The men just seem extremely keen to make this a last leg ski-off among the women. Except Iivo Niskanen, because he is doing God's work out there. On paper that US team shouldn't be competitive because while the women are absolutely elite tier, their men are a level below the top, but conservative racing hasmade it a one-leg shootout, so now it looks like Glitterface will win.
"We've talked about the Americans quite a lot over the last five years or so" - Patrick Winterton, master of understatement.
Winterton now talking about how they should cut the biathlon mixed relay to 5km because it's better to have shorter distances.
"THIS IS A GREAT MOMENT FOR AMERICAN CROSS COUNTRY SKIING! THEY'VE TAKEN ON THE WORLD AND THEY'RE GOING TO BEAT THEM! IT'S A HISTORIC DAY!" I can't find the vomit emoji for this level of sycophancy. Jack Edwards would be saying "tone it down guys, your bias is showing". "The Cross Country world has found a format that provides EVERYTHING they need, perfect for everybody, for athletes, for fans and for viewers. What a day! What a day! It belongs to USA!" You know, other than anybody who is better in classic, or is better at distance, or thrives on anything other than a sprint. They'd be talking about the tweaks the format needed with any other result.
Again, the usual crap - Winterton believes every race should be shorter and only feature the same 10-15 names that he already knows about, so he can sell the sizzle, since he has no idea how to sell the steak, and all this does is mean he spends most of the time complaining through any format other than a sprint that the sport isn't exciting enough unless an American is winning.