Official xc skiing world cup thread

Page 11 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Apr 26, 2010
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Great races today, beautiful weather.
Watch out, I think the pursuit is on Saturday, not tomorrow.
Lena's margin seems big but if Darya revs up that engine properly (not like today), just one extra penalty loop for Lena can make the race dramatic.

Peiffer was losing 6 secs on the top of the hill and I thought it's over but then he came really close. Great Garanichev!
Notable 3 errors by Martin Fourcade in the prone shooting.

Looking forward to the weekend!
 
Oct 5, 2010
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Steira won't be allowed to compete this weekend in Rybinsk because she's too thin.

Apparently she hasn't had much of an appetite lately too, she's been sick and she seperated from her partner and her training sessions have been a way for her to clear her head - but she hasn't eaten much. She was pretty thin before too, it's sad.
 
Sep 25, 2009
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Vylegzhanin impressive.. as impressive as the team tactic we don't often see from his teammates. it takes a loooong detour to pass tall skating sedov as (i thought) he was blocking towards the finish.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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Henkel wins. Darya is stupidly fast, missing 1 at every shoot but still coming 2nd ahead of people like Gregorin who shot clear throughout and aren't total scrubs on the skis.
 
Oct 5, 2010
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It's been a great weekend. Loved the way Therese just pwned everyone on the skis today, and the Russian men owned the entire 30K.

Lena just owned everyone too, it's a shame she was sick today.
 

airstream

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Mar 29, 2011
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It's a big luck for Domracheva. ;) Ah, I hope he'll win World Cup. Everything's perfect except Dasha loses many seconds on the shootings. There's a rumor that Russians can entice her back. I'm afraid of it so much... :(
 
Feb 4, 2012
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Props to Therese Johaug on her victory today in the 15k and to Marit Bjoergen for h50th world cup victory yesterday.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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airstream said:
It's a big luck for Domracheva. ;) Ah, I hope he'll win World Cup. Everything's perfect except Dasha loses many seconds on the shootings. There's a rumor that Russians can entice her back. I'm afraid of it so much... :(

I don't understand "entice her back". She's not a Russian. Some of the various athletes on the different countries are Russians, sure, like Skardino, Kuzmina or Khrustaleva. But Darya's just a Belarusian who is ethnic Russian. They can no more claim her than they can Alexander Vinokourov, who is an ethnic Russian but is from Kazakhstan.

So while they may entice her to Mother Russia, they won't entice her back to it.

Her shooting percentages are OK, albeit she has lost a bit too much in comparison to Lena there, that's more about Lena improving vastly than Dasha failing per se; her slow set-up pace from arriving in the range to getting that first shot away is her biggest failing, she's one of the slowest on the circuit in terms of 'range time'.
 
Apr 26, 2010
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Libertine Seguros said:
I don't understand "entice her back".
So while they may entice her to Mother Russia, they won't entice her back to it.

And, besides, she won't go anywhere without Klaus Siebert.

Edit: Oh wait...that could be the one most important incentive if the Russians hired him :)
 

airstream

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Mar 29, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
I don't understand "entice her back". She's not a Russian. Some of the various athletes on the different countries are Russians, sure, like Skardino, Kuzmina or Khrustaleva. But Darya's just a Belarusian who is ethnic Russian. They can no more claim her than they can Alexander Vinokourov, who is an ethnic Russian but is from Kazakhstan.

So while they may entice her to Mother Russia, they won't entice her back to it.

Her shooting percentages are OK, albeit she has lost a bit too much in comparison to Lena there, that's more about Lena improving vastly than Dasha failing per se; her slow set-up pace from arriving in the range to getting that first shot away is her biggest failing, she's one of the slowest on the circuit in terms of 'range time'.
Сonsidering "transfers" of Dratchev and Zubrilova, it is a pretty standart practice when one side offers better conditions and more money. Hard to explain in short. Belarus is madly strange country and not everything depends on a sportsman's will.

Yeah, his role is very big, but not overarching like a role of DS in cycling, for example.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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airstream said:
Сonsidering "transfers" of Dratchev and Zubrilova, it is a pretty standart practice when one side offers better conditions and more money. Hard to explain in short. Belarus is madly strange country and not everything depends on a sportsman's will.

Yeah, his role is very big, but not overarching like a role of DS in cycling, for example.

I'm not saying she won't transfer, but she can't transfer "back" to Russia when she's never represented Russia in the first place.
 

airstream

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Mar 29, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
I'm not saying she won't transfer, but she can't transfer "back" to Russia when she's never represented Russia in the first place.
Alright. But I wasn't saying she represented Russia before. She just lived and began her biathlon way there. :)
 
Jul 26, 2011
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So, any predictions for the World Champs in Rupholding in a few weeks?

