Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Mayomaniac]

Karlsson is better in classic and I think that will enable her to beat Johaug.

Sweden should absolutely win the team sprint, Norway's best sprinter, Skistad, isn't exactly well suited to that race unlike Sundling.

As for today, surprising bronze medal for Vuorinen and great semi-final for Gina del Rio reaching the semi-final.

Not sure Norway even gets a medal in the women's teamsprint, its stacked. Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and also the USA.

 

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I would like to see Germany fighting for the win again in the team sprint, of course, but with Hennig's (lack of) shape and Gimmler's sickness, I guess it'll be diffcult.

Any idea who will replace Svahn in the team sprint? With Frida on #1 they should win, probably also with Sundling-Dahlqvist. The other way around: not so sure.

 

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the weather forecast for the coming week looks pretty bad, with rain almost every day and temperatures of up to 10°C

 

[Mayomaniac]

That was a borderline sprint by Lampater in NC...

 

[Mayomaniac]

the weather forecast for the coming week looks pretty bad, with rain almost every day and temperatures of up to 10°C

Krüger will wreck people in skating with those conditions...

 

[Silhouette]

That was a borderline sprint by Lampater in NC...

If that isn't obstruction then I don't understand the rules at all. Lamparter looked directly at Yamamoto and did a desperate lunge of a course change for no other obvious reason than to block him. Yes, he is free to choose a lane since he is first but does that really mean he is free to do this?

This decision does not promote fair play in future competitions.

 

[Mayomaniac]

If that isn't obstruction then I don't understand the rules at all. Lamparter looked directly at Yamamoto and did a desperate lunge of a course change for no other obvious reason than to block him. Yes, he is free to choose a lane since he is first but does that really mean he is free to do this?

This decision does not promote fair play in future competitions.

He even admitted in an Interview that he did it to gain an advantage.

 

[BigCoward]

I expected Norway to win, but thought Germany would at least run them close.

 

[BullsFan22]

Skate loop is much easier than the classic loop, so if anyone wants to (or is capable of) wants to distance or at least hurt wonderboy, they’re going to have to push early.

 

[OJRvE]

I would like to see Germany fighting for the win again in the team sprint, of course, but with Hennig's (lack of) shape and Gimmler's sickness, I guess it'll be diffcult.

Any idea who will replace Svahn in the team sprint? With Frida on #1 they should win, probably also with Sundling-Dahlqvist. The other way around: not so sure.

I doubt Frida will do the team sprint. First reason is she had this injury and program is rather tough already. Second reason is political, with such a strong Sprint team Sweden always want to give sprinters the spot. Frida and Maja is also very good friends so I don’t think Frida wants to take the spot anyway.

I really hope they put Dahlqvist on the last leg and also that Sundling doesn’t open up the race to early. I expect Niskanen to drill it for Finland. Worth noting is also while Sundling looked the best ever in skating this year her performances in classic has been ok but not great.

 

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I doubt Frida will do the team sprint. First reason is she had this injury and program is rather tough already. Second reason is political, with such a strong Sprint team Sweden always want to give sprinters the spot. Frida and Maja is also very good friends so I don’t think Frida wants to take the spot anyway.

I really hope they put Dahlqvist on the last leg and also that Sundling doesn’t open up the race to early. I expect Niskanen to drill it for Finland. Worth noting is also while Sundling looked the best ever in skating this year her performances in classic has been ok but not great.

yeah, that's what I was thinking as well. Kerttu is also skipping the skiathlon tomorrow to be fresh for the races after.

Sweden remains the favourite, I guess, but with likely heavy conditions, I don't really see many scenarios where they easily win with Dahlqvist in there.

 

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For today, Vermeulen said that he expects a sprint of up to ~15 guys, by the way. Let's hope he is wrong.

 

[DonAragona]

Well today is the day for Klaebo.

Reduced distance, kids course, terrible weather conditions (meaning a typical Norway ski advantage) and no Russians.

 

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with 15 guys, at least Pellegrino will still be there to challenge the podium.

 

[OJRvE]

With these soft conditions I would be very surprised by a 15-man sprint. If I recall last season it was a five men sprint in December-conditions.

I think there will be a group with Krüger, Amundsen and Klaebo sprinting it out with the obvious winner. If Norwegians ski aren’t too superior and someone else is in the best shape possible they might be able to hang on and at best get a medal.

 

[DonAragona]

I see the Olympic Skiathlon Champion won the Russian title this morning...hard to generate enthusiasm for Trondheim.

Irrespective of the venue and the field the skiathlon MUST return to 30km for the men.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Irrespective of the venue and the field the skiathlon MUST return to 30km for the men.

