Today's women's relay includes 19 teams, with the top seed being Norway and the last being Belgium.

Race Recap

Leg 1

Even before hitting the shooting, the top candidates for the medals - Norway (Juni Arnekleiv), Sweden (Anna Magnusson) and France (Lou Jeanmonnot) already broke ahead with a couple of seconds margin compared to the rest of the field at the shooting range. Lou hits first, as do most of the top seeds, along with many of the smaller teams like Belgiun, Canada and Kazakhstan who are also cleaning the targets.

Johanna Puff (GER), Samuela Comola (ITA), and Jessica Jislova (CZE) miss once each. The only team going on the penalty are Bulgaria.

The difference between all teams is smaller by the 3.2km point, with 12 teams within 10 seconds, the last one within 10s being Puff from Germany. Jeanmonnot still leading the pack followed closely Magnusson and Arnekleiv.

Approaching the second shooting, the top 3 are ahead of everyone again. Arnkeliev and Magnusson both miss, while Jeanmonnot hits 5/5 and is done with over 10s on her closest competitors. Minkinnen misses twice, and Ukraine's Horodna is going into the penalty twice. Comola from Italy shoots clean but very slow on the skis, which looks not very promising for Italy who started with bib 5.

The only clean teams are France (1st), Poland (4th; +17.8), Estonia (6th; +21.7), Switzerland (12th; +36.8s), Kazakhstan (15th; +57.8s).

By the 5.2km mark, Magnusson is two second closer, while Arnekleiv is going down and the rest of the teams getting a little bit closer to Jeanmonnot. Jislova and Ermits both overtake Arnekleiv, all around 20s behind Jeanmonnot. Jislova and Ermits catch up to Magnusson, while Arnekleiv stays behind, and Lou continues to go solo in the front.

Leg 2

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (JBB from now onwards, my apologies) takes the first place. 16seconds later, Davidova takes the 2nd, Saara Andersson and Tuuli Tomingas get their exchange at 17s and Karoline Knotten takes 5th. Wierer takes her exchange at the disasterous 12th (the editors seem to love them, as they keep showing them). Germany are down to 10th place over 41s behind, and Switzerland are 13th with no misses at all.

JBB crosses the 7.2km mark, still 15s ahead of the new silver-contending trio: Davidova, Tomingas and Andersson. Knotten is still over 20s behind, followed by the Belgian Cloetens, and Finnish Lehtonen. Over the top of the hill, are chasing pack are all losing time to JBB.

JBB enters the shooting range with 20 seconds to spare: Davidova and Andersson are both 19s behind, Knotten is back to 4th 27s behind, and Tomingas falls off and is just behind Knotten. Maya Cloetens and Lehtonen are staying in touch just 30s behind.

JBB starts shooting just as the rest approach, and misses her 2nd and 3rd shots, and all that time is gone! Both Sweden and Czechia hit 5/5 and are far ahead of the French. Knotten on the other hand misses 3 are needs to hit all- which she fails to do, and will have a penalty loop.

Tomingas, Cloetens and Lehtonen hit 5/5 and are just behind JBB after his misses, followed by Zuk 30s behind and Knotten, almost a minute to lose. The new leader: Marketa Davidova from Czechia.

Andersson maanges to keep up and JBB decreases the margin to 6s. Cloetens, Lehtonen and Tomingas are keeping a stable tempo, all within 20s. Wierer and Anna Gandler squeeze into the 1m gap and the top 10.

On the wall, JBB overtakes Andersson into 2nd place. The chasers still are within 20s, and Poland, Norway, Italy, Austria and Germany (well, not relay - 1:02m) are within a minute, thus not losing much in skiing so far.

Entering the shooting range for the standing, Davidova, JBB and Andersson hit the maps together. The chasing pack is losing some speed and are 20-25s behind, but the same top 10 within a minute remains. JBB starts with a miss, while her competitors start with hits. Andersson misses 3! in a row, JBB misses once more, and Davidova is the cleanest with 6/5 and is out first. Andersson is on the penalty loop as Andersson doesn't manage to clean them all, and JBB leaves last but without a loop. Lehtonen misses twice and is just behind JBB and ahead of Andersson at 3rd! Maya Cloetens misses twice on the last target but manages to clear and exists 5th. (The 4th being Andersson).

Wierer hits 6/5 and is 6th, ahead of Knotten who needs two extra rounds once again. Tomingas with 2 misses is very slow to reload and is behind her. Gandler and Tannheimer manage without a penalty loop.

By 11.2km, JBB, Lehtonen, Cloetens (now 4th!) all gain on Davidova, while Andersson falls further behind and is on the way to be overtaken by Knotten, who starts to gain some seconds. JBB is attacking on the wall again, almost stepping on Davidova's skis. Lehtonen keeps decreasing the margin and gives the Finnish fans an amazing experience! Knotten overtakes both Andersson and Cloetens and is up to 4th by the end of the wall.

Noteworthy: Wierer was exceptionally fast at shooting (9s faster than anyone else in that leg, followed by Ukrainian Dymitrenko).

Leg 3

Sophie Chevau gets the first place, followed immediately by the fellow up-and-comer Vobornikova. They are followed by Finland - venal Lehtonen tags to Inka Hamalainen 23s behind. Italy atgs 4th - Doro Wierer is repalced by Auchentaller (who had horrible ski form yesterday, unfortunately) and Knotten by Maren Kirkeeide. Cloetens (who I personally think had the leg of her life!) tags to Eva Bouvard 48s behind, followed by Andersson to Hanna Oberg.

