Biathlon – Kontiolahti (Finland; near the Russian border):

Mixed relay – 2 x 6 Km & 2 x 7.5 Km. Another very cold event, although the IBU have shifted around the event schedule to try and make maximum use of the “warmer” parts of the day! Thus it’s “only” minus 19.5 degrees as we move to the advertised start time for the mixed relay – German team is Tina Bachman, Miri Gössner (both doing the 6 Km distance) with Daniel Böhm and Erik Lesser on the slightly longer sections. Alas, Eurosport (despite the programme guide) stayed with Luge (itself a replacement for the cancelled GS from Soldeu) while the biathlon started so the first 30 minutes was missed!

Over to the ZDF ticker, and it seems the Ukraine team have taken the early lead (Burdyga) – conditions very difficult though as the icy snow is rock hard (I’ve tried skating skiing in -17 and it was a bit desperate, especially if the waxing was off); at the first split it’s Ukraine from Germany (Bachmann) and Russia