Official xc skiing world cup thread

[meat puppet]

Olsson is less phenomenal than yesterday. Five teams still together before the last leg, Russia not far behind

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Svendsen has pulled back more than a minute now

Admittedly the pace has been a bit less than urgent at the front, but still!

Poor Svendsen has done an Armstrong on Monte Petrano - he just arrived as the attacks started and left him stranded in no-man's land just behind again. Having started 1'46" down, he can hold his head up high.

Hey, he's made it back now! He's spent though. Really spent.

 

[gustienordic]

Svenson's race was insane! Its not too often you see someone pull back that much time in a 10km!

 

[Ferminal]

Svendsen and Cologna FTW, was fairly unremarkable race aside from those efforts.

 

[meat puppet]

Matti Heikkinen fell off a fence today, got a cut onto his eyebrow and will skip all the starts this weekend. To not risk infection, he says he needs 3-4 days without sweating. Fair enough, better to be safe than sorry. But given the recent circumstances this whole way of dealing with the mishap stroke me as bit odd or something.

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen has also lamented that she is not in shape because of stomach troubles during the week.

 

[gustienordic]

Matti Heikkinen fell off a fence today, got a cut onto his eyebrow and will skip all the starts this weekend. To not risk infection, he says he needs 3-4 days without sweating. Fair enough, better to be safe than sorry. But given the recent circumstances this whole way of dealing with the mishap stroke me as bit odd or something.

Aino-Kaisa Saarinen has also lamented that she is not in shape because of stomach troubles during the week.

This just seems strange more than anything. He fell off a fence? Thats a little weird.

 

[meat puppet]

Actually, it was his eyelid. They were doing a photo shoot.

And I know, it's oversensitive, but the footage of Finnish skiers intentionally breaking their equipment in order to duck tests in Lahti 2001 immeadiately popped into my mind.

 

[maltiv]

"Ow ****, incoming testers!"

 

[meat puppet]

The biathlon WC kicks off today with men's 20km. Gotta watch.

 

[maltiv]

Amazing race by Martin Fourcade today, total annihilation! Won't be easy to beat him this season, when he's both the fastest skier and the best shooter...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

That was simply incredible by Fourcade. A lot of other favourites having something of an off day (Ferry and Bjørndalen in particular, but Bø and Peiffer can both be very disappointed with their days too). Nice to see Simon Schempp pick up a completely unexpected podium, since he's normally been one to fall foul of the German disease of woeful shooting and super-fast skiing.

If I were an opponent of Martin's right now, I'd be worried. And poor Simon had quite a good day, but to almost no response, and he's falling worryingly into the trap of Fränk Schleck and Asier Olaizola in the scale of older brothers of prodigal talents.

 

[meat puppet]

Well put both of you. Fourcade was incredible.

Let's see if Mäkäräinen can stand up against Neuner, Berger, Ekholm and others today. Pre-race she said that the main target is to be competitive on the skis, ie. to get used to race intensities again. The shooting will be what may.

 

[roundabout]

Mäkäräinen seemed quite competitive on the skis last week in the IBU cup so I doubt that skiing will be a problem.

 

[meat puppet]

Shooting was; one miss every time.

Domracheva wins I would guess.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Neuner not really on it on the skis, almost a minute shy of Domracheva and Mäkäräinen on ski time. Great show from Nilsson.

I am really happy for Darya though. I am a big fan of hers, ever since her Oberhof disasters showed her to be the Óscar Freire of biathlon - prodigiously talented, but absent-minded and a bit crazy.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

The sky is falling! Neuner shot well in heavy wind!

This must be Ekholm's worst Östersund in years. She's usually on the podium @ home, but hasn't handled the windy conditions well for a change (she's been pretty unlucky too - cursed by the wind god).

Who the **** is Synnøve Solemdal? This years (female) Bø perhaps?

 

[maltiv]

The sky is falling! Neuner shot well in heavy wind!

This must be Ekholm's worst Östersund in years. She's usually on the podium @ home, but hasn't handled the windy conditions well for a change (she's been pretty unlucky too - cursed by the wind god).

Who the **** is Synnøve Solemdal? This years (female) Bø perhaps?

Really impressive shooting by Neuner (for once) and a well deserved victory. She remained calm even with difficult conditions and profited from it.

I've no idea about Solemdal really, last year she wasn't fast at all, this year she's suddenly as fast as Neuner...for instance she was 17th in Khanty-Mansiysk with 0 misses last season.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In defence of Solemdal, she's 22 and though she wasn't especially quick last year, she was part of a decent relay team, and her skiing needed some work; also, in the Individual Neuner was hardly the unstoppable force she can be, being nearly a minute shy of Mäkäräinen and Domracheva on the skis. Also, with Ann Kristin Flatland taking the season out to have a baby, the Norwegian team will probably have plunged some effort into bringing Solemdal or Horn up to scratch (and indeed Horn was 11th too).

Let's also remember that at Östersund last year Miriam Gößner was 2nd in the sprint and pursuit and shooting well. The first event of the year often throws up some unexpected results with people fighting for places in the team and big names not yet in form. Let's not go overboard with the praise for Solemdal yet - it could be a Bø-like explosion onto the scene or it could be a flash in the pan.