At the 13.2km mark, Chauveau increases the lead to 4.5s. Hamalainen falls a 5s behind, followed by Kireeide, Auchentallar, Oberg and Bouvard who run together across the wall - Kireeide and Auchentaller both attempt to take the front, followed by Oberg and Bouvard who manages to stay along the group. Kink and Rothschopf are 1:15m behind.

Cheuvau enters the range with 15s to spare, and starts shooting before Vobornikova hits the mat. She hits all 5/5 with a slow and not really rhythmic shooting and is far ahead. Vobornikova hits 4/5 and a jam in the rifle that sets her even back. Finland - Hamalainen is 2nd and hits perfectly center, Auchentaller, Oberg all hit 5/5 and are off and away. Kirkeeide isn't keeping up with the tempo and misses once, to land in 6th place almost a minute behind. Bouvard is exhausted after the chase and is 7th with two misses, while Kink and Rothschopf are clean.

Sheincreases her lead and is 37s ahead of Oberg by the 15.2km mark. Hamalainen is just behind Oberg, followed by Vobornikova and Auchentaller. Kirkeeide isn't decreasing the margin at all, while Bouvard is losing more time (and unfortunately this is how today's Belgian miracle ends, I believe).

On the wall, Hamalainen falls behind to 6th and Kirkeeide is finally getting a little bit closer to the pack - decreasing the margin by 3s compared to Chauveau. Auchentaller and Oberg run alongside each other but are losing time to Chauveau.

Cheuvau enters the shooting range for the last time with a huge margin or at least 40s, and starts shooting before her competitors can even be seen behind. She hits the first, second, third (lucky), fourth and misses the fifth, but still her competitors aren't even on their mats. She hits the fifth and is out as Auchentaller, Oberg and Vobornikova prepare to shoot. Auchentaller hits 6/5, and Oberg shoots the fastest - and clean, and is out at 2nd place. Kirkeeide is clean and is 4th just behind the Hannas. Vobornikova exists next, while Hamalainen goes to the penalty loop and is 7th behind Eva Bouvard. They are followed by the Austrians and Germans.

Oberg is the fastest in the range - 47s range time in both the prone and standing (Gasparin is faster in shooting time in the stand). She also has the fastest lap time in lap 7, 2nd in 8th and 9th (Kirekeeide is 1st in both). Maren is ahead of Hanna at the wall, taking 12s from Hanna since they left the range. They are separated from Chauveau by 35s, but are bunched together with Auchentaller in the 2nd-4th spots. Vobornikova is the last to fit within a minute, with Bouvard and Hamalinen at 1:33s running up the wall together - all of them are still contendors for the flowers.

Leg 4

Julia Simon takes the 1st place from Chauveau, with 28s to spare. Ingrid Tandervold takes 2nd, tagged by Kirekeeide who escaped and gains 4s compared to Hanna, who exchanges to Elvira Oberg. Auchentaller managed to stay along and is just 3s behind Hanna and exchanges to Carrara. Vobornikova falls further back and is over a minute behind.

Tandervold and Oberg ski together 30s behind and manage to keep pace, as Carrara and the rest of the field fall behind. Czech Charvatova is losing time. As they enter the shooting range, they gained 10s and are just 20s behind Simon (the rest of the field continously falling further and further behind).

Simon starts shooting, hitting 1st, 2nd, 3rd! 4th! and 5th! as the competitors lie down to shoot. Elvira misses the first while Ingrid hits; Elvira is a shot ahead but with two misses! while Ingrid clears the range and is up to 2nd. Elvira avoids the penalty, and Carrara hits 5/5 and will be just behind Elvira. Charvatova manages to avoid the penalty loop with 7/5 (originally 4/5). Finland still 6th in the flowers - but misses three in a row and ultimately on the round. Voigt, Hauser and Jakeila are clean just over 2 min behind. Leinamo exists 9th, 2:26s behind, followed by Talihaerm (the Estonians are the 2nd best shots of the day, just 3 extra - but very slow on skis; Italian are best with 2). Belgian De Maeyer is at 11th.

Simon gains a lot in the 2nd lap: Tandervold and Oberg are 40s behind. Voigt, Hauser and Jakiela are fighting for two flower spots, while Carrara is safely 4th in the meantime. They gain some of it back by the entrance to the range, but are still over 30s behind.

Simon now has the chance to bring the 2nd gold of the day to France: she hits 1st, 2nd, misses 3rd, misses 4th, and hits 5. She still has plenty of time, but misses the first extra and needs to clean the two she missed - BUT SHE'S ON THE PENALTY!

Sweden and Norway haven't started shooting yet, so if they are clean - they have a chnace for the first. Elvira shoots extremely fast and is OUT TO FIRST, while Ingrid misses once and needs 7/5. Dramatic Jean Paul (FRA shooting coach) shots in the background... Carrara misses once, Charvatova is in the penalty loop twice.

Simon and Oberg have less than a second of differene and Ingrid is 20s behind. Elvira is running ahead in the first spot, followed by Simon in the slipstream. Ingrid seems to be completely relaxing, she's losing seconds each time, but Carrara is so far behind and Simon-Oberg so far ahead there's no point in chasing (unless she's Soerum...).

Elvira and Julia both seem to be suffering on the wall - Julia falls behind with what seems to a cramp (she looks in horrible pain), giving Tandervold a precious chance - but she's far behind and didn't expect the sudden change of events, and the Swedes are going to win another gold to close this week's relays!

