Biathlon -Antholz

Women's 7.5 Km Sprint: Again, three loops of the track with 1 prone and 1 standing shoot - 96 starters and 213 metres height gain over the total course. Conditions much better than at Nove Mesto, but there is a climb just before the range and this venue is higher, so more effect from the altitude. Optimum start position obviously more open to interpretation today, as Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Domracheva and Neuner (among others) are in group 1, while Berger and Zaitseva (and other big names) go much later; in fact Tora B is very near the end of group 2.

This was certainly a sprint race - very fast action, swapping between the two shoots and the finish; no wonder the Eurosport commentator had to work so hard with his usual co-commentator away at the Youth Olympics in Austria (If Eurosport do happen to read this, I'm available to help next time if required!! ). Kaisa Mäkäräinen (Fin) made a great start, good ski speed and a clean shoot in the prone, but Darya Domracheva (Blr) managed to miss 2 targets in her first visit, quite unusual? Starting 30 seconds behind Darya was Lena Neuner (Ger; 3 sprint event wins already this year), who was also very fast into the range but who shot clear - game on! Also shooting clear in the prone, among others, were Kuzmina (Slo), Vilukhina (Rus), Sleptsova (Rus) and later on Berger (Nor) and Ekholm (Swe). Big surprise however was Olga Zaitseva (who has won the other 2 sprint races so far this season), who missed 4 targets - very much out of character. In the second shoot Kaisa M went clear again, and Darya seemed more deliberate, clearing the standing targets well. Lena missed one, as did Kuzmina and Berger, while Vilukhina and Ekholm both went 10/10.

At the finish Kaisa Mäkäräinen set a time of 20:45 with no misses, but looked as though she really had given everything; now it was down to Neuner's speed over the final lap. Lena left the range at pretty much the same time as Darya D (who had started 30 seconds ahead, but had one more penalty loop to do), which did Kaisa no favours as the two chasing athletes effectively had their own little race to the finish, and both are really fast! In the end Lena Neuner took another win (20:27), from Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Darya Domracheva, with Tora Berger 4th ahead of Ekholm, Vilukhina, Solemdal (Nor), Kuzmina, Bachmann (Ger) and Sleptsova. Great win for Lena after the trauma of last Sunday!

Just in passing, at the Youth Olympic Games, the Germans won the mixed team biathlon event. The Russians should have been second, but one of their athletes started to do a penalty loop that wasn't required - when she realised her mistake she stepped over a marker board to rejoin the main track. I doubt very much that she gained any advantage, in fact probably quite the reverse, but officially she had gone outside the track and should have backtracked to the point where she left; the French protested and the Russians were DQ'd; so Norway ended up 2nd and France 3rd - a harsh lesson but the jury seem to have been consistent here in applying the rules to the letter (FIS please note - since the TdS was a master class in a lack of such transparency and consistency!).

Men's 10 Km Sprint: Not such good conditions, with light snow and more wind - 104 starters today. I came in a bit late but still caught most of the exciting stuff - a really cracking race today! I sometimes find the men's event a little disappointing, but unlike yesterday in the women's sprint, the result today was very open throughout - the snow arguably got a little faster towards the end, which meant good shooting was really rewarded for the later starters - quite a surprising result too.

As I joined Martin Fourcade (Fra) was going really well; his shooting was well up to standard, with 10/10 and with his enviable ski speed he must have felt that only a superb effort from one of his main rivals would stop him gaining another win. That challenge was not going to come from the Norwegians today, who collectively seemed well off their usual form. Svendsen missed 2 prone and 1 standing to end up 23rd, Björndalen 2 & 2 ending up 56th, and Bø a total of 4 misses (again the coverage very annoyingly cut from the range to middle field finishers on some occasions, so I missed Andi Birnbacher's second shoot for example) back in 40th - very poor day for them with no Norwegian in the top 10; most unusual? The Russians were more of a threat; alas Makoveev missed 2 in the standing shoot, but Ustyugov was more accurate with only 1 target left standing from his 10. The first surprise of the day however was Evgeniy Garanichev, who was skiing fast and had shot clear in his prone shoot - when he also cleared all his standing targets, Martin F's finishing time looked within reach and a solid last lap gave the Russian the lead by only 0.9 seconds.

