Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

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For the 20k today, they are using more or less the same course as on Friday. Will be interesting to see if it's hard enough to drop Klaebo in classic technique as well.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The women's pursuit is not decided after the first two shootings. Tandrevold has had a fine start and still has a chance of a medal. The credit card sisters are still the favourites for the win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Simon is simply a stone cold assassin.

And Tandrevold's shooting lets her down again, but I guess she's also been pushing quite hard.

 

[KZD]

Simon has to be one of the best biathletes in pursuit races I have ever watched.

Her standing shooting has been absolutely incredible these days both in accuracy and speed. She might very well take all gold medals in this sort of shape.

Tandrevold on the other hand risks leaving Nové Mesto with 0 individual medals if she doesn't improve her standing shooting.

 

[titan31]

Great result for Vitozzi.

Piss poor from Tandrevold. Missing 6 out of 10 standing shots is bad

 

[KZD]

Great result for Vitozzi.

Piss poor from Tandrevold. Missing 6 out of 10 standing shots is bad

Vitozzi is looking really good for the individual.

What is more curious is that all of the Norwegians look bad. Lien was the best today in a terrible 30th position.

The contrast couldn't be bigger in the men's side. Top5 all Norwegian with Johannes Bø managing to beat Lægreid this time.

 

[titan31]

6 Norwegians in the top 8. They probably have another 2/3 guys not in the team who could go in and do a top 10 too

 

[dobrien]

Pretty great women's classic finale shaping up! Diggins in real trouble, looks like Faendrich an altitude victim? Laukli fighting to hang on.

edit: and Laukli is back on; what a little battler she is. More impressed every time I watch her race. Frida appearing to handle the altitude a lot better today.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

How can FIS look at this kind of race and believe that this is what we need less of?

 

[BullsFan22]

For the 20k today, they are using more or less the same course as on Friday. Will be interesting to see if it's hard enough to drop Klaebo in classic technique as well.

Oh the course is hard. Pretty much the same courses they’ve been using since 2005.

This would have been a perfect place for the likes of Bolshunov and Niskanen to drop everyone.

 

[BullsFan22]

How can FIS look at this kind of race and believe that this is what we need less of?

You expect FIS to change their ways now, after years of stupidity?

 

[BullsFan22]

Pretty great women's classic finale shaping up! Diggins in real trouble, looks like Faendrich an altitude victim? Laukli fighting to hang on.

edit: and Laukli is back on; what a little battler she is. More impressed every time I watch her race. Frida appearing to handle the altitude a lot better today.

Diggins ‘in trouble’ in a classic race is hardly a surprise.

 

[dobrien]

Great battle between Frida and Kerttu; very entertaining. Sophia blew herself up a bit chasing, Diggins managed to salvage her day.

 

[dobrien]

Diggins ‘in trouble’ in a classic race is hardly a surprise.

This is silly. She's had some of the best classic races of her life this season; your statement really doesn't hold water as almost anyone could be in trouble on this course. And in case you missed it, she came back to finish 10th only 42 seconds down in a very tough race.

 

[OJRvE]

The long distance forces Frida to take longer strides which is way more effective. She seldom cracks in the long distance races.

 

[dobrien]

How can FIS look at this kind of race and believe that this is what we need less of?

Couldn't agree more. This was one of the most entertaining races of the season, but of course FIS won't learn.

 

[BullsFan22]

This is silly. She's had some of the best classic races of her life this season; your statement really doesn't hold water as almost anyone could be in trouble on this course. And in case you missed it, she came back to finish 10th only 42 seconds down in a very tough race.

A couple races this season. What a small sample. She’s been on the World Cup since 2011.

 

[dobrien]

A couple races this season. What a small sample. She’s been on the World Cup since 2011.

And her classic skiing, by nearly EVERYONE'S account, has improved dramatically this year. Not comparable to previous years; If 10th in a really hard world cup 20k classic ahead of Hennig et al is doing poorly, I'd say most skiers on the WC would like to be doing so poorly. But whatever, fruitless to try to reason with you when it comes to Diggins.

