If that (losing what? some 24 seconds to Herrmann Wick on the last lap) is "suspicious" and "as if nothing happened" you have hardly paid attention to what Røiseland is capable of when truly in form.
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If that (losing what? some 24 seconds to Herrmann Wick on the last lap) is "suspicious" and "as if nothing happened" you have hardly paid attention to what Røiseland is capable of when truly in form.
Do you count the Finns in the Scandinavian influence? I think the Finns should have more influence on FIS to be honest. They seem to have their heads screwed on. And Classic Technique outstrips Lutheranism for the biggest religion in Finland.
Hard to argue against that one. I'd also like to point out that the skiing training between spinters and biathletes is really similar, so it's no surprise that does usually transition. Lots of intervals and intensity, less volume than distance skiers.
That said, the reduction of the distance in xc individual starts (still against it) would probably help someone like JTB if he tried it. He might get a top 10 result right now.
Of course. But if Finns were in charge of everything, we'd end up with interval start long distance classic all over the place, and the calendar would be a split between sprints, medium distance and long distance, as opposed to right now making the amorphous (and now completely homogenised) "distance" with no variety something to try to balance 50-50 with sprints and running everybody but Norway and the US out of town.
Man, if there was anybody in the sport that didn't require that much luck on split rounds going down it is Johannes Thingnes Bø. If one of them hadn't gone down... he probably still would have won. And Tarjei after barely scraping holding onto his international place for much of the season, he's now the 2nd fastest guy out there and the only one not losing 30 seconds to his little brother on the last lap. And he punts Dmytro Pidruchnyi off the podium which would have been some story. Patrick and Mike are ecstatic, they absolutely love Tarjei, probably because he has been around long enough that they've actually absorbed some knowledge about him so they don't have to work as hard to manufacture ways to talk about Ole Einar Bjørndalen when he's around.
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Going to be all 5 Norwegians in the top 6 here. Pidruchnyi being the only one separating them.
Time gaps are massive too. JTB will need to have a disaster in the pursuit to not at least medal.
Time gaps are massive too. JTB will need to have a disaster in the pursuit to not at least medal.
Men's biathlon has become even more Norwegian dominated than cross-country skiing (without Russia). Still, I am positively surprised by Tarjei Bø's performance and negatively surprised by Christiansen's one and no words needed for Johannes Bø, of course.
Quite ironic how Pidruchnyi and Rastorgujevs are the best non-Norwegians which means a total defeat for France, Sweden and Germany. Its weird how someone like Fabien Claude manages to lose 1:47min to JTB with one missing target, terrible shape.
Quite ironic how Pidruchnyi and Rastorgujevs are the best non-Norwegians which means a total defeat for France, Sweden and Germany. Its weird how someone like Fabien Claude manages to lose 1:47min to JTB with one missing target, terrible shape.
France have the talent to match the Norwegians, but they have not got the form right all season. You'd say the coaches need looking at rather than the talent, because we saw from the last couple of seasons that an on-form QFM and Jacquelin at least can compete on a level playing field with these Norwegians, or at least those that aren't called Johannes Thingnes Bø, because I feel he is a step higher this season than even he was before.
Germany have plenty of talents but no top end gamebreaking talent, they relied on a golden generation for so long that even the second best of the young prospects they had in the last few years, Zobel, is now 26 and has lost most of his pace while sorting out the shooting weakness; the best, Riethmüller, has gone from beating the likes of Hartweg, Giacomel, Khalili and Sørum in juniors to them being World Cup athletes (or World Cup calibre, Sørum would be racing on the World Cup if he was from any other country this season) and him being marooned on the Alpencup to iron out the flaws in his game. Doll and Kühn, the two real veterans on the team, are both unreliable shots and Rees is doing a decent impression of Andi Birnbacher in having a late development/resurgence, but he doesn't have the top end talent that Birnei had, and is from the same generation of juniors that bequeathed us JTB and Christiansen for Norway, and Tsvetkov and Loginov for Russia, where Rees was often 'best of the rest' in that age group, and so he's performing at what you'd say is probably his best level, as he has always had to hope for them to make errors to open the door for him. Sweden have two top end talents, both of whom blow hot and cold, and then a bunch of makeweights.