Simon finishes 2nd, in so much pain. Tandervold finishes just behind her, 36s behind Oberg. Julia is on tears in the finish line and the team help her get her skis off. Julia still on the ground a couple of minutes after her finish. Carrara finishes 4th, the Italians with stunning shooting (3 misses) and horrible ski speed.

Austria finish 5th, 2:20min behind. Finnish Leinamo tries to overtake Voigt for the 7th place but doesn't manage (but it's very close! very impressive considering it's Voigt she's fighting against).

Some Statistics

Course time:

1. France - despite Julia's last lap, the French were the fastest today.
2. Sweden - 15s behind.
3. Norway - 24s behind.

Shooting time:

1. Italy - Far ahead of everyone else, with 4:08m.
2. Sweden - 4:26.
3. Ukraine - 4:31.

Best shooting:

1. Italy - +0/+3.
2. Estonia - +0/+5.
3. Belgium, Austria - +0/+7.

Fastest leg times:

• Leg 1 - Lou Jeanmonnot (18:54), Jessica Jislova (+16.5), Anna Magnusson (+17.1), Rejina Ermits (+17.2), Juni Arnekleiv (+24.2).
• Leg 2 - Marketa Davidova (19:23), Dorothea Wierer (+0.4), Venla Lehtonen (+12.9), Justine Braisaz-Buochet (+15.9), Karoline Knotten (+33.6).
• Leg 3 - Hanna Oberg (19:29), Maren Kirkeeide (+3.6), Hanna Auchentaller (+11s), Sophie Chauveau (+17.1), Susan Kuelm (+37.6).
• Leg 4 - Elvira Oberg (18:16), Ingrid Tandrevold (+39.8), Lisa Theresa Hauser (+58.7), Julia Simon (+1:01m), Joanna Jakiela (+1:11m).

Fastest lap of the day is Lap 1 by Juni Arnekleiv (6:01.8), followed by Lap 6 by JBB (6:02.1); excluding Lap 12 by Elvira Oberg (5:23.8).

First-time medalists: Sara Andersson (Gold; SWE), Maren Kirkeeide (Bronze; NOR).

Any surprises regarding the new suits for this season? Which is your favourite? Any you don't like?

I am happy that the French and Norwegians are easy to tell apart, but would have wanted more yellow from Sweden

EurovisionSport Replay: https://eurovisionsport.com/mediacard/EVS_241201_20241130IBUKontiolahti_6

The 2024/25 season's 3rd race of the year is the Men's Relay. Going into the race, Norway are the team to beat. The Norwegian men have won the last 12 regular tour Men's Relay events. You need to go back to January 2022 in Ruhpolding, where the team of Andersen, Aspenes, Dale, and Bjoentegaard took 7th to find a different winner (Russia).

Lineup changes: Strømsheim is preferred over Christiansen, who took part in the Single Mixed yesterday. Germany brings in Zobel and Horn in lieu of the retired Doll and Strelow who also took part in the Single Mixed. Italy and France bring their standard teams; Sweden does as well, and it's the defending World Championship team.

Leg 1

After the second turn, Norway (Lægreid) skis to the front. Team USA (Wright) skis up from bib 12 to the leaders. Shoot 1: Norway, Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia are some of the first to shoot clean. 17 of 22 teams end up shooting 0+0 or 0+1 and all leave within 15 seconds. Only Estonia (Zahkna) end up on the penalty lap. Norway and France (F. Claude) ski a bit away this lap, taking about an 8 second lead. Shoot 2: France and Norway shoot almost evenly and are both out clear 10/10. Germany, USA, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Finland get out fast and clean this time. Czechia (Hornig) near the front shoots 0+2 to fall back to 16th. Italy misses 1 and Sweden 2, they both end up about 25-30 seconds back from Norway and France. No penalty laps.

In the final lap, France pushes the pace up front to get away from Norway. Claude gains about 8-12 seconds on a lot of the field between the final timecheck and the exchange. Positive legs from Stalder 0+1 and Dovzan 0+1 who keep Switzerland and Slovenia in the top 5. Germany (Zobel) at 0+0 is in 6th.

Leg 2

Not much change in lap 1, France (Fillon Maillet) and Norway (T. Bø) maybe just gaining a few seconds coming into the shoot. On Shoot 3: France are 5/5 again, but Norway pauses at shot 2, it's a hit, but shot 3 isn't. He still gets out before any other teams have a chance to shoot. The clean shooting in the chasing pack starts to falter as only Austria and Germany clear. Slovenia, Sweden, USA, and Switzerland all get out using some spares. Ukraine and Italy gain a few spots further back. All those teams are within 1 minute. Lithuania (Strolia) and Bulgaria (Iliev) find themselves on the penalty loop. On lap 2, France starts with a lead of over 20 seconds on Norway; Germany (Kuehn) and USA (Germain) take turns leading the back of 3rd-10th in the 40-50 second range. Norway looks a little quicker up the hill but no big changes at the timechecks. Shoot 4: For the first time we have a solo shooter as France as a big enough lead. Fillon Maillet shoots in 20.2 seconds to make it 20/20 and is away before Norway skis onto the mat. Bø is also clean and away before 3rd place is in. Not to be outdone, Italy (Giacomel) shoots in 17 seconds and gets away in 3rd. Austria and Slovenia are both out 5/5 and under 1 minute back. Switzerland (Burkhalter) takes a long time before shooting, it ends up being 0+3 and they've lost almost a full minute in the range. USA, Ukraine, Germany, and Sweden get out with some spares, while Belgium and Czechia shoot clean. Kazakhstan (Dyussenov) is on the penalty lap. On the final lap, we start to see Italy on some of the long range camera angles of 2nd place Norway.

