Sport
On November 30, the first race of the new biathlon season will take place, the stage in Östersund opens an extensive program of competitions. For four months, the best athletes will go to the start to compete for individual awards and medals. But the main goals of any biathlete are World Cup and World Championship victories.
Content
- Season schedule
- Male category
- Norway
- France
- Germany
- Russia
- Female category
- Norway
- Germany
- Russia
- Italy
- conclusions
Season schedule
- Ostersund – from November 30 to December 8;
- Hochfilzen – from 13 to 15 December;
- Annecy – from 19 to 22 December;
- Oberhof – from 9 to 12 January;
- Ruhpolding – from 15 to 19 January;
- Pokljuka – from 23 to 26 January;
- Antholz – from 12 to 23 February;
- Nove Mesto – from 5 to 8 March;
- Holmenkollen – March 20-22.
Antholz is highlighted in the list of stages, because Biathlon World Championship 2020 will be held there
Who should you pay close attention to during the season, who will be in the leading roles at each of the stages, what new stars can shine in the biathlon sky? Let's figure it out.
Male category
In the men's category, the last World Cup was too expected, sensations were extremely rare, so the upcoming season promises to be very interesting from this point of view.
Norway
The leader of last year's Nations Cup standings, therefore, in the coming season, he will definitely act as the favorite of the team category.
Last season, the team had a “starry time”, the biathletes acted almost flawlessly, steadily scoring points. Particularly prominent were the Beo brothers, who have traditionally looked powerful over the past years. In the individual races, Birkeland performed powerfully and is a strong relay fighter. In the mass starts, Christiansen looked great, he is gradually becoming a key athlete for the national team.
The main attention should be paid to Johannes Thinness Boe – last season the biathlete simply did not know equals, he became the winner of the race 16 times, if you do not take into account the relay.
In relay races, it is imperative to be as careful as possible, to analyze the composition of the team members before the start. The fact is that last season Norway had three victories in five races. However, Johannes Boe played a big role in this, who will miss the first three stages in the upcoming World Cup. The national team doesn't look so convincing without him.
France
Last season, the team performed confidently, but the outcome of the Nations Cup was a foregone conclusion, some members of the national team failed the rally, so they intend to improve in the new one.
Last season, Martin Fourcade had big problems, during each stage he more often participated in various scandals and showdowns than confidently performed on the track. In such conditions, Simon Detier, who became the leader of the national team, showed himself very well. Simon Fourcade ended his career, but a young growth of athletes is already ready to replace him.
You should carefully watch the performance of Kenten Fillon Maillet, last season the biathlete for the first time in his career won the mass start in Antwerp.
Due to the failure of Fourcade, the relay races last season were not so successful, but now the squad looks more confident, the biathletes have gained experience, they are ready to show their best side. Everything will become clear in the first stages, when Martin shows the level of readiness for the World Cup.
Germany
Last year, Michael Rösch left the team, but the team still showed itself great, climbed to third place in the overall standings. This was helped by the fact that another veteran remained in the ranks – Arnd Peiffer.
Peiffer not only remained in the ranks, but also won a gold medal for Germany. This season, the biathlete is unlikely to be able to show himself brightly, he is aged, so he must aim for several podiums, but it will be extremely difficult to win the stage. In such a situation, it will be great to get support from Eric Lesser and Benedict Doll, who also have tremendous experience.
Attention should be paid to the golden German youth – last season, two biathletes at once climbed the podium for the first time in their careers. Johannes Kühn became the silver medalist in the individual race in Pokljuka, Roman Res completed the sprint race in Salt Lake City with bronze.
Last season, Germany took two silver medals in the relay races, but now the young biathletes had to get stronger. There are minor shooting problems, but the coaching staff had to work through this problem. This year the national team should appear in a new look, ambitious athletes have a good opportunity to declare themselves.
Russia
Last season, the national team showed itself very well, first of all, this is the great merit of Loginov. There is a suspicion that this year he will have to fight almost alone.
For several seasons in a row, Loginov is the leader of the team, and the rest of the biathletes are still extras. But gradually they are approaching the top ten, sometimes a few seconds are missing, sometimes an extra slip decides everything. But in the first three stages, you can take a risk and make several bets on Loginov. Boe will miss the race, and in his absence, few can interfere with Russia's main biathlon hope.