The men's field is totally open! The Fourcades, Pfeiffer, Birnbacher, Svendsen, Garanichev, Ustyugov etc, and of course in this sport there're always good medal opportunities for dark horses (Vincent Jay :eek:).

Bjørndalen? ;)

Russians look good for the relay but you never know if Ustyugov is going 5/5 or 4/8 on the standing shooting...

Same with Neuner this year, really.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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I'm going to be bold and say that somebody other than Germany and Russia will win the women's relay, for the first time ever I think.

The Russians could do it; Vilukhina and Zaitseva are locks, and they have other reliable athletes, but Sorokina and Bogaliy-Titovets haven't looked like themselves at any point this season. The Germans, even with home advantage, I'm not sure will. Neuner is obviously a lock, Henkel is consistently up there, but Bachmann can be inconsistent, Franzi Hildebrand is accurate but slow, so will probably need to be 'hidden' on the first leg when lots of people are playing it safe, and may struggle with fatigue and the pressure of a home Worlds at the end of her first pro year, and much as though I love her for the entertainment she brings, I wouldn't trust Miri Gößner as far as I can throw her with a rifle.

The French unit look very reliable - not the quickest, but you can more or less guarantee that Dorin-Habert and Brunet will clear all of the targets with a maximum of one reload. Bescond is coming into form as the season goes on and was surprisingly quick at Antholz, while Sophie Boilley is perhaps the weak point, but has been very slick and professional so far this season. The Belarusians cannot be counted out either; both Kalinchik and Skardino are slow skiers for sure, but they are also reliable and accurate, and often underestimated; Nastassia Dubarezava is obviously not slow - she's a recent convert from XC - and her shooting has been pretty decent too. And of course, Darya; she needs no introduction. The Norwegian unit could be good too; last year they were heavily reliant on Flatland and Berger, but this year Solemdal has come on in leaps and bounds very quickly; Fanny Horn may have stagnated somewhat however, but Elise Ringen has also been very good this year.

If you're a gambler, picking Krystyna Palka to pick up a medal somewhere (most likely the Individual) could be a profitable move; the Pole has been there or thereabouts for much of the year without ever really garnering the attention she probably deserves for it; while some people have got podiums and then some OK results for their good WC positions, she's not had any massively notable finishes but lots and lots of good results up in the top 10-15-20; she's overdue a really good finish.

The men's relay SHOULD be Norway's to lose if the lead men have any form at all; Svendsen, Bø, Bjørndalen, then take your pick for the fourth spot. They'll probably go with Lars Berger again, which will mean potentially the bullets being sprayed all over the place. I say should be, of course, but there can be no denying that the Russians are very, very strong right now, placing several people at the front recently; Shipulin, Ustyugov and Garanichev should be locks, but Malyshko, Lapshin and Makoveev are all people that should definitely merit a look for the fourth slot. Also of course, it's about time for Maxim Maksimov's annual freak show (hehehe). France look to be very strong at the moment, as the Fourcade brothers have both been at the front for most of the season (seriously, what does Simon have to do to get a win?), and Alexis Boeuf and Jean-Guillaume Beatrix have both been looking good recently too; Vincent Jay by contrast has been a bit disappointing but he's a more than servicable replacement.

It's hard to see where the German men get a win from; they might be able to do it with reliability, but they really seem to have just two men at the top right now; Andi Birnbacher is in the form of his life (and how long can it last?) while Arnd Peiffer has seemingly paced his season well to be in form coming into the Worlds, and is mighty quick when he's on it. But those other spots are up for grabs; Florian Graf has looked good recently, but isn't the most reliable; Simon Schempp has had some good results, but most of them earlier in the season, so it seems either his form's going in the wrong direction or other people's form has been improving faster than his; Michael Rösch has been consistent but not electrifying after coming back in from the cold this year; Michael Greis, unfortunately, has just been caught by father time.

The Czechs and Italians could both spring surprises, both have been very good and well-drilled relay teams this year, profiting from other teams' profligacy, mostly with the rifle. You could make a pretty penny betting on one of them to reach the podium, though after the win in Oberhof you mightn't get the odds you would have done previously on the Italians. I'd also be tempted to gamble on the USA - Lowell Bailey has been extremely good for 3 or 4 laps this season, often up in the top 5-10, but falling back later on; the relay is therefore good for him, with just 3 laps. Tim Burke has been in good form in Oslo, and Jay Hakkinen recently picked up his career best results too. They seem to have flown under a lot of people's radars, so they might be worth considering too.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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Thanks to freezing weather, they've had to reschedule some of the events in Kontiolähti to get the required time in; as a result the mixed relay, originally scheduled for Sunday, was today.

