Official xc skiing world cup thread

[Fetisoff]

nope, fourcade did not get it for fak's sake

LOL, good one. But really, Fak beat him? Just as I figured it's time to switch back to cycling.....

 

[python]

LOL, good one. But really, Fak beat him? Just as I figured it's time to switch back to cycling.....

yep he did by only 4 or so seconds...i was getting tired of 4cades

 

[Fetisoff]

yep he did by only 4 or so seconds...i was getting tired of 4cades

Yeah, me too. Any idea where Martin ended up? I saw the big fail on the 2nd range, and I don't think they showed him once since. I could be wrong of course, trying to watch biathlon, cycling and trying to do my job in the process

 

[python]

Yeah, me too. Any idea where Martin ended up? I saw the big fail on the 2nd range, and I don't think they showed him once since. I could be wrong of course, trying to watch biathlon, cycling and trying to do my job in the process

the race is still fully on (the last guy, a serb, just started) it's too early to tell where martin will end up...but if i'm not mistaken he had 3 misses and that should put him outside of top 10 at least...

just saw his placing - currently 24th

 

[Fetisoff]

the race is still fully on (the last guy, a serb, just started) it's too early to tell where martin will end up...but if i'm not mistaken he had 3 misses and that should put him outside of top 10 at least...

just saw his placing - currently 24th

OK, thanks. I realized that the race was still going on - I was wondering more how far back time-wise he was, but being currently 24th will do it for me too

 

[DenisMenchov]

Great race, great win by Jakov Fak, I really wanted him to win.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Moravec and Soukup seem to have peaked pretty good.

Fastest skiers of the season

27. SOUKUP Jaroslav

47. MORAVEC Ondrej

http://tobin1.bplaced.net/Results8 Men_files/sheet005.htm

Mixed relay

Leg 3

1. MORAVEC Ondrej 16:53.8
2. BAUER Klemen +4.8
3. FERRY Björn +7.2
4. BIRNBACHER Andreas +9.2
5. BJOERNDALEN Ole Einar +13.8
6. BURKE Tim +15.7
7. MALYSHKO Dmitry +17.8
9. FOURCADE Simon +29.1

Sprint

1. FOURCADE Martin 22:01.8
2. SVENDSEN Emil Hegle +8.8
3. FOURCADE Simon +36.1
4. BERGER Lars +36.6
5. BOE Tarjei +39.1
6. BOEUF Alexis +45.6
7. LINDSTRÖM Fredrik +51.6
8. MORAVEC Ondrej +55.9

38. SOUKUP Jaroslav +1:41.0

Pursuit

1. FOURCADE Martin 28:58.0
2. SOUKUP Jaroslav +3.4
3. BAUER Klemen +5.8
4. PEIFFER Arnd +8.0
5. MORAVEC Ondrej +8.8

Individual

1. Martin Fourcade 41:15
2. Tarjei Bø + 32
3. Arnd Peiffer + 51,4
4. Emil-Hegle Svendsen + 1:00
5. Evgeny Ustyugov +1:17
6. Ondrej Moravec + 1:25
7. Michal Slesingr + 1:29
8. Jaroslav Soukup + 1:29

Ski prep conditions have been difficult though, so perhaps there's some luck involved as well.

Probably decided that their only chance for a gold is a relay.

That would be utterly moronic.

nope, fourcade did not get it for fak's sake

 

[jsem94]

I wanted Simon Fourcade to win, but... he always fails in the last kilometer or so.

Also, Tarjei seems to be back. Great skiing form, if he gets his shooting OK - he's going to contest the medal in the mass start.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Simon is always close, never cigar. Nice for Soukup to get a medal, Birnbacher misses out on his first World Champs medal in 5 years by one second. What the hell was with the Russian lineup? They might as well have brought Maksimov back.

 

[Fetisoff]

That would be utterly moronic.

What the hell was with the Russian lineup? They might as well have brought Maksimov back.

But yet, I've searched through every Russian sports site to find any possible alternative explanation, and yet everywhere it says that the coaches "wanted the young guys to showcase themselves and give the leaders some rest".

So yeah. Go ahead, start injured Ustyugov, and let Shipulin and Garanichev "rest". Very smart indeed.

 

[ophene]

But yet, I've searched through every Russian sports site to find any possible alternative explanation, and yet everywhere it says that the coaches "wanted the young guys to showcase themselves and give the leaders some rest".

So yeah. Go ahead, start injured Ustyugov, and let Shipulin and Garanichev "rest". Very smart indeed.

The russian selection never make any sense, but this one was especially strange. Not starting the winner of the last individual competition in the world cup is just stupid.

 

[jsem94]

I have a feeling that Russia is going to be very disappointed after the relay.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Simon is always close, never cigar. Nice for Soukup to get a medal, Birnbacher misses out on his first World Champs medal in 5 years by one second. What the hell was with the Russian lineup? They might as well have brought Maksimov back.

But yet, I've searched through every Russian sports site to find any possible alternative explanation, and yet everywhere it says that the coaches "wanted the young guys to showcase themselves and give the leaders some rest".

So yeah. Go ahead, start injured Ustyugov, and let Shipulin and Garanichev "rest". Very smart indeed.