Andi Birnbacher (Ger) had missed one on his prone, but was also skiing fast and ended up only 5 seconds behind Garanichev - great effort. Sweden's challenge was also developing; Bergman had missed one in the standing shoot and was also off the pace a little, but Björn Ferry shot clear and finished only 30 seconds or so back from the then leader - however, once again it was a later starting, slightly less well known name that was coming good - Fredrik Lindstrom was fastest out of S1 after going clear there, and conditions also seemed to be in his favour - he duly cleared all his standing targets and left the range 15 seconds up on Garanichev's time - now how would he do on the final lap? At the two split points he was holding his lead well, and in the final stretch he even managed to extend it - into the lead by 18.2 seconds! Behind him however, Arnd Peiffer (Ger) had also cleared S1 and was slightly faster at that stage. Again he went clear in his second shoot and left the range only about 3 seconds off the Swede's time - not too sure what happened on his last lap, but at the next split he was 21 seconds off the pace - there was some talk of a fall, but the gap kept increasing and I suspect it was just fatigue - in the end he was nearly 28 seconds back and out of the podium places. The American Tim Burke also looked as though he might feature at one stage but dropped his final 2 shots (the thinking ones) and dropped out of the top 10.

So, a very impressive debut win (?) for Fredrik Lindstrom, from Evgeniy Garanichev and Martin Fourcade, all shooting 10/10. Fourth was Birnbacher (1 miss) just ahead of Peiffer (0) and Ustyugov (1). The top 10 included 2 Swedes, 2 Germans, no less than 3 Russians (good bet for the relay?), and 1 each from France, Croatia (Jakob Fak), Switzerland and Italy - and yes, I do know that adds up to 11, we had a tie for 10th place! Really exciting race - pity for Lindstrom that it isn't followed by a pursuit!!

Women’s 4 x 6 Km relay. Not live on Eurosport who are too busy with tennis to provide live coverage of either this or the women’s GS from Kranjska Gora! Back to the commentary free feed from the IBU – much appreciated! As you might expect, very close on the first lap with only 8 seconds separating first from 18th (& last); S1 saw Norway & Russia dropping back due to reloading, but by the second shoot there were lots of spare rounds being used everywhere and the field was more spaced out! At that stage it was Belarus, Italy, Poland and France; Poland’s Krystyna Palka skied a great last lap, only eclipsed by Sweden’s Nilsson – at the first change it was Sweden from Poland, then Cze/Fra/Blr/USA – Germany’s Hildebrand shot well but lost a huge amount on the last lap to hand over to Lena Neuner in 11th 46.5 seconds back.

Helena Ekholm did a great job of the 2nd leg for Sweden, shooting really well (only 2 spares total?) in both prone and standing – behind her Neuner was grabbing back huge chunks of time (over 28 seconds by S3) only to lose it again when her prone shooting failed and she ended up on the penalty loop. USA also had a bad time at S3 so after that shoot it was Swe/Cze/Blr/Pol/Fra/Ita – Germany now 10th and 1:07 minutes back. Ekholm kept her head on S4 and was 36 seconds clear as she approached the next handover (in her case a family affair to sister Jenny Jonsson); to my utter amazement Neuner, having had a quite poor fourth shoot (although no more loops) handed over second 30.6 seconds back, having gone from 10th to 2nd in one lap! Behind her - Ita/Ukr/Blr/Cze. Next leg was Miri Gössner’s for Germany and like others she closed down on Jonsson but the Swede shot clean at S5, with Russia (Zaitseva) also going well – Miri did well to use only 2 spares – leaving the range it was Swe/Rus/Cze/Ukr/Ger/Fra. Now for the crucial S6 – Sweden again very steady, as were the French; to my delight Miri also shot well and they left for the final lap in the order Fra/Ger/Swe/Rus/Ukr/Cze – amazing effort by Zaitseva who had an awful standing shoot and ended up on the penalty loop. Into the final exchange and Dorin-Habert led out for France ahead of Tina Bachmann (Ger) and Vilukhina (Rus). Tina & D-H went into shoot 7 almost together and both went clear; Vilukhina needed one spare but was out third ahead of Darya Domracheva (Blr), who was going VERY fast but also needed 1 spare!

Into the final shoot and Bachmann led Dorin-Habert onto the mats, with Domracheva now ahead of Vilukhina. Disaster for Germany – France went clear, but Tina’s rifle developed mechanical problems which cost her huge amounts of time and eventually a penalty loop. Onto the last lap with Dorin Habert 34 seconds ahead of Domracheva (more would be nice given her speed!!) who was chasing down Vilukhina. Norway (Tora Berger) were up into 4th ahead of Ukraine (Pidrushna) and Germany. Very exciting last lap – Darya was really working and passed the Russian; with 0.4 Km to go she was up from a 12 seconds gap at the previous split to about 5, but Dorin Habert somehow held on to win by just 1 second! Fantastic effort by her (and Bescond who got her team back into it) – Russia in third after a poor start, Norway 4th (ditto) with Ukraine 5th and a very unlucky Tina Bachmann coming in 6th. France 9 spares needed, Belarus 10, Russia 11 and a penalty loop!