As usual with the mixed relay, you got a real mix of teams, with some going for strong lineups and others being more 'developmental', with some in between. The Finns, of course, on home snow, put in a full strength lineup; it paid off at first, they were right up there after the women (Mari Laukkanen is getting stronger by the race, though she fluffed her lines at standing today) but fell out of the front group during the men's laps. The Swedes also submitted what must be close to a full strength side (Nilsson-Ekholm-Ferry-Lindström) but after Nilsson took a trip to the loop at shooting 1, it seems they were happy to conserve energy for the cup races at the weekend, as both Ferry and Lindström shot 10-10 but did not make any inroads into their sizeable deficit.

Speaking of shooting 10-10, the eventual winners were the French; 3 of their 4 athletes (Sophie Boilley, Jean-Guillaume Beatrix and Vincent Jay) shot clear, all their missed shots being by Anaïs Bescond on the second leg; however, like at Antholz she had a strong skiing performance to come back from this, enabling Jay to hunt down the Ukrainians at the end. The Ukrainians missed even fewer shots - just 4. Their women (no Semerenko twins today) shot clear, but Deryzemlya and Sednev missed 2 each. The sharpest shooters were the Russians, whose strong-but-not-full-strength quartet of Bogaliy-Titovets, Romanova, Makoveev and Shipulin missed just 3 shots between them, but finished a minute down due to disappointing ski times (possibly some energy conservation from the men at least too).

The big surprise package of the day was Slovakia; yes they had just about their strongest possible lineup out there, but they will be ecstatic with a podium. The Germans had been right up there after 7 shoots, with Bachmann missing just one and even Miriam Gößner only missing 2 in what could well be a duel over the last relay slot at the Worlds (one expects Neuner and Henkel will feature barring catastrophe, and Franzi Hildebrand seems to be becoming established as lead-off after her spectacular debut season at this level), but poor Erik Lesser, on a rare opportunity at the top level, had a meltdown at the standing shoot, with 2 penalty loops required taking them out of contention.

I only joined in progress, so I don't know why Slovenia did not start; the Gregorin-Mali-Bauer-Fak team looks on paper to be close to the strongest out there!
 
Jul 26, 2011
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Libertine Seguros said:
Thanks to freezing weather, they've had to reschedule some of the events in Kontiolähti to get the required time in; as a result the mixed relay, originally scheduled for Sunday, was today.
Yes and I missed it. >:-(

New sched: Schedule for Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Kontiolahti


The new schedule with start times in local and CET follows:


Friday February 10 Mixed Relay 13:00 local time, 12:00 CET


Saturday February 11 Men’s 10K Sprint 11:30 local time, 10:30 CET


Women’s 7.5K Sprint 13:30 local time, 12:30 CET


Sunday February 12 Men’s 12.5K Pursuit 13:15 local time, 12:15 CET


Women’s 10K Pursuit 14:00 local time, 13:00 CET
 
Feb 20, 2010
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Martin Fourcade takes a fiercely contested sprint despite one miss and starting off with bib #1, ahead of Lapshin (at 0,8") and Weger (At 1,6").
 
Apr 26, 2010
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Womens' sprint goes to...you guesses it...Magdalena Neuner (1 miss) ahead of Kaisa (1 miss) and Darya (2 misses).
Congratulations to Miri Gossner for 6th place and CLEAN shooting!

It should be some interesting pursuit tomorrow.
 
Feb 20, 2010
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TomasC said:
Womens' sprint goes to...you guesses it...Magdalena Neuner (1 miss) ahead of Kaisa (1 miss) and Darya (2 misses).
Congratulations to Miri Gossner for 6th place and CLEAN shooting!

It should be some interesting pursuit tomorrow.

To be fair to poor Miri, she lost a lot of time on lap 3 because after she shot clear from standing, she kept having to dodge points where the fabric of the universe was being ripped apart and all that we thought was true was being exposed as a lie, and that held her up.
 
Jul 26, 2011
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BIG race from Johan Olsson to power away from Dario Cologna!

And re: biathlon; WTF is up with Tarjei...
 
Oct 5, 2010
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Johan Olsson! Such an amazing mass start! Just wow!

He had the perfect skis, and he really pushed on the top of the hill to get ahead in the descent, and what a race that was. The Swedish team is bound to win the relay tomorrow, they're competing with their Olympic gold team - all whom finished in the top 15 today.

Tarjei has had terrible form since like January too, it's real sad - and he's insecure on the shooting range now too - he's usually really quick and offensive.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Gössner, nice to see that she can shoot well on occasion.
 
Oct 23, 2009
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Tarjei Bø had a spectacular rise last season and is having a just as spectacular and surprising fall this season. In a couple of months he went from being the strongest skier, fastest and most accurate shooter, to become utterly useless in all aspects.

I believe his lack of form is due to overtraining. In interviews pre season he said that he had trained much harder than ever before, which is a weird and risky thing to do when he was the fastest biathlete the preceding year. Should've just kept doing what he was doing back then instead of increasing the intensity so much. Simultaneously he can't aim anymore, which could be a result of lacking confidence after skiing so horribly lately.