The russian selection never make any sense, but this one was especially strange. Not starting the winner of the last individual competition in the world cup is just stupid.

It's even stranger considering that Makoveev viewed the individual as his most important race at the worlds and the dude doesn't even get to participate, despite being top-10 in the WC and having won 1/2 individuals this season. Then there's Shipulin, who is one of the most accurate guys around (kind of important in the individual) and had shown the best form of the russians at the worlds.

Weird.

 

[TomasC]

Moravec and Soukup seem to have peaked pretty good.

...

As for Soukup, he's had some top ten course times - 7th in individual in Nove Mesto, 10th in Oberhof mass start and sprint in Nove Mesto.

Probably peaking for his home world cup and then WM. And you're right, peaking well.

 

[python]

It's even stranger considering that Makoveev viewed the individual as his most important race at the worlds and the dude doesn't even get to participate, despite being top-10 in the WC and having won 1/2 individuals this season. Then there's Shipulin, who is one of the most accurate guys around (kind of important in the individual) and had shown the best form of the russians at the worlds.

Weird.

Indeed... strange to say the least.

the most bizarre fact about the mess russian decision-making process is in was ustyugov’s start yesterday….in fact, less than a day before the start their head coach (polchovsi, sp?) told a reporter that he doubted ustyugov will start…and there we saw evgeny after a painful bruise from his rifle in the sprint fall that ended in the hospital visit. so, in stead of being given time to recuperate for men’s relay and the mass start (even more strange - the decision of ustyugov’s participation in those 2 races was made yesterday) he was wasted with 5 misses despite rather fast skiing (4th fastest despite 50th overall).

btw, i’m very curious if biathlon's evgeny ustyugov is a relative of a young rising xc ski star sergey ustiugov who won 4 golds out of 4 in the just finished junior worlds in turkey.

i checked wiki and evgeny has only one brother - alexander yet i'm told their surname - in russian is spelled exactly the same way ???

 

[Fetisoff]

btw, i’m very curious if biathlon's evgeny ustyugov is a relative of a young rising xc ski star sergey ustiugov who won 4 golds out of 4 in the just finished junior worlds in turkey.

Unrelated apparently (Found out from this interview in Russian - http://ugra-start.ru/start/may-2011/107)

 

[python]

jeebus ! darya is out..she just missed 4! in the very first shoot. that's why the individual favours no one...

 

[jsem94]

Ouch. That sprint in Drammen was something, really bad conditions. Emil Jönsson was looking like he could win - the finish suited him REALLY well - but he had bad glide. The Canadian ski prep team did a fantastic job.

And for Biathlon.. I really hoped for Brunet to hit the last target, it's too typical to lose it in the last shot. I never thought Berger would win this race though.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Berger's time was great though. If we don't go on ski time, but simply the time had they hit all the shots fired, she would have been 6" behind Darya and 20" behind Neuner. She was phenomenal today and a well-deserved winner.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about Elena freaking Khrustal'eva finishing ahead of the whole German team.

 

[ophene]

Berger's time was great though. If we don't go on ski time, but simply the time had they hit all the shots fired, she would have been 6" behind Darya and 20" behind Neuner. She was phenomenal today and a well-deserved winner.

Berger skied with Domracheva, who were one loop ahead, that explaines some of Bergers great skiing time. Berger would have won anyway though, so the gold was totally deserved.

A shame that Susan Dunklee didn't get a medal, but a great performance by her.

 

[jsem94]

I really hope Neuner some day does come back - but maybe makes a visit to the regular XC world cup circus. I wonder how she'd do against the top guns, if she'd be better than Fessel or Zeller or Sachenbacher-Steele, and how she'd do in classic style.

 

[TomasC]

I really hope Neuner some day does come back - but maybe makes a visit to the regular XC world cup circus. I wonder how she'd do against the top guns, if she'd be better than Fessel or Zeller or Sachenbacher-Steele, and how she'd do in classic style.

In this interview she stated again that she does not have any such interest and that she finds pure xc skiing boring. I can understand that from her point of view.

We also happened to find out that she prefers David Beckham to Michael Ballack because of his body. Uh-oh.

Bjorn Ferry's answer to similar silly question here was a bit more appropriate .

 

[Libertine Seguros]

After Russia yesterday, it's Germany's turn to confuse today. Is Franzi Hildebrand injured or something? Only I don't see why you'd leave out your best performer in the Individual format this season and include Miriam Gößner in a format that penalises you a minute for every miss...

 

[python]

Unrelated apparently

thanx.

luckily the coaching team has finally seen the light and decided to withdraw injured evgeny from the relays. they however failed to explain why they wasted him after the nasty fall in the individual race yesterday.

some observations from today's racing both the biathlon and the xc skiing...

i was amazed at the downright poor skating technique of some gals from the less developed biathlon nations !? In fact, it was so bad that I believe a coach from my first local club years ago would cringe. Then, on the opposite performance scale, watching jusyna's classic sprint was no less painful. She was like a desperate tygres 'on all four', head down mad cadence compared to the gracefully gliding norge gals. yet, jusyna's managed a 3d overall despite losing about 10 seconds due to a fall.
her determination and engine are second to none. !

 

[Bavarianrider]

Evi Sachenbacher is going to biathlon