Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Mayomaniac]

Bolshunov just hit a wall, he's cooked!
Holund is flying.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Harald Østberg Amundsen's time looks really solid. I thought he might fade, though it's clear Bolshunov isn't as fresh today. Holund is flying.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

But Amundsen's crash didn't help him. Holund looks very good indeed.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Are we sure Amudsen took the right track, his result from 11.8 km to 12.9km looks surreal?

 

[Bubba]

Norway to sweep podium?
Amundsen podium with fall?

 

[DenisMenchov]

Yeah that's it. Holund, Krueger, Amundsen. Sweden had a great race too.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Are we sure Amudsen took the right track, his result from 11.8 km to 12.9km looks surreal?

You think he pulled a Stadlober?
Really strong showing by Burman and Poromaa.

 

[Silhouette]

Holund and Krüger both race for Lyn ski club. The club is celebrating its 125th birthday today.

 

[meat puppet]

Bolshunov simply appears a bit overraced. Niskanen lacks stamina, so the 50k may be wide open.

In the skiathlon it seemed holund would have needed either 5k or one serious hill more to beat bolshunov. Guess the impression was not entirely wrong.

Are we sure Amudsen took the right track, his result from 11.8 km to 12.9km looks surreal?

He fell.

 

[zarnack]

Holund and Krüger started out fairly slowly compared to some others (i.e Niskanen), but really the final 3rd of the race decided the outcome. Who had something left in the tank and who hadn't. Impressive championship debut by young Amundsen. A man for the future, one would say.

Indeed looks like interval start in hot conditions (like in Seefeld) proves to be vulnerable for Bolshunov. Brutal for Russia to end up 4th and 5th outside of medals, just like in sprint again.

Top 7 locked out by Norwegians and Russians. Good showing by Maltsev, this probably means that a skating leg in relay is his. Also not bad for Sweden to have two skiers in top 10 given their state of affairs in men's skiing these days.

I guess both Holund and Krüger have earnt themselves a spot in the relay with medalling in both events so far? Just one of them has to take a classic leg. Or will Norway field both Iversen and Golberg for classic legs?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Seriously, what was the point of Niskanen racing this one and not resting for the 50km race?
Moch started way to fast, but I'm not gonna throw a 20 year old prospect under the bus who is racing his first WC in his home country.

 

[Bubba]

Bolshunov simply appears a bit overraced. Niskanen lacks stamina, so the 50k may be wide open.

In the skiathlon it seemed holund would have needed either 5k or one serious hill more to beat bolshunov. Guess the impression was not entirely wrong.


He fell.

He looked tired early.
I guess he is human after all.
Given the gaps and that Holund and Kruger had high number bibs, I think maybe the norwegian skis lasted longer than their competitors as well.

 

[Mayomaniac]

He looked tired early.
I guess he is human after all.
Given the gaps and that Holund and Kruger had high number bibs, I think maybe the norwegian skis lasted longer than their competitors as well.

Yeah, but on the other hand the Russians had good Skis during the whole WC until now and the conditions were not that diffenent, even if it wasn't sunny today.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Holund really kickstarted his career once he turned 30.

 

[meat puppet]

Seriously, what was the point of Niskanen racing this one and not resting for the 50km race?
Moch started way to fast, but I'm not gonna throw a 20 year old prospect under the bus who is racing his first WC in his home country.

Maybe he thinks he lacks form because of not enough hard sessions and tried anyway. Clearly started hard and chased a medal. If nothing else, this could be used as the one last hard prep session.

Of course, he might also be fatigued, in which case this race was exactly counterproductive. This would be my guess.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I find it hard to say anything negative about Holund and Krüger, 2 classy guys and proper distance skiers.
The Germans did a bit better, nobody in the top 20, but all of them inside the to 30.

 

[Bubba]

Holund really kickstarted his career once he turned 30.

That's maybe not completely accurate.
Reignited perhaps?

He medaled in the skiathlon in 2018 Olympics for instance.
The talent was always there (former world junior champion), but his lack of a sprint and the depth of the norwegian team have made it difficult for him to shine.
He did struggle early on in his senior career and almost retired some 8-9 years ago of course.

 

[roundabout]

Yeah, but on the other hand the Russians had good Skis during the whole WC until now and the conditions were not that diffenent, even if it wasn't sunny today.

Seemed somewhat softer today than before.

But also Yakimushkin was closer than in the skiathlon (even though I feel that the interval start suits him more) so it wasn't probably only about the skis.

 

[BullsFan22]

They didn’t salt the course, as they did yesterday or before the team sprint. Why? It was the same temperature as yesterday. Did they run out of salt?

Bolshunov started a little bit too fast, not crazy fast but still a bit too fast, that likely did him in on the final lap.

 

[BullsFan22]

I find it hard to say anything negative about Holund and Krüger, 2 classy guys and proper distance skiers.
The Germans did a bit better, nobody in the top 20, but all of them inside the to 30.

Yes, all of them in the top thirty, but with only four guys per team, with Norwegians with five because of Sundby’s title in 2019 the results are where you’d expect them to be, around 30th place.

 

[Mayomaniac]

They didn’t salt the course, as they did yesterday or before the team sprint. Why? It was the same temperature as yesterday. Did they run out of salt?

Bolshunov started a little bit too fast, not crazy fast but still a bit too fast, that likely did him in on the final lap.

maybe because it was clouded today? The winners started later, so the snow was probably not getting slower and slower.

 

[Bavarianrider]

I find it hard to say anything negative about Holund and Krüger, 2 classy guys and proper distance skiers.
The Germans did a bit better, nobody in the top 20, but all of them inside the to 30.

I really would not call that better at all. It`s a horrible result.

 

[zarnack]

Well, Germany can still get their usual 6th position in the relays, considering other countries behind them can barely scrape a team together.

Germany's 4x5 and 4x10 relay positions in the three previous championships: 4th, 6th, 6th, 6th, 6th, 6th.

 

[BullsFan22]

Everyone besides the Norwegians will have to look at their race schedule next year and think twice before trying to race a lot of races, Coronavirus or not. Visibly you can see how fresh they all look. Holund looked like he could ski another 15, and Krüger was rock solid, Amundsen raced in Falun and although he was in the top 10 there he looked much better than anyone besides the first two. Maltsev with a great race, giving himself a spot in the relay. Burman and Poromaa with great results as well, everyone else disappointing. Yakimushkin again solid but nothing special, Melnichenko peaked in December and he also had back problems after the TDS. The French very disappointing, likewise Niskanen (started too fast), Cologna more or less where he’s been most of the season, with lack of energy and 8-15th place, Germans pedestrian, no Italians, the two other Swedes terrible and Gus Schumacher who had some fantastic 15km races earlier in the season was a completely different racer today. Very surprising and disappointing for much of the pack.

 

[zarnack]

So for tomorrow's relay:

Norway: TU.Weng, H.Weng, Johaug, Fossesholm
Sweden: Sundling, Kalla, Andersson, Karlsson

So Norway doesn't put Johaug to anchor any more after the embarrassment of Seefeld, and leaves out Haga, despite the latter being 2nd best Norwegian yesterday. Sweden gambles on each subsequent leg being stronger than the previous one.

If it is decided at the finish, which one of Karlsson or Fossesholm has better finishing ability?