Leg 3

We're generally watching: France, Norway, Italy, and then a pack in 4th-9th of Germany, Sweden, USA, Austria, and Ukraine); and again not much shuffling around. Norway (Strømsheim) and Italy (Bionaz) don't make up any ground on France (Perrot). But Germany (Nawrath) and Sweden (Ponsiluoma) disconnect from USA, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Shoot 5: France are in and out for the 5th time today; Norway comes in after and matches. Both are out before their chasers. Italy shoots first but starts with 2 misses. That allows Germany who shoots clean to get away in a clear third position. Ukraine and Slovenia are also 5/5 and out, followed shortly by Sweden and Austria who needed spares. Italy is unable to resolve their misses and end up on the penalty loop, coming out +1.38 in 10th. Further back, Latvia (Patrijuks) and Canada (Gilfillan) each have 2 penalty loops too.

Sweden skis ahead, Ponsiluoma looks better than yesterday here. He gets away from Ukraine, Slovenia, Austria, USA, Finland, and Italy. (Note Finland caught up with a nice 5/5 from Seppala to reconnect to this main chasers). Shoot 6: France completes a third perfect leg 30/30, Norway comes in and tries to match but misses on the last shot, clears it with one spare. Germany in third misses the 4th, misses it, misses it again, and clears on the final bullet. Sweden came in behind them though and shot 5/5 so that they leave together. Starting to drift back now: Austria and Finland shoot clear and get some great cheers from the home crowd. Ukraine with spares is somewhat close. USA, Italy, and Slovenia all have multiple misses and find themselves 2 minutes back. Further down the roster (Lithuania (Dombrovski) and Estonia (Siimer) have loops. Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, and Canada get lapped.

On the final loop, 1/3 of the way up the hill, it's a slight stumble from Strømsheim, maybe costs him about 5 seconds and loses momentum up the hill. Ponsiluoma wants to pass and get away from Nawrath. He skis well ahead and catches Strømsheim by the exchange. Great leg from Seppala, moving up 6 spots.

Leg 4

France (Jacquelin) with nearly a minute lead - everyone else has shot 0+0 can he do it too? Norway (J.T. Bø) and Sweden (Samuelsson) are neck and neck. Germany (Horn) all alone with Ukraine (Mandzyn) and Finland (Invenius), sometimes with a few others in a couple camera shots. Sweden steps ahead of Norway on the first lap. Shoot 7: Jacquelin continues the French success to go 35/35, what an exciting and pressure filled opportunity he has to set a record on his final shoot! Sweden and Norway hit the mats together. Sweden hits first and gets about 2 bullets ahead of Norway. Sweden shoots clear and Norway misses the third, but clears it with 1 spare. Germany uses a spare too but is out with enough time. Advantage Ukraine who shoots clear over FInland who uses a spare. USA gets some space from Austria. Later, Bulgaria (Todev) on the penalty loop.

On the penultimate lap, Norway closes the gap to Sweden, gets half by the first timecheck and the other half climbing the hill. Samuelsson offers Bø to pass but he politely declines.

Final shoot: France hit 2 before getting their first miss on shot 3. Jacquelin comes back to clear it up but misses again - he survives though, cleaning up with his second spare. France ends the day 0+2 with a clear lead out of the range. The race for 2nd is on though with Sweden and Norway. Samuelsson strikes first again, but Bø has a better pace and gets ahead, Samuelsson misses on shot 4 while Bø clears and that settles the podium. Germany comes in and butchers the final shoot, finding themselves on the loop, but escape with time in 4th. Ukraine leads Finland coming into shoot 8, but Mandzyn strulggles like Horn and ends up on the penalty loop to give Finland a very respectable 5th. Later Belgium (Mackels) is the last to hit the loop today. Bulgaria and Slovakia are the final teams to get lapped.

No real drama in the final loop with everyone spaced out pretty well - Jacquelin gives a final look back before the final turn - no one in sight.

Some Notes/Observations - What did you all find interesting in this race today?

• You might not believe me, but I write the little preview part before the race so that I'm sharing my thoughts as I felt going into it. Was very surprised to see Norway upset in this race especially after the last leg of the Mixed Relay yesterday.
• I was pretty impressed by team USA today, especially Germain who shot 0+4 but kept the team in 5th.
• Several noted that France appeared to get the skis right today, Claude was able to get away from Lægreid fairly easily and they were able to keep and extend their lead throughout most of the race.
• Quite a few teams getting lapped today - 7
• If you didn't hear, they added bonus prize money to the individual with the 'best leg' of each relay. That means Claude, Giacomel, Ponsiluoma, and J.T. Bø claim that this week.
• Czechs - what's going on? similar shooting to Switzerland/Austria but 1:40 back on them?

Starting time: 17:25 CET

Start list: here

Datacenter here

Official international stream: here

Last season the Women Relay Cup was won by Norway.

Starting time: 13:45 CET

Start list: here

Datacenter here

Official international stream: here

Last season the Men Relay Cup was won by Norway.

I love Nordic Combined.

Cross Country has been ruined for me, by biathlon. It feels empty without the shooting somehow.