Also nice to see a good showing for Sophie Boilley, shooting clear and the ski times improving too. I think she may have a good future in the sport, another typical French markswoman - though Dorin had a pretty decent ski run today. Franzi Hildebrand looks an interesting prospect too - a great shooter from Germany?! Woeful from the Slovenes though - Mali nearly 3 minutes down despite only 2 misses to Neuner's 1, and Gregorin even further down after missing 4 from stand. Ekaterina Yurlova missing the top 60 and not even getting to start tomorrow is a huge letdown, but Lyudmila Kalinchik, Sabrina Buchholz and Dorothea Wierer will all have reason to be disappointed in themselves too.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Bø, Svendsen and Fourcade make an intimidating chasing trio.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fourcade is laying down a serious marker and goading the Swedish fans. Lowell Bailey could have been up on the podium, but the last shoot has been the end of most hopes and dreams. Jaroslav Soukup could get up into 2nd, but he has to outski Svendsen to do that... shooting clear is so important at the last.

 

[meat puppet]

Had Fourcade been even a little bit less dominant, his gesture would have been downright tasteless. Now he could afford it. Didn't like it too much though.

Mäkäräinen appears to be the fastest skier again, especially uphill since she can go Wassberg the furthest. But the women's race will be decided by shooting and I don't like her odds to be honest.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It will be interesting, no doubt. Neuner hasn't been her usual self with the skis, Mäki has been very quick.

Fourcade's gesturing at shooting 4 was a bit much for me, seemed to be taunting, mocking even. When he was coming in bowing, wearing the French flag as a scarf and with a broken ski pole, I thought it was quite entertaining however. Simon Schempp appears to have arrived (36th to 11th after his podium in the Individual). A pity for Lowell Bailey that he melted down in Standing 2, because he could have been on for a podium. Good work from Soukup to take his opportunity though - the Czech Republic getting a very good start to the season here!!!

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Ski times for the first WC week.

Women

15km

1. MÄKÄRÄINEN Kaisa 41:12.8
2. DOMRACHEVA Darya +1.3
3. SOLEMDAL Synnoeve +20.0
4. NEUNER Magdalena +42.4
5. EKHOLM Helena +49.1
6. BACHMANN Tina +51.6
7. ZAITSEVA Olga +59.4
8. KUZMINA Anastasiya +1:00.4
9. KOCHER Zina +1:02.1
10. GREGORIN Teja +1:14.1

7.5km

1. MÄKÄRÄINEN Kaisa 19:15.8
2. GÖSSNER Miriam +5.1
3. NEUNER Magdalena +5.9
4. SOLEMDAL Synnoeve +6.7
5. KOCHER Zina +23.9
6. BERGER Tora +24.1
7. DOMRACHEVA Darya +24.4
8. HENKEL Andrea +24.7
9. ZAITSEVA Olga +33.9
10. KUZMINA Anastasiya +38.7

10km (the snowing can't have been good for those at the front in this one)

1. SLEPTSOVA Svetlana 28:58.7
2. MÄKÄRÄINEN Kaisa +5.1
3. SOLEMDAL Synnoeve +13.9
4. NEUNER Magdalena +18.6
5. BERGER Tora +25.3
6. BACHMANN Tina +26.3
7. EKHOLM Helena +28.2
8. KOCHER Zina +31.5
9. ZAITSEVA Olga +37.9
10. KUZMINA Anastasiya +43.4

Men

20km

1. FOURCADE Martin 48:53.6
2. BERGER Lars +10.1
3. BJOERNDALEN Ole Einar +35.4
4. SVENDSEN Emil Hegle +45.4
5. FAK Jakov +55.3
6. LANDERTINGER Dominik +56.2
7. BOE Tarjei +1:06.7
8. GARANICHEV Evgeniy +1:21.9
9. BIRNBACHER Andreas +1:22.5
10. FOURCADE Simon +1:28.0

10km

1. SVENDSEN Emil Hegle 22:22.2
2. FOURCADE Martin +0.1
3. BOE Tarjei +16.3
4. BERGMAN Carl Johan +19.9
5. BOEUF Alexis +22.1
6. SLESINGR Michal +30.5
7. BAILEY Lowell +34.3
8. BERGER Lars +37.0
9. BJOERNDALEN Ole Einar +39.7
10. WEGER Benjamin +42.4

12.5km (M.Fourcade was 29s down and lost 31s clowning around on the final lap)

1. BERGER Lars 28:08.2
2. USTYUGOV Evgeny +7.8
3. FAK Jakov +18.0
4. BURKE Tim +18.5
5. SLESINGR Michal +23.3
6. GROSSEGGER Sven +23.8
7. PEIFFER Arnd +24.4
8. SVENDSEN Emil Hegle +25.1
9. BOE Tarjei +25.3
10. BIRNBACHER Andreas +28.2


Kocher and Solemdal are the major surprises here. I don't think Solemdal will be a flash in the pan. Ekholm said Synnøve was quite strong at pre-season training in Ruhpolding.

 

[gustienordic]

Just sayin' Americans probably had their best week of skiing (bi & xc) ever. Kikkan 1st then her and Sadie getting 2nd! Plus Bailey putting in some crazy good races (for him at least)

 

[Kvinto]

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/06122011/58/neuner-quit-25.html

http://www.magdalena-neuner.de/cms/...1211.htm&sid=e1f59951cb28b785331bd75fedddb6d0