Germany have plenty of talents but no top end gamebreaking talent, they relied on a golden generation for so long that even the second best of the young prospects they had in the last few years, Zobel, is now 26 and has lost most of his pace while sorting out the shooting weakness; the best, Riethmüller, has gone from beating the likes of Hartweg, Giacomel, Khalili and Sørum in juniors to them being World Cup athletes (or World Cup calibre, Sørum would be racing on the World Cup if he was from any other country this season) and him being marooned on the Alpencup to iron out the flaws in his game. Doll and Kühn, the two real veterans on the team, are both unreliable shots and Rees is doing a decent impression of Andi Birnbacher in having a late development/resurgence, but he doesn't have the top end talent that Birnei had, and is from the same generation of juniors that bequeathed us JTB and Christiansen for Norway, and Tsvetkov and Loginov for Russia, where Rees was often 'best of the rest' in that age group, and so he's performing at what you'd say is probably his best level, as he has always had to hope for them to make errors to open the door for him. Sweden have two top end talents, both of whom blow hot and cold, and then a bunch of makeweights.
The Finns probably still view skating as a bone that you have to throw to those weird central europeans...
Since JTB is the only one who's won a race with perfect shooting this season, then perhaps it's time to consider making the penalty loops longer on the men's side. Not that it would hurt the Norwegians too much, but it could at least be one way to try and balance things a bit more. Of course it could also just push Jacquelin towards a state of chronic depression.
Maybe anyone following the french closely can give some more insight to this, but I remember long time NRK ekspert Ola Lunde saying before the season that QFMs training level had dropped off some post the olympics and looking at the ski times this season, it certainly looks that way.
This is quite opposite to JTB that ended the last season early (after the olympics) and having had a record long and sickness free build up, came into this season better than ever.
If the above is correct, it doesn't explain the drop off in pace of the other french men, but it certainly makes it less surprising that JTB is crushing QFM this season.
If the long distance classic interval starts were increased, then the US would be run out of town as well
The Fis answer to the success of biathlon is offering biathlon races without the shooting. Why should the casual viewer be interested in a 10km xc race when he can have a 10km xc race with shooting?
That`s one losing battle FIS is fighting. Cross Country skiing needs to build is own identity and not begging for releveveance by going shorter and more gimmicky.
That`s one losing battle FIS is fighting. Cross Country skiing needs to build is own identity and not begging for releveveance by going shorter and more gimmicky.
Given his current condition one would assume that JTb has to be a podium contender in a 10km race.
He`s more dominant in skiing than Björndalen ever was . So unless the quality of the biathlon field has dipped dramatically, he surely would be a contender in Xc skiing right now.
FIS has already been criticized for not doing nearly enough to help smaller countries. The IBU is well ahead of them in that regard. FIS will also take a hit without the Russians this season. 40% of all FIS xc World Cup viewership was Russian. Now, even if 10% of that decreases this year (just throwing a number), that’s a significant dent. I believe that number is higher.
Probably his biggest weakness is his sprint so I'm not sure how well he'd do considering the lack of interval starts in xc skiing atm.
His sprint was weak previously, but he is clearly in the form of his life now, who knows?
How many misses does he have today before it becomes a problem? 4 even if everyone else shoots clean? Hope laegreid, or anyone else, can beat him in the individual or this could be a very boring men's competition.
I suppose there is a chance he doesn't win gold in single mixed relay with Roiseland not being quite back to top form.
Also thanks to whichever moderator that gave me a ban that ends just as Biathlon WC kicks off. Very considerate.
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she fell sick "as she hasn't been for years" in Antholz and didn't train for two weeks, so that probably explains her performance.
She was sick a couple of weeks ago as well and in the sprint she was really slow in the skiiing part.
Shame... but her sister seems to have found her best level right on time for the WC.
Go Hanna and Linn today!
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