I also follow Alpine Skiing and a lot of the speed skating.

What does everyone else watch?

Hey everyone! Its its awesome that we can watch live on the Eurovision app for all the races. However, I missed the Mixed Relay today. Is anyone aware of any youtube channels or websites that I can watch full race replays, not the silly little snapshots Biathlon World posts on YT.

Thanks!

EDIT:
Go to the Eurovision app or website, you must be signed in so you can watch replays! Cheers everyone

Finally, biathlon is here! And while the results might not appear very surprising or exciting on the paper, the second race of the season did offer some fun and drama. The weather was winter-y compared to the earlier race - it was mostly snowing, heavily or less so and the wind changed couple times during the race.

(also, I must apologize if this write up ends up being a bit of a mess, I'm not feeling 100%)

On podium:

>! Norway France Sweden !<

LEG 1

The field mostly stayed together until the first shooting. After clean prone, five of the strongest teams - Norway, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden, took the top 4 spots with a small gap on the rest and for a bit it seemed like they were going to pull away early. The second wave of athletes lead by Jessica Jislova (CZE) and Susan Kuelm (EST) however soon caught up, closely followed by others. Dorothea Wierer followed by Karoline Knotten were the first ones to clean the standing and left the range together. Doro managed to ski with Karoline until the very end and they made it to the exchange together. It was a very impressive return to form from the Italian veteran whose supposed lack of preparation made some doubt her before the race. Lou Jeanmonnot and Anna Magnusson stuck together and handed over as third and fourth circa fifteen seconds behind, followed by Jessica Jislova, Venla Lehtonen, Susan Kuelm and Johanna Puff who lost within 30 seconds on the leaders. Latvia, Slovenia, Romania and USA, on the other hand, were faced with a disaster as these teams were stuck with early penalty loops and were now fighting against the time to avoid being looped.

LEG 2

While Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold was fast enough to stay at the top, Italy's Hannah Auchentaller failed to keep up with her and fell behind shortly. She got caught by Elvira Oeberg who looked as fast as ever and Justine Braisaz Bouchet, who was trying to keep up with Elvira but did not look as sharp as she usually does. Behind them, Marketa Davidova got caught by Franziska Preuss and the two skied together, losing a little bit of time on Ingrid. and gaining on the Italian youngster. The prone posed no problem for Ingrid or JBB, while Elvira struggled a little bit which proved to be nothing she cannot erase on the track. It was the second standing shooting that proved to be one of the most crucial moments of the relay - Elvira shot clean while Ingrid and JBB needed one reload each. Ingrid managed to keep a small distance between herself and Elvira, while JBB uncharacteristically struggled and fell behind before the exchange. Behind them, Franzi Preuss managed to shoot clean and pass young Hannah but she also lost some time on the track. Still, she handed over 15 seconds behind France, keeping some hopes for the German team alive. Hannah also shot clean, but unfortunately the Italian couldn't quite keep up when it came to speed. Marketa Davidova like Lena Haecki-Gross had to pay a visit to the penalty loop which meant the end of dreams about a top 6 finish for the underdog teams of Czechia and Switzerland.

First teams got lapped - USA and Latvia after a disastrous range performance and Kazakhstan, Romania, Moldova and Korea mostly due to uncompetitive ski speed.

LEG 3

Then the men took over - Jesper Nelin for Sweden before Johannes Dale-Skjevdal for Norway and Eric Perrot for France some 35 seconds later. While it was obvious that Dale has the upper hand on the skis, Nelin edged him out on the shooting range and the Swede arrived to the exchange first, some 15 seconds before the Norwegian. Eric Perrot put up a decent performance and kept France in the game, although it appears he didn't quite have it on the skis today like his colleague JBB. Danillo Riethmueller looked good to start the relay, Germany's chances were however squashed when the wind picked up during his standing - something the young german couldn't quite deal with and he had to go on a penalty loop. Didier Bionaz was dealt with the same fate and the two handed over as 4th and 5th but with a significant time delay.

More teams got lapped during this time, namely Slovenia and Estonia.

LEG 4

Soerum and Ponsiluoma were making each other company for most of the race as the Norwegian caught up with the Swede who didn't give what one calls a fresh impression today. Both lost significant amount of time on prone, allowing Emilien Jacquelin who went all out on the tracks to catch up and even get ahead of them. While experience played with the nerves of the spectators, Jacquelin fearlessly steamed ahead to the standing shoot, pulling away from his two closest followers. It turned out that this time he knew what he was doing as he only needed one reload to leave the range with an 8 second lead on Ponsilouma and 15 second lead on Soerum. He pulled almost a heroic act to get France a victory... Or so it looked like until in the last meters of the race, a wild Soerum appeared to take over the gassed Frenchman to grant Norway their first win of the season.

There was a debate whether Canada was lapped or not and while it appeared they were, turns out the organizers let them finish according to the data center.

Germany and Italy arrived close to each other about 2 and half minutes after the first duo crossed the finish line before Ukraine who finalized the top 6 about a minute later. Finland, Czechia and Poland battled it out for the following three positions in the standings and the top 10 was closed by Belgium.

Some nice individual performances amongst those in the teams that finished lower in the standings were Susan Kuelm (EST), Maya Cloetens (BEL) and Niklas Hartweg (SUI). Dorothea Wierer, Elvira Oeberg, Jesper Nelin and both Jacquelin and Soerum stood out during their respective legs.