But in relay races, Russia must not be forgotten, since the national team pulls out its gold on the basis of moral strong-willed qualities in almost every season. Last season, Oberhof was lucky, and then he managed to add two bronze sets of awards to this achievement.
The rest of the teams, who are worth paying attention to – in the past season, many teams shot in different plans, now young and ambitious biathletes will try to confirm that past successes were not an accident.
Last season, the Austrians showed themselves great – Simon Eder and Julian Eberhard entered the final ten of the world men's ranking. In addition, the Swedish national team showed themselves brightly, they did not achieve much success, but Ponsiluoma and Samuelsson were on the podium for the first time in their careers.
Do not forget about the Ukrainian national team, as new names have begun to appear that loudly declare themselves. Last season, Pidruchny won the first victory, he won the pursuit in Östersund. And of course, do not forget about the Italian national team, last year Windisch won in one of the races, and now the planet's home championship awaits.
Female category
In the women's category it was more interesting than in the men's category, since more often biathletes presented unexpected results. But this season, the fight promises to be more fierce. In addition, some athletes have changed their “registration”, will play for new teams.
Norway
It may seem surprising, but the national team won the Nations Cup not only in the men's but also in the women's category. And the relay races played an important role in this.
In individual races, Ingrid Tannrevold looked very strong, she twice reached silver medals, and at other starts she looked very cool, was in the top ten. But Martha Olsbu-Roiseland proved to be even better. She reached the gold medals three times, and acted as the leader of the women's team throughout the season.
Tannrevold was on the podium for the first time in her career, so she gained confidence in her own abilities. This season, she can reveal herself even brighter.
In the relay races, they also managed to prove themselves great, the team took one gold and two silver awards. It is very cool to go through the shooting, but not all athletes can keep the distance on the move. You need to understand that physical form is a profitable business, therefore, the Norwegian national team will definitely be the favorite in the relay races.
Germany
The national team did not have enough last season to catch the first line. In this rally, she got stronger, the athletes are ready to fight for the podium in every race.
Last year, several athletes at once took over the leadership role. And it's even great, the competition influenced the results. Herrmann won the gold medal twice, Dahlmeier and Preuss each won the gold medal. The coaching staff prepared real warriors, they shoot perfectly and run at a decent level. After the end of Dahlmeier's career, the national team has someone to rely on.
Franziska Preuss won the mass start at the home stage in Ruhpolding, due to which she got stronger morally. Be sure to follow the biathlete.
Another strong team in terms of relay success, since there are several biathletes in leading roles at once, each trying to prove its worth, to emphasize its status. Last season, we managed to win one set of awards of each value, this one can aim for more serious results.
Russia
Last season, Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht showed herself best of all, who even got to the silver in Ostersund, worked out the mass starts with high quality. She will be the main hope of the national team in the upcoming draw. The rest of the athletes are not balanced. Some run well, others shoot great.
In relays with the Russian national team, happy transformations sometimes happen. For example, during last season there was not even a hint of a podium, but in Oberhof they managed to win gold medals. This season, do not forget about the Russian national team at the German stages.
Italy
Last season, the national team showed itself very well, reaching the fifth position in the overall standings of the Nations Cup.
The gorgeous Dorothea Wierer won three races last season and nearly doubled her total career gold medals. Now the biathlete is close to the peak of her form, so in the new season she should once again become the leader of the national team. She is constantly helped by Lisa Vitozzi, who twice reached gold medals. The athlete at 24 is a young star who is expected to deliver serious results.
But not everything succeeds in relay races, since the presence of two very strong athletes does not allow one to feel confident, the other two stages usually fail. Therefore, one gold medal in the women's relay at the end of the season is an excellent indicator.
The rest of the national teams – there are a lot of strong individual athletes who simply do not have assistants in the national team to climb high in the Nations Cup standings.
You need to pay attention to several talented athletes at once. Last season, Eberg from Sweden made a big announcement with two gold medals, one success each for Yulia Dzhima from Ukraine and Marketa Davidova from the Czech Republic.
conclusions
The upcoming biathlon season promises to be one of the most interesting in recent years. Young and ambitious athletes are increasingly taking on the role of national team leaders. In the men's category, we dare to assume that despite the desperate struggle on the part of Loginov and Fourcade, the crystal globe will once again be in the hands of Johannes Boe. Women have a great suspicion that Dorothea Wierer, an athlete at her peak, will again achieve her goal; only her compatriot Lisa Vitozzi can move her from the first position. We wish you good luck with your bets!
