Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[BullsFan22]

Damn, all those Russians are losing their third season already. What a *** tragedy for them. Crazy that they are robbed in a way that did not even happen during the Cold War. Must be so tough to keep their motivation up.
I *** hate the IOC and FIS.

Apparently Northug has been in contact with a number of them, including Bolshunov, and he said it was tough for them to get motivated.

If an athlete like Bolshunov says that, then it must be tough, because he doesn’t seem like a person that loses motivation easily.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

There’s a few norwegians with a second passport competing for other nations such as Maloney Westgaard for Ireland, Einarson for Iceland, Fodstad for Colombia and in Biathlon Lie for Belgium.

I dont know how easy it is to get a citizenship in another country without even living there.

I am more surprised that so few skiers from other countries move to Norway and train with the best.

Torstein Stenersen for Sweden as well.

I mean, if you look at the Biathlon World Cup you'll see about a dozen different Russians on different teams for the same reason. Finland has Virolainen; Korea has Lapshin, Starodubets and Avvakumova; Moldova has Stremous, Magazeev, Makarov, Makarova; Ukraine (still!) has Bielkina and Rasskazova; Lithuania has Zhurauskaite; Romania has Tolmacheva, Shamaev, Chirkova. Hell, a few years ago Sweden had Olga Alifiravets. And the Belgian team, Langer and Lahaye-Goffart aside, is essentially all imports, Lie from Norway, and Bouvard and Cloetens from France. I think one of their juniors is a dual-passport Italian too.

 

[OJRvE]

Torstein Stenersen for Sweden as well.

I mean, if you look at the Biathlon World Cup you'll see about a dozen different Russians on different teams for the same reason. Finland has Virolainen; Korea has Lapshin, Starodubets and Avvakumova; Moldova has Stremous, Magazeev, Makarov, Makarova; Ukraine (still!) has Bielkina and Rasskazova; Lithuania has Zhurauskaite; Romania has Tolmacheva, Shamaev, Chirkova. Hell, a few years ago Sweden had Olga Alifiravets. And the Belgian team, Langer and Lahaye-Goffart aside, is essentially all imports, Lie from Norway, and Bouvard and Cloetens from France. I think one of their juniors is a dual-passport Italian too.

Virolainen married a finish guy and moved to Finland. Same with Alifiravets. Zhurauskaite sounds pretty Lithuanian to me so I suppose she married as well. Moldova has it ties to Russia through Transnistria. Korea I guess they just bought the athletes ahead of the Olympics.

Belgium I don’t know if these guys had any connection to Belgium or not before competing.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Virolainen married a finish guy and moved to Finland. Same with Alifiravets. Zhurauskaite sounds pretty Lithuanian to me so I suppose she married as well. Moldova has it ties to Russia through Transnistria. Korea I guess they just bought the athletes ahead of the Olympics.

Belgium I don’t know if these guys had any connection to Belgium or not before competing.

Zhurauskaite has Lithuanian parents who had moved within the USSR before 1991.

Moldova bought a team, same as Korea. Before the Russians started emerging on their squad post-2018 when they got restricted from the Olympics, they already had Anastasia Niciporenko and Alla Ghilenko, both of whom are former Ukrainian juniors who hit a roadblock during the heydays of Pidhrushna, Dzhima and the Semerenko twins.

Romania brought in a Russian coach from one of the Russian regions, some of the domestic athletes elected to keep him as their coach and so trained with the Romanian team in Cheile over the summer in 2021, and started to appear for them afterwards. I also overlooked Ushkina who is another one.

For Belgium I think Maya Cloetens has Belgian family, the others likely followed Florent Claude, or were, like the Russian Romanians, part of Jean-Guillaume Beatrix's training group when he joined the Belgian coaching staff. Noteworthy that the Belgians have several French-born talents but yet haven't caught any German overspill after Michi Rösch's success with the team is what started their presence on the World Cup in the first place and their only biathlon facility is in the small Germanophone corner of the country though.

 

[OJRvE]

An interesting story in Swedish media this morning about how Ebba Andersson tried to skip the line to a popular nightclub in central Stockholm with her friends but was denied entry because the bouncer didn't recognize her. By the way, this happened in May when she was on vacation

 

[OJRvE]

Linn Gestblom (previously known as Persson) out all season due to her shoulder injury. Big blow for the Swedish relay chances

 

[OJRvE]

Frida has still issues with her foot and is only taking part in the two races in classics this weekend.

Moa Ilar is only doing the skate race as her performance in the national opening wasn’t good enough.

 

[DenisMenchov]

It's finally here, felt like the longest wait between cycling season and CC in a long time.