THE FINAL TOP 6

1. NORWAY 0+10
2. FRANCE +0.8 0+4
3. SWEDEN +21.5 0+7
4. GERMANY +2:38.4 1+9
5. ITALY +2:43.4 1+8
6. UKRAINE +3:38.9 0+6

Best shooting team: France
Fastest team: Norway

There was also some controversy about the ski speed of team France who mostly underperformed today compared to last season (except for Jacquelin). What do you think it is?

And who impressed you the most?

Hi all - quick question. I’m in the US and watching the first races - are we no longer having the UK broadcasters like we did last year?

Additionally are other people now getting ads? I don’t remember having ads in the races last year.

Thank you!

The first race of the season. Single Mix Relay - In this race, the women go first and third and the men go second and fourth.

Leg 1
Right from the start, Ella Halvarsson burst out ahead, leading the pack in an unexpected move from the newcomer. At the shooting range, Julia Simon continued to live up to her nickname 'Machine Gun Simon,' delivering a flawless performance that reminded everyone she's a force to be reckoned with. A stellar first leg for Austria saw Hauser holding strong, trailing Simon by only 14 seconds. Finland claimed third place, igniting cheers from the delighted home crowd. A slightly disappointing start from the Norweigans, 35 seconds behind in 11th place after 5 misses in total.

Leg 2

In Leg 2, Quentin Fillon Maillet comfortably maintained the lead with impressive precision in prone shooting. Meanwhile, Samuelsson closed the gap during the lap, showcasing his strength on the course. Germany's steady performer, Strelow, delivered a remarkable effort, propelling the team from 12th in the first exchange to 5th by the second. The German athlete appears to have significantly improved his ski speed this season. Austria comfortably maintaining the 3rd position with clean shooting from Eder.

Leg 3

Ella Halvarsson chased down Simon on the lap, staying just behind as they approached Shooting 5. With flawless precision in prone shooting, Halvarsson left the range ahead of Simon. France and Sweden pulling further ahead of the rest of the field. Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, in a fierce battle for the third spot. Meanwhile, Arnekliev faced challenges in prone and endured a nightmare in standing, including a costly penalty loop, effectively eliminating Norway from contention for the podium. Shooting 6 saw Slovakia become the first team to be lapped. Julia Simon demonstrated her experience and composure, leading at Exchange 3 with a 9-second advantage over Sweden.

Leg 4

Quentin Fillon Maillet successfully held Samuelsson at bay on the lap, but a few costly misses in prone allowed Samuelsson to close the gap heading into Shooting 8. Behind them, Strelow overtook Eder on the lap, and with flawless shooting, he inched closer to the leaders, keeping the pressure on. QFM faltered in standing, struggling at the range. Meanwhile, Samuelsson, showing remarkable composure, took control of the lead comfortably after shooting clean. Having to use all his spare rounds, QFM found himself trailing behind Strelow as they exited the range after the final shots were fired. Austria leaving the range in 4th, having used only one spare round throughout the race, but their ski speed was not quite enough to match the leaders. Meanwhile, Christiansen staged a comeback for Norway with an impressive standing shoot, making up substantial ground on the final lap to finish ahead of Slovenia.

Top 6 Result

Final results: [Link]

Starting time: 15:45 CET

Start list: here

Datacenter here

Official streaming here

Last year the Mixed Relay Cup was won by Norway.

Starting time: 13:15 CET

Start list: here

Datacenter here

Official streaming here

Last year the Mixed Relay Cup was won by Norway.

Hello everyone, I think we all know the big stories but I was wondering if you all had some stories about an athlete having a great race out of seemingly nowhere.

With the new season starting tomorrow, I was trying to come up with a few drinking game prompts to play while watching the race. Would appreciate your suggestions.

A few I came up with -

1. Simon Eder's perfect shoot
2. Commentators mention Benny Doll's sking style. (just realised Benny retired last season, still can't come to terms with his absence)
3. Commentators mention Lukas Hofer's rifle technique.
4. Julia Simon perfect shoot in sub 20.
5. Lampic has the fastest ski time.
6. Vetle does something iconic on the final shoot of the relay.
7. JTB is the first to cross the finish line despite starting 8 position down in a sprint.
8. Jacquelin/ Lucie collapse after doing well in the initial shoots.

Additions

1. Patrick Winterton mentions that Hanna Oeberg is the partner of Martin Ponsiluoma (2 swigs if they incorrectly mention Sebbe is dating Hanna) - u/TolBrandir & u/jxroos
2. Ponsilouma goes too hard in the initial laps and misses 4 targets - u/Atalanta035
3. Lisa Vittozzi's prone shoot difficulties - u/RickMaritimo
4. Jacquelin puts his rifle in full auto and misses at least 3 - u/eatthedocuments
5. Vetle crossing the finish line with a big string of drool hanging off his chin. - u/eatthedocuments
6. Commentators mention Sebastian Samuelsson has become a father. - u/carefree_dog

My father and I have done this for multiple years now. We are German, so we used the ARD Tippspiel for casting our predictions for the races and the season as a whole while that was running but that was shut down a few years ago. Keep in mind, we don't try and bet with money. Just friendly competition between us and being able to compare our scores with others.

We have been using the LaVita website to do so but the interface is kind of dreadful. And the old man who struggles with names (their A-Z listings for athletes doesn't help) sometimes and them changing their system every year kind of annoys him.

Can anybody recommend a website or app for something like this? Help would be appreciated

Hi all you lovely biathlon fans! Are you ready for another season? Seems like it's been forever. Which might also be why I am a bit late with this post 🙈

Who is up for recapping some races!