Unfortunlately it seems that discussion isnt even on the table, so it is probably a lost cause and it seems like gender equal distances is going to stick permanently.

For those of us who really like the longer races, fighting to keep the 50km in the World Cup is the most important fight, and then hopefully we can also see an increased number of 20k's (especially individual start) in the World Cup. Otherwise the big fight has to be about bigger variation in courses, opening up for more "brutal" courses on the World Cup.

 

[BigCoward]

Unfortunlately it seems that discussion isnt even on the table, so it is probably a lost cause and it seems like gender equal distances is going to stick permanently.

For those of us who really like the longer races, fighting to keep the 50km in the World Cup is the most important fight, and then hopefully we can also see an increased number of 20k's (especially individual start) in the World Cup. Otherwise the big fight has to be about bigger variation in courses, opening up for more "brutal" courses on the World Cup.

I really don see why they can't just keep every Saturday and Sunday for distance the whole season, and have sprints/team sprints Thursday and Friday.

 

[OJRvE]

I really don see why they can't just keep every Saturday and Sunday for distance the whole season, and have sprints/team sprints Thursday and Friday.

Sprint is apparently the most popular race for spectatators and TV-viewers hence it gets the best day.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Unfortunlately it seems that discussion isnt even on the table, so it is probably a lost cause and it seems like gender equal distances is going to stick permanently.

For those of us who really like the longer races, fighting to keep the 50km in the World Cup is the most important fight, and then hopefully we can also see an increased number of 20k's (especially individual start) in the World Cup. Otherwise the big fight has to be about bigger variation in courses, opening up for more "brutal" courses on the World Cup.

The biggest problem with that is that both race organisers and FIS believe the ongoing fallacy that a close race automatically equals a good race. It isn't helped by commentators endlessly going on about how much better the sprint and mass start events are because they have the best going head to head, more because they don't have to know anything about any of the lesser athletes that way.

I always go back to a Lillehammer relay a few years ago where Winterton was going on and on pre-race about how good it was that snowfall was going to keep the field together and make it hard to escape because it would make the race close, and then spent the whole race trying to propose a relay with legs of 5km, 3km, 2km and 1km so "there's still a bit for the distance skiers but we get to see the sprinters do their thing", because nothing was happening because the conditions were making it impossible to break the race apart.

That's what those with stakes think we want. Short mass start races with close finishes.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Sprint is apparently the most popular race for spectatators and TV-viewers hence it gets the best day.

Self-fulfilling prophecy in recent years thanks to crappy courses in the distance races. Too many mens' races had devolved to pack races until the last 1-2km meaning no action until the last couple of minutes, and too many women's races had devolved to Johaug running - almost literally - away from the field, meaning no action after the first couple of minutes. As Eddy says, we need more variety in the courses to create more variety in the results and outcomes and how the races play out. Sprints will by and large always play out in similar fashion, because of the limitations of what can be offered on the short course, but distance races can offer a much wider range of outcomes... it's just that in recent years they don't.

The sprints are often a lottery, and can descend on a poor course into a crash-filled, luck-of-the-draw joke and make a bit of a farce of the spectacle (and of the concept of the sport as an endurance sport at heart)... but the format does guarantee that something will happen every few minutes as well as being popular with TV executives because it gives convenient spots to put the ad breaks without missing meaningful action.

The Team Sprint doesn't actually offer that, and is an appalling joke of a format with a lot of the weaknesses of the sprint and few of the strengths, but it does benefit over the conventional relays by having a wider field of potentially competitive teams, and the lottery nature of sprint courses also means that you can get some surprises more often than in the more 'pure' disciplines.

I had hoped that the hilariously awful spectacle of the entire field doing trackstands at the top of the climb in the Oberstdorf Worlds might have at least slowed some of the emphasis on the Team Sprint, but sadly I was wrong.

 

[DonAragona]

Yes, as others have said sprints get the biggest tv ratings and always come out top in the opinion polls. In many ways the highlight of the Championship has already taken place.

I don't mind races that have sprint finishes but the course must give the opportunity for the climbers to break away from the sprinters. Courses like Les Rousses or Beijing are perfect.

ps Why the hell have the changed the schedule and not had 2 skiathlons today and the team sprints tomorrow? This obessesion of fixings that aren't broken is incredibly annoying.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Those tracks are just too narrow on the downhills for such s big bunch.

 

[DenisMenchov]

What a horrible race. 20km skiathlon at World Champs is not even a distance race anymore. Especially on a course like this where everything comes back at the long descent.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What a horrible race. 20km skiathlon at World Champs is not even a distance race anymore. Especially on a course like this where everything comes back at the long descent.

Everything is working according to plan. They wanted a close finish and they wanted Klæbo to win.