Maybe because last season was really underwhelming with Klaebo destroying the field after the Tour de Ski. On the women's side no one could challenge Diggins in the overall, but there were some interesting races at least.

 

[dobrien]

It's finally here, felt like the longest wait between cycling season and CC in a long time.

Maybe because last season was really underwhelming with Klaebo destroying the field after the Tour de Ski. On the women's side no one could challenge Diggins in the overall, but there were some interesting races at least.

I wait all year for this after the last world cup, same feeling I get waiting for the Omloop in early spring. Love my nordic skiing, and I really do especially enjoy the Ruka opener! Interesting stories to come this year, obviously Johaug one of the biggest storylines, but also waiting to see if any new young faces emerge to upset the old guard.

 

[BigCoward]

4 relays in the biathlon opener. What a waste.

I'm bored of the Norwegian mens dominance but I'd like them to shoot 40 every so often, just to see how big a gap they could actually get.

Whereas the women winning the overall last year, despite being massively underpowered compared to france was great fun

 

[Bavarianrider]

4 relays in the biathlon opener. What a waste.

I'm bored of the Norwegian mens dominance but I'd like them to shoot 40 every so often, just to see how big a gap they could actually get.

Whereas the women winning the overall last year, despite being massively underpowered compared to france was great fun

Indeed, biathlons relay overkill is something I never understood. Relays should be something special, in biathlon they are as common as sand on the beach. Totally worthless.
So heading into anothe rdark season without the Russians.
I like that biathlon is opening in Konthiolahti. Those loops don`t look that hard on the profile, but races there produce good gaps most of the time.
Kontiolahti is getting a it boring to be honest. Not a b ad venue, of course. Also there aren`t many options at this point of the year. Still, having the very same opening each year is getting a bit exhausting.

 

[BigCoward]

How hard would it have been to go individual today, Mens and Womens relays tomorrow, mass start Sunday?
Does anyone not think that's better?

 

[DenisMenchov]

Karlsson is on a whole another level today.

 

[BigCoward]

Johaug doing pretty well considering. Didn't expect Frida to do so well.
Norway look like they will be a force in relays again with slind also performing well.

 

[dobrien]

Karlsson is on a whole another level today.

She was clearly on a great day physically but her skis really looked to be perfect as well. Sunday should be interesting.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Indeed, biathlons relay overkill is something I never understood. Relays should be something special, in biathlon they are as common as sand on the beach. Totally worthless.
So heading into anothe rdark season without the Russians.
I like that biathlon is opening in Konthiolahti. Those loops don`t look that hard on the profile, but races there produce good gaps most of the time.
Kontiolahti is getting a it boring to be honest. Not a b ad venue, of course. Also there aren`t many options at this point of the year. Still, having the very same opening each year is getting a bit exhausting.

You mean Ruka for the XC being the predictable opening, right? Biathlon usually opens at Östersund, Kontiolahti just subs in from time to time.

Relays are big audience draws in biathlon and the season opener is actually technically two weekends long, so they pile the relays in on opening weekend for a carnival atmosphere and then have the individual races next week. Also it enables teams whose selections aren't certain to have playoffs for the final selections on the first IBU Cup weekend and still make it to the opening individual races.

Not saying it's necessarily good or bad, just that that's the logic behind it.

 

[Mayomaniac]

That was a demolition job by Karlsson!

 

[Mayomaniac]

Iivo skiing like he's possessed by the spirit of Aimo Koivunen.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Calle just outside the top 10 despite the conditions that don't suit him that well looks promising for him.
Oh well, at least there are 5 different nations in the top 10...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The season starts with an individual start Classic race in Finland and Iivo Niskanen wins.

 

[BullsFan22]

So much for Karlsson’s injury

 

[BigCoward]

According to wiki that's the first race that wasn't a 15k individual classic he has ever won, that can't be true.

Gaps in nordic combined are smaller than normal, maybe Riiber won't win for a change.

 

[KZD]

According to wiki that's the first race that wasn't a 15k individual classic he has ever won, that can't be true.

He won the 50k in the 2018 Olympics.

Great race from Niskanen and surprised that Klæbo didn't finish on the podium, he is usually very strong in 10k classic races. Amundsen looking in good shape too.

Karlsson looking super strong in the women's side.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I just watched the replay of the men's 10k in Ruka - didn't you just love all the snow? (Neither the skiers nor the waxing experts did, I'm sure, but I just loved it! )

 

[Mayomaniac]

Benni Moser 2nd in the qualifier, even ahead of Klaebo at the halfway point...