Sorry for the formatting this is done on my phone.

Races:

Nov 30 Single mix relay - u/LaMoncakes

Nov 30 Mixed relay - u/Muflonlesni

Dec 1 Men relay - u/tomplaystennis

Dec 1 Women relay - u/cyaflower

Dec 3 Men short individual - u/musterteppich

Dec 4 Women short individual - u/us_against_the_world

Dec 6 Men sprint - u/cyaflower

Dec 7 Women sprint - u/kune13

Dec 8 Men mass start - u/Muflonlesni

Dec 8 Women mass start

Here's mine for the moment :

https://preview.redd.it/ov03aogg4o3e1.png?width=2252&format=png&auto=webp&s=811d5a93ca4861bc9f5018c6c56f01c3ff18f2e5

I’m travelling to Scandinavia from the UK for a couple of weeks next February and I’d like to give Biathlon a go.

I have done a small amount of skiing previously, but never cross country skiing. I really want to give it a go however. I think I should be fit enough as I compete at a reasonably high level in both running an cycling. As I would like to give it a go, I have a few questions I hoped you guys could help answer:

1. How much practice would I need to do before I can take part in a race? I really just want to do it for fun and for a bit of challenge and I don’t care too much if I’m right towards the back.

2. Where would I find some smaller, beginner friendly races in Sweden or Norway? I’ve tried googling but had no luck thus far.

3. Would it be possible to borrow some equipment from clubs as I don’t have any gear of my own.

Thank you.

the IBU Cup season officially began

atm the men 10km sprint event is going on. you can follow the results on https://www.biathlonresults.com/#/start

woman start in 3 1/2h from now

Does anyone know where I can find official IBU merch? I have been looking online but haven't had any luck.

Source: https://www.svt.se/sport/skidskytte/skidskytten-linn-gestblom-ger-upp-sasongen

Linn has suffered setbacks in the rehab training following her shoulder surgery in February. Thus she elects to not stress her return to competitive form and instead focus solely on rehab.

The surgery performed this February was the second on her shoulder in less than a year.

The competition will not be broadcasted this season, such a shame 🥺

https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/womens-2024-season-preview/daRi0yUR1dgDNtgV6hcwT

The second look into the 2024 Crystal Biathlon Ball revealed not just a single face as with the men; five women’s faces appeared simultaneously out of the fog, suggesting a four-way women’s battle for supremacy.

After the final competition last March, Lisa Vittozzi held the massive World Cup Total Score Crystal Globe, seizing the Yellow Bib 24 hours earlier from Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold. Almost written off after her career-low 31st in 2021/22, Vittozzi’s achievement was like a fairy tale. Yet, as the new season opens, four women: Lou Jeanmonnot, Tandrevold, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, and Julia Simon are in a better position to take the title than Vittozzi who will miss Kontiolahti.

Vittozzi’s Injury Changes her Season

Defending Champion Vittozzi held the upper hand after her outstanding 2023/24 season, but that changed when an ailing back put her out of the first three individual competitions. With every competition counting towards the Total Score, Vittozzi’s chance of retaining is out the door. Her motto of “If you want something, you have to put in all you have to pursue your dreams,” will now be put to the ultimate test. Still, after a career-best 92% on the range, an IBU WCH title plus three additional medals, and six wins in the season, she could still be a player, but not for the top spot. The door to the big Crystal Globe is now open to her rivals.

Watch Jeanmonnot

Jeanmonnot’s steady ascent puts the 26-year-old among the top contenders, going from 2021/22 IBU Cup Total Score to 11th in her first full World Cup season, and second last year. The new French star grabbed twelve podiums including four wins. Her slight stumbles, 13th and 15th in Hochfilzen, were likely the difference makers at season’s end. Jeanmonnot matched Vittozzi’s 92% on the range, winning the Mass Start Score. It will be tough convincing Jeanmonnot she cannot win the Total Score in 2024/25.

Tandrevold learned “from a painful experience”

Tandrevold’s 2023/24 season was the best of her career. Although leading the Total Score race until mid-March, the Norwegian was up and down, especially in late season, but was pleased with her season, “…I had a lot of good races and progressed enormously.” On losing the Total Score title, “You learn more from a painful experience, like losing the Total Score in the last week of the season, than from a good experience.” Tandrevold obviously learned the lesson well, dominating the Sjusjoen Season Opener, with a Sprint/Mass Start double, shooting well both days. A furious last loop and photo-finish in the second competition assured Tandrevold, “I feel I am where I need to be physically.” After her fast start and renewed confidence, the always-looking-at-the bright-side Norwegian can now visualize herself with the Yellow Bib on the last day of the season.

World Champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet

Braisaz-Bouchet returned from a maternity break with a vengeance, equaling Vittozzi’s six wins, shooting at a career high and matching her Olympic Mass Start Gold medal with the IBU World Championships title. Like Jeanmonnot and Tandrevold, a couple of early season competitions were the difference between first and fourth. In the recent French Selections, she finished 24 seconds behind Simon, but with three penalties to Simon’s one. Braisaz-Bouchet needs to jump from her 82% to 85% + shooting to win the Total Score.