Men’s 15 Km Mass Start: Heavy snow at the start, as for the women, but forecast to improve – tomorrow?? Frantic effort at the start and a very crowded run into shoot 1 – a mix of results with several people clear but others heading into the penalty loop(s) - first out was one Ole Einar Björndalen (OEB) of Norway; good to see him back, even if it doesn’t last! Behind him were the French; Boeuf and Simon Fourcade, then Weger (Swi), Birnbacher (Ger) and Makoveev (Rus). It doesn’t look so nice here for this race, but then it’s an outdoor event! On the next loop there seem to be French suits everywhere; into S2 – Andi Birnbacher and Alex Boeuf are clear and out with the Frenchman just ahead, followed by Weger, Shipulin, Makoveev and Lindstrom – Bø misses 2, and Arnd Peiffer another 2 making 4 so far – off form after a pretty good effort in the sprint!

By now the 30 athletes are much more spread out – now for the first standing shoot – Martin Fourcade and Fredrik Lindstrom go clear and out in that order; Slesingr (Cze) third and Florian Graf (Ger) up to 4th – Birnbacher missed one but still lies 5th ahead of Malyshko and Shipulin with OEB the best Norwegian in 8th at this stage, although Svendsen is closing. On the next lap Fourcade and Lindstrom are setting a good tempo and neck and neck – Fred carefully not doing any work in the lead; tactics! Chasing pack about 20 seconds back as they go into the final shoot – both leaders miss one; onto the Strafrunde for them both – meanwhile Andi Birnbacher, Shipulin and Slesingr go clear and join the fight at the front, with the Czech athlete working hard to close up to the leading 4. Past 13.6 Km - where the graphic vanished too fast to copy - Birnbacher breaks at the next hill, but Fourcade goes with him, and so do the Russians – only Slesingr drops a little off the front. Now Shipulin ups the pace – Andi fights back to go in front – he takes the win by a fraction (1 miss) with what I heard was a photo between Shipulin (1) and Martin Fourcade (1) for the rest of the podium – Shipulin gets that decision; Lindstrom (1) 4th, Slesingr (0) 5th and Malyshko (2) 6th. OEB remains the best Norwegian (3), tying for 10th with Ben Weger (2); the other Norway team members seem off form this weekend - Svendsen not shooting well (4 misses) today to finish 14th with Bø further back still (4 misses, 22nd place). Unusual and probably a real worry for the team coaches?

Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start: Just in case you don’t feel some sympathy for the athletes, remember this already demanding event is today held at 1600 metres above sea level, and that does make a difference! I Joined this at the second shoot (of 4) with Lena Neuner (Ger) leading into the range with Svetlana Sleptsova (Rus) and Anastasia Kuzmina (Svk) well up with her. At the second prone shoot Neuner went clear again (10/10 so far), as did Kuzmina and Valj Semerenko (Ukr) and those three led out followed by Sleptsova (Rus), Gregorin (Slo) and, I think (fast graphics again), the other of the Semerenkos!! Quickly into the first of the standing shoots and Lena arrived with Kuzmina – Anastasia shot clear and quickly, but Lena seemed to have a slight snag with the rifle after one shot – slight delay until she cleared all 5. However that let both Domracheva (Blr) and Zaitseva (Rus) catch up – both of them also going clear.

Onto the fourth lap and predictably Lena gets back into the lead; but as they come into S4 Darya is already in the same TV shot! Neuner misses two, Kuzmina just 1 – Domracheva goes clear and leads away on the last lap – Kuzmina is now almost 15 seconds back in 2nd after her loop, Lena gets back in third after her 2 loops but only just ahead of Vita Semerenko! At 11.1 Km Darya is 26.8 ahead of Kuzmina with Neuner near 41 back – Darya going fast here and Neuner closing on Kuzmina! Darya Domracheva gets a fantastic, very well judged win (as they say, if you have to miss, get it over early) – behind her Lena just can’t catch Anastasia Kuzmina who gets a career best (?) 2nd place. Tora Berger, despite her 3 misses gets fourth ahead of Sleptsova (2) and Vita Semerenko (2). Alas Miri Gössner has reverted to her bad habits – a broken pole at the start didn’t help but she then missed 7 targets in all – not one of her good days but hopefully she will gain confidence from some recent better results.

Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km relay: 24 nations today including GB. Russians looking very strong (although without Shipulin – their team Malyshko, Makoveev, Garanichev & Ustyugov) and joint favourites with France (2 Fourcades, Boeuf and Beatrix); Norwegians lacking Svendsen (so Bø, Berger, Birkeland & OEB – all the Bs) and looking rather off form in the previous 2 races, Sweden arguably stronger now that Lindstrom is on form, and Germany have some strength too – hard to call this one! Great conditions today – OEB off like a rocket at the start (not bad for an “old” man – I believe he’s 38 next Friday!), with Rösch (Ger) also going well – quite a fast pace for the first lap, I hope they don’t regret this, but it is quite icy which helps the speed. Into S1 – where did Rösch go? Austria (Simon Eder) very fast and a good start for USA (Bailey) – Russia having a nightmare! Out in the order Aut/Slo/USA/Nor/Swe/Ita – Russia about 25 seconds back at the next split, but OEB pushing the pace and leads into S2, just ahead of Lowell Bailey (USA) and Bergman (Swe) – Russia making ground up. France good at S2, OEB not perfect, Lowell Bailey has a real meltdown – at least 2 loops to do although the captions weren’t entirely clear; Sweden (1 loop) and Russia also not good. Out from here with France leading from Austria, Germany and Norway. On the next lap OEB shows his old form and really ramps up the speed; best performance this year – he passes the leading 3 to hand over at the first exchange in the lead, despite needing 3 extra rounds. Out Nor/Fra/Aut/Ger – these 4 well clear at present. On the run out to the next shoot Simon Fourcade passes Birkeland (Nor) with Eberhard and Birnbacher fighting for 3rd place – has Andi got the energy after his win yesterday? Into S3 – Fourcade is fast but misses his last one and needs a reload; the other 3 go clear and they all leave in a fairly tight group. Ukraine, Switzerland and Belarus about 45 seconds back – and yet another interminable commercial break! Running into the range for S4 the leading group of 4 are very close – no coverage of the gap to the chasing athletes; lots of spare rounds flying around here – Fourcade out first, then Eberhard, Birnbacher and Birkeland. Makoveev up to only 21.8 seconds behind in 5th – great gain!

Now the run into the next exchange – Andi B does have something left in the legs and pulls clear but Makoveev is only 16 seconds back – the favourites aren’t finished yet! Germany hand over first to Florian Graf, then France (Boeuf), Austria (Daniel Mesotitch), Russia (Garanichev) and Norway (Lars Berger). Leading 3 quite bunched into S5 with Russia only 9 seconds back now – Fourcade again smooth and clear, out ahead of Austria (1 spare), Graf (ditto) and Garanichev (2), but Berger is off to the penalty loop. Coming back for S6 Boeuf is some 8 seconds clear of Germany & Austria – good shooting by the Frenchman – 1 spare needed but out in first , 10 seconds ahead of Graf (1) and then a further 20 seconds back is Mesotitch (3) – the Russians go on the loop (Garanichev off to Siberia??) and Norway are also awful (5 LOOPS so far) – very unusual! Into the final exchange and France are well clear – handing over to Martin Fourcade 15 seconds clear ahead of Arnd Peiffer. Landertinger out 3rd for Austria. Despite the penalty loop Russia hand over 1:13 back with Ustyugov taking the last lap; Sweden coming back from a poor start, but still leaving Freddie Lindstrom with a lot to do! GB team now lapped and therefore out.

Into S7, with Martin F looking very comfortable; first two down before Arnd settles, but then 1 spare required – Arnd P goes clear and cuts the gap to 4 seconds. Landertinger needs 1 so now 55.7 back from the leader with Lindstrom clear and closing; Russia and Belarus also still well in touch. Yet another break – one after every shoot which is really boring! The final shoot however will be anything but boring – the gap between the leading 2 is fairly static; Fourcade needs just 1 spare (despite thinking he had another miss, which I think was Peiffer’s? Martin looked quite surprised to see all 5 down) but gets out in the lead – Arnd has a mini melt down but still is out 27 seconds back, after a loop? Landertinger shoots better than Lindstrom, who drops behind Russia and Belarus. Final lap and surely no one can catch Fourcade? Peiffer cuts the deficit, but its still 20 seconds at the next split; Russia takes Austria on the loipe but that’s still close as Landertinger isn’t giving up. Martin F cruises to a superb win (only 7 spares used by France today), with Peiffer coming in second – Germany’s first relay podium this year (9 spares and 1 loop?). Behind them Landertinger sprints to the podium for Austria’s best relay result this season, with Russia 4th after a massive effort to recover. Sweden fifth ahead of Belarus, who were one of the best on the range today (only beaten by Poland, who didn't have the ski speed to benefit from their accuracy). Despite Björndalen’s great first leg the Norwegians are only 11th – their bad patch continues. At least they have time to regroup as the next event isn’t until 2 Feb, in Oslo.