Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Samu Cuenca]

Even though she blew it today, Eckoff is definitely trending in the right direction. The Norwegian team looks like it will be super strong at Beijing.

Eckhoff peaking in Beijing was pretty much written in the stars when she underperformed at the start of the season.

Hauser didn't really get that much out of being the only one in the top 5 to go to Antholz, but the chance of winning the title in the individual obviously made it the right choice.

And Doro winning just to rub salt further into her wounds about the way their careers have differed since that 2018-19 season as they bookend the results.

It's so strange as Lisa used to be so metronomic, didn't really have many weapons to instil fear and drive her to victory, but she was just so consistently up in the flowers or the bottom end of the top 10, yet the only thing she's consistent in right now is miserable first shoots. I always wanted her to take the globe in 2019 as I have always liked her more than Wierer among the Italian team, but it really feels like that's going to have been a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her that she missed out on.

She's only 26 and there are still four years for her to get resurrected before the Antholz Olympics.
It's a shame though that none of the other Italians have progressed much either meaning she's still a very safe no. 2 in the team.

 

[SafeBet]

And Doro winning just to rub salt further into her wounds about the way their careers have differed since that 2018-19 season as they bookend the results.

It's so strange as Lisa used to be so metronomic, didn't really have many weapons to instil fear and drive her to victory, but she was just so consistently up in the flowers or the bottom end of the top 10, yet the only thing she's consistent in right now is miserable first shoots. I always wanted her to take the globe in 2019 as I have always liked her more than Wierer among the Italian team, but it really feels like that's going to have been a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her that she missed out on.

My feeling is that something went very wrong at the end of that season. I remember Wierer not riding a relay when the globe was still in contention in 2019 and Vittozzi being salty about it. The relationship between the 2 went south and I don't think she ever recovered. She doesn't train with the A group where Wierer and the top Italian male riders are. Honestly I think that reaction was out of line since Wierer has been riding almost all relays since forever.
Surely the Italian team needs some new shooting coaches but I'm not sure her issues with the first shooting sessions can be fixed at this point.

 

[BullsFan22]

I didn’t see Reztsova doing this well this season. I thought she’d be a solid top 30, but not someone that could challenge for podiums and even wins. The Russian women are slowly getting to that level where they have a few women capable of contending. I know that the field wasn’t as strong and people are tapering their form for the Olympics, but this is a good sign for the Russian team, women and men. Latypov skied a good final leg, even with weaker opposition, but he needed a race before China. Hopefully he can get more of his form back in the next couple weeks.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I didn’t see Reztsova doing this well this season. I thought she’d be a solid top 30, but not someone that could challenge for podiums and even wins. The Russian women are slowly getting to that level where they have a few women capable of contending. I know that the field wasn’t as strong and people are tapering their form for the Olympics, but this is a good sign for the Russian team, women and men. Latypov skied a good final leg, even with weaker opposition, but he needed a race before China. Hopefully he can get more of his form back in the next couple weeks.

She seems to be having the same post-childbirth improvement in speed that Marie Dorin-Habert, Anastasiya Kuzmina and Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet all had. She was doing OK but unspectacularly before taking the year out pregnant and has come back at a much higher level, but she's hitting her mid-20s so you'd say she should have been improving over that time regardless. She's not that dissimilar in level to her sister, but with a much better psychology for the sport. She's already a serious relay weapon, when Daria was a complete liability who used to beg the coaches not to pick her in relays even when she was the best Russian athlete on the World Cup.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Eckhoff peaking in Beijing was pretty much written in the stars when she underperformed at the start of the season.

Hauser didn't really get that much out of being the only one in the top 5 to go to Antholz, but the chance of winning the title in the individual obviously made it the right choice.



She's only 26 and there are still four years for her to get resurrected before the Antholz Olympics.
It's a shame though that none of the other Italians have progressed much either meaning she's still a very safe no. 2 in the team.

Rebecca Passler could be one to watch for the future, she's only 20 years old.

The Italians really need a new shooting coach.
Glad to see Vittozzi being so well liked, she has admitted that Wierer skipping that relay has messed with her head a bit which lead to her loosing the overall world cup back then. At the end of March her Grandfather, who was really close with her died of Covid.
I see her on my training rides a few times every year and it's hard to find a reason to dislike her.
Well, besides this one:

 

[BigCoward]

Just looking at the odds for Beijing, for the first time in at least 10-15 years Norways women aren't favourites for a relay.
I remember when the b and c team were better than everyone else.
This new wave of Swedish youngsters has made it so much more interesting (still expect Johaug to get 3 golds even without a relay one though).

 

[search]

The Norwegian sprint coach (Arlid Monsen) has tested positive, and all male athletes are considered as close contacts. Flights to Beijing have been postponed by four days (to the 31st) for the moment, and they hope for the best.

Edit: Bolshunov and the rest of the Borodavko group stay(ed) in the same hotel in Italy, btw

Arild Monsen har testet positivt for korona

Sprintlandslagstrener Arild Monsen har testet positivt for korona, bare dager før avreise til OL i Kina. Langrennssjef Espen Bjervig frykter utøvere kan være smittet.

www.nettavisen.no

 

[search]

Heidi Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvå have tested positive as well now

 

[BigCoward]

Heidi Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvå have tested positive as well now

Better to get it now than just before the Olympics I suppose.
What are the rules in Norway? Total isolation with a positive? Could they still train?

