm wondering how much is technique vs her very high level of fitness; that said she wasn't breaking down that noticeably at the end, she's clearly worked on it this summer. Really with an eye to the overall TdS win I'm sure.Although weng is not what she once was, Diggins' general level is clearly very good atm and can partly make up for the technique deficit.
Interesting to see how the top 3 dynamics develop
Not going to be a significant one but there is a small one. Fairly crucial to give Ilar some time in front of Kern since the latter is the better sprinter of the two but Ilar is the stronger distance skier so the harder she makes it for Kern to make contact the more likely Sweden are to win it.Can Andersson get a gap?
Yea, she needed to be in contact with Ilar so that she could stick to her tracks, Ilar has gone out hard to give her no chance of catching back on, she may pay for that but the distance is too great now. Kern just needs to do her own race. Hell, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for her to let Carl catch her and then hang onto her coattails to outsprint her, unless it lets the Norwegians back into the mix.This race is over, Kern should not try to chase back. Then she will crack and be beaten by Carl.
To be fair, it likely wouldn’t have mattered if Parmakoski and Niskanen had been racing, they’ve been very bad this year. And the same it wouldn’t challenge the US of teams like Italy, France, Switzerland, Canada etc had been participating. They beat Norway and that third place was a worthy third place (given Russia is permanently out)I can imagine how excited British Eurosport was about Cringe Diggins and co getting 3rd. They’ll likely never mention this was almost a gimme.
Incredible fiasco by Krueger on the third leg. Will be a very interesting battle between Anger and Jenssen, Sweden might actually win this.
good step into the right direction todayTwo, the German men haven’t had any success in years, apart from Moch getting on the Alpe Cermis podium 2 years ago and the men getting on the podium in the 4x10 in Planica last season. You have to go back to Janosch Brugger posting the fastest pursuit time in Lillehammer in December 2018. And that was during a major snowfall that handicapped the leaders. Before that, I think January 2015 with Tim Tscharnke, so you see where some of problems lie. Germany provides some of the biggest sponsors to both xc and biathlon, and it also provides a decent audience, but if the Germans don’t perform, there is a lack of interest, logically.
Key for the group with Moch, Hagenbuch etc was that they actually did smart opening. Canada,USA1 and Italy was very dumb trying to chase down Norway/Sweden. We see it often in these relays, the skiers that are catching 10 seconds with an early rush almost always pays for it in the last lap.USA could have been up there as well if they had lined up Hagenbuch in team 1 instead. Pretty strong performance by him.
good step into the right direction today.
USA could have been up there as well if they had lined up Hagenbuch in team 1 instead. Pretty strong performance by him.
Key for the group with Moch, Hagenbuch etc was that they actually did smart opening. Canada,USA1 and Italy was very dumb trying to chase down Norway/Sweden. We see it often in these relays, the skiers that are catching 10 seconds with an early rush almost always pays for it in the last lap.
Same with Anger, he was stupid trying to stay away with a 1,8 second gap which he increased.