 

[BullsFan22]

And her classic skiing, by nearly EVERYONE'S account, has improved dramatically this year. Not comparable to previous years; If 10th in a really hard world cup 20k classic ahead of Hennig et al is doing poorly, I'd say most skiers on the WC would like to be doing so poorly. But whatever, fruitless to try to reason with you when it comes to Diggins.

So then be more specific, say this season. No need to be angry.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This is silly. She's had some of the best classic races of her life this season; your statement really doesn't hold water as almost anyone could be in trouble on this course. And in case you missed it, she came back to finish 10th only 42 seconds down in a very tough race.

Honestly think she could have done better if it wasn't for the bonus trophy. She worked really hard to keep coming back and pick up some points there, and then was tailed off again almost immediately. Once she was distanced enough to say "OK, we aren't going to be able to keep with the pace up front" and ran her own race, Carlos Sastre-style, she managed her deficit very well, because it grew to 35-40 seconds really quickly but then more or less stayed there, which tells me that had she let go sooner and run her own race from then she probably wouldn't have lost as much time because she'd have bled that time slowly rather than exploding and having to regather herself. The contrast would be Laukli who stayed on for much longer and got stuck in no-woman's land between group 1 and group 2, eventually having to ski a fair way on her own which is disadvantageous, especially for a skier as petite and slender as she is, eventually falling prey to the chasers and when it came to a shoot-out in the last 100-200m, obviously Sophia Laukli is not going to be winning any sprints any time soon as that's clearly not what she's built for.

It was very surreal to hear Posey Musgrave describe Kerttu as being "no slouch with a strong finish herself". It was quite demonstrable that Niskanen was doing all the work because she is a Niskanen she was going to lose the sprint so she had to hope she could drop Karlsson, and that Karlsson was happy to sit on because Kerttu is one of the people she understandably backs herself in a sprint against.

 

[dobrien]

So then be more specific, say this season. No need to be angry.

Oh come on; I would think that might be obvious. In any event, it's just more of the same gratuitously contemptuous and frankly dumb crap from you regarding Diggins. If any race this season was going to be her kryptonite it was today, and I'd say she pulled off a pretty awesome save when she looked really on the rivet after only half distance, and at the end she beat some pretty damn accomplished classic skiers. With anyone else it would be 'great effort, way to hang tough' but with Diggins it just has to be the same gratuitous slap in the face to an athlete whose ski pole tips you're frankly not fit to grind . If this was just a one off from you it would be one thing but it's been going on for ages and just never quits, and it has long since gotten really f***ing old.

 

[dobrien]

Honestly think she could have done better if it wasn't for the bonus trophy. She worked really hard to keep coming back and pick up some points there, and then was tailed off again almost immediately. Once she was distanced enough to say "OK, we aren't going to be able to keep with the pace up front" and ran her own race, Carlos Sastre-style, she managed her deficit very well, because it grew to 35-40 seconds really quickly but then more or less stayed there, which tells me that had she let go sooner and run her own race from then she probably wouldn't have lost as much time because she'd have bled that time slowly rather than exploding and having to regather herself. The contrast would be Laukli who stayed on for much longer and got stuck in no-woman's land between group 1 and group 2, eventually having to ski a fair way on her own which is disadvantageous, especially for a skier as petite and slender as she is, eventually falling prey to the chasers and when it came to a shoot-out in the last 100-200m, obviously Sophia Laukli is not going to be winning any sprints any time soon as that's clearly not what she's built for.

It was very surreal to hear Posey Musgrave describe Kerttu as being "no slouch with a strong finish herself". It was quite demonstrable that Niskanen was doing all the work because she is a Niskanen she was going to lose the sprint so she had to hope she could drop Karlsson, and that Karlsson was happy to sit on because Kerttu is one of the people she understandably backs herself in a sprint against.

This seems like a really solid take to me;

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Niskanen has a decent sprint in classic, and probably would fancy her chances against most skiers in the front group, but Karlsson isnt one of them. Her high speed double poling have become really, really good.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Posey Musgrave being more professional about her own brother than the rest of the goons usually are about their pets.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Golberg owns Klaebo in long distance classics.