 

[search]

Better to get it now than just before the Olympics I suppose.
What are the rules in Norway? Total isolation with a positive? Could they still train?

They are still in Italy. No idea what the rules there exactly look like, but the Olympics require a 5 day window between 2 negative tests and entering China, so I'd think she's out for the Skiathlon at least.

But yeah, still better than catching it in Beijing. If this happens, you end up in an isolation facility, and your Olympics are immediately over, if I got that right.

 

[BigCoward]

It sucks for her, as as was starting to look really good at the end of of TdS. But her most important role is for the relay. She isn't beating TJ in the 3 distance events.

 

[search]

yeah, she's not exactly mentally stable, though, and this could be a big blow for her after turning up in full protective gear at the races for two years. Even if she is able to compete at 100% physically, it'll probably make a difference.

 

[SafeBet]

Better to get it now than just before the Olympics I suppose.
What are the rules in Norway? Total isolation with a positive? Could they still train?

I don't think they can train outdoor if they are positive.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

On to the more important things. German *** newspaper BILD spoke to the 81 year old mother of the one and only legendary Johann Mühlegg. The former diesel of all diesels lives in Natal, Brazil for 17 years now. He has founded a construction firm and has 15 people employed. It seems like he learned the whole construction business from scratch. He is married to a chemistry teacher and they have a nine year old daughter. So it's more or less ten years until the first cross country world cup win for Brazil.

 

[Mayomaniac]

On to the more important things. German *** newspaper BILD spoke to the 81 year old mother of the one and only legendary Johann Mühlegg. The former diesel of all diesels lives in Natal, Brazil for 17 years now. He has founded a construction firm and has 15 people employed. It seems like he learned the whole construction business from scratch. He is married to a chemistry teacher and they have a nine year old daughter. So it's more or less ten years until the first cross country world cup win for Brazil.

Why am I not surprised about Señor Mühlegg being married to a chemistry teacher?

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Actually she is a doctor of chemistry at the university.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Actually that kind of is surprising since he used to believe in the healing powers of holy water.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Actually that kind of is surprising since he used to believe in the healing powers of holy water.

He now has the power of God and science on his side!

 

[search]

The Norwegian CC women have postponed their flights to February 1st, btw. Johaug is probably still the favourite to win the Skiathlon four days after, but after six weeks without competition, quarantine and now also with a lack of acclimatization, this could open some doors for others

 

[Mayomaniac]

On to the more important things. German *** newspaper BILD spoke to the 81 year old mother of the one and only legendary Johann Mühlegg. The former diesel of all diesels lives in Natal, Brazil for 17 years now. He has founded a construction firm and has 15 people employed. It seems like he learned the whole construction business from scratch. He is married to a chemistry teacher and they have a nine year old daughter. So it's more or less ten years until the first cross country world cup win for Brazil.

The whole story is kinda messed up, if even half of it is true. His mother got fired shortly after he tested positive, people sending thousand of death threats his family, his brother getting his car's tires slashed five times and people wanting nothing to with his family because of their name.

 

[BullsFan22]

Krüger the latest Norwegian to test positive. Some rumor flying around that two members of the Russian team are also positive, no specifics as yet.

From what I’ve seen, the Finns were the first to fly to China, which they did yesterday. None of them seem to have any issues (so far). Looks like they’ve nailed their logistics. Of course if they any of them get a positive in China then that’s…tough. This Olympics could be a real lottery.

 

[KZD]

If more athletes from more countries start to get sick I think that I am going to ignore the cross-country skiing races and the same might happen to other sports (biathlon is the other one that I follow more closely).

There were two option to organise these Olympics in a fair way. Either, China postponed them one year until next winter when the virus should hopefully be less of an issue or they understood that covid (especially omicron) is a mild infection in young and vaccinated athletes and stopped with this test obsession but of course the organisers had to choose the path that didn't have the athletes well-being into consideration

 

[Mayomaniac]

If more athletes from more countries start to get sick I think that I am going to ignore the cross-country skiing races and the same might happen to other sports (biathlon is the other one that I follow more closely).

There were two option to organise these Olympics in a fair way. Either, China postponed them one year until next winter when the virus should hopefully be less of an issue or they understood that covid (especially omicron) is a mild infection in young and vaccinated athletes and stopped with this test obsession but of course the organisers had to choose the path that didn't have the athletes well-being into consideration

It wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese would stop testing people once they are there not to have any negative Covid-related press during the games and frankly that might be the way to go.

 

[search]

There were two option to organise these Olympics in a fair way. Either, China postponed them one year until next winter when the virus should hopefully be less of an issue or they understood that covid (especially omicron) is a mild infection in young and vaccinated athletes and stopped with this test obsession

to be fair, no other country or major sports competition is handling it that way. Those getting infected now, would be out for a world cup, world championship or whatever in Europe as well. And with China's no-covid strategy, the situation is gonna be the same next year (unless it completely blows up)

 

[BullsFan22]

to be fair, no other country or major sports competition is handling it that way. Those getting infected now, would be out for a world cup, world championship or whatever in Europe as well. And with China's no-covid strategy, the situation is gonna be the same next year (unless it completely blows up)

Whoa, how did that comment end up under my username, I didn’t write it. I think you may have done something