Simon’s Big Wins

Simon’s 97-point deficit from Vittozzi, seems like a big gap, but just a blip here and there kept the IBU Sprint/Pursuit World Champion from her second Total Score title. Her two-point drop in shooting and sometimes slow cadence reemphasizes the small gap between her and the ultimate prize. The 28-year-old was on a hot streak all summer, taking titles at Blink, the Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival, and retaining her French Summer Pursuit title in mid-October. She recently won the mass start at the French Selections in Bessans over Jeanmonnot and Braisaz-Bouchet. Simon seems ready, admitting, “The preparation is long, and I am ready to put on a bib, even though I usually start the season slowly. I am glad we start with relays!” It would be no surprise to see Simon and Tandrevold duke it out for Yellow all season.

Beyond these five, are several contenders who have been near or battled for the Total Score title in recent seasons.

Lena, Franzi and the Oebergs

Lena Haecki-Gross, last year’s revelation, toiled for years with a single podium on her resume, the Swiss veteran broke through with two victories and three additional podiums. Her success was buoyed by accurate, fast shooting times. This and her track power built a winning formula, confirmed with two victories at the recent Swiss Selections competitions.

Franziska Preuss started last season with two early podiums, a career high on the range, and a cup of coffee in the Yellow Bib. She stopped her season after the IBU WCH to focus on health issues. A determined comeback culminated with a German Summer Champs short individual win. Preuss’ shooting and health will dictate her success.

The Oeberg sisters have both been tantalizingly close to the big Crystal Globe (Hanna 4th three times, Elvira 2nd in 2021/22). After two individual 2023 IBU WCH Gold medals, Hanna fell to a single podium last season. A team sprint race recently shows her readiness for a big season. Younger sister Elvira finished 7th in the 2023/24 Total Score, had a win, and three additional podiums, but dropped five points on the range. Elvira, one of the fastest women on skis, recently buried the sprint field at the Idre Season Opener; a return to the high 80s on the range is the key to her season.

Although the overall field is not as deep as the men, the Crystal Ball foresees an even more competitive season than last year. Stay tuned...

Is there anywhere good online to buy biathlon merch ? shipping to UK/Ireland. Would rather get something good than redbubble crap (although this shirt made me laugh)

https://www.biathlonworld.com/news/expert-roundtable-2024-biathlon/1HtUvHuahSaGp8p9nnSU7S

When you pose questions to a Eurosport commentator, a multi-World Cup Total Score winner, two Olympic Gold medalists and a two-time IBU WCH medalist, it is no surprise no one agreed if JT Boe would retain his World Cup Total Score title and which women would battle for the title.

Our Experts:

Mona Brorsson: winner of Olympic Gold and Silver Relay medals, SVT Sport commentator

Weronika Nowakowska, IBU WCH Silver and Bronze medalist, TVP biathlon expert studio host

Kaisa Makarainen, 3-time IBU World Cup Total Score winner, YLE biathlon studio host

Dario Puppo, 26th year: Italian Eurosport Commentator for biathlon and multiple sports

Denise Herrmann-Wick, Olympic and IBU WCH Gold medalist

The Questions

Do you expect Lisa Vittozzi to win the World Cup Total Score again? (most answers submitted before Vittozzi announced her withdrawal for Kontiolahti)

MB: I expect it to be a great fight and see many contenders. But I think Ingrid learned a lot from last season and will come out on top.

WN: I think Vittozzi is one of the favourites for the big Crystal Globe, but Simon, Braisaz-Bouchet and Jeanmonnot will fight equally bravely.

KM: For sure, Vittozzi will be one of the names everyone including me will be watching. If she keeps last season’s level, she will be very difficult to beat. Like last season, the French are very strong; they are the biggest threats to her. We will only know about the Total Score after Christmas. The beginning of the season can bring very different results.

DP: I am very confident Lisa Vittozzi will position herself to compete for the Total Score again (t is also clear that the French athletes will aim to peak in form for their home stage, which closes the first trimester.

DH: I think Lisa will be very strong but expect a French girl to take the Total Score.

Top 3

DH: Julia Simon, Lou Jeanmonnot

DP: Simon, Tandrevold, Vittozzi

MB: Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Jeanmonnot, Elvira Oeberg

KM: Vittozzi, French girls, Tandrevold

WN: Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Vittozzi, Jeanmonnot

Hi,

I have been trying to get tickets for the weekend events in Annecy-LGB but it seems just imposible.

Any suggestion?

Our weekly small talk thread where you can talk about anything

Hi,

I'd like to buy tickets for March 2025 and see race live for the first time, but there are two grandstands: main and south. Is one better or worse than the other?

Best regards

It may not be 100% accurate, but it tried to make it accurate, its should be pretty accurate, and i have nothing better to do today, so here is the countries ranked after the amount of individual wins each country have. This is the third post of this type i make, and it will be the last one.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Germany-188 wins

Norway-149 wins

Sweden-89 wins

France-67 wins

Russia-61 wins

Belarus-43 wins

Finland-33 wins

Italy-29 wins

Ukraine-26 wins

Czechia-24 wins

Slovakia-21 wins

Soviet Union-18 wins

Bulgaria-15 wins

Czechoslovakia-6 wins

Austria-5 wins

Commonwealth of Independent States-5 wins

Switzerland-4 wins

Slovenia-3 wins

West Germany-2 wins

Canada-2 wins

China-2 wins

Poland-2 wins

United States-1 win

Romania-1 win

I am wondering if there are any good resources for explaining the different skiing techniques used in biathlon and when/how they should be applied in a race. I imagine I would have a much better appreciation for the sport if I could more easily recognize when an athlete is deviating from the norm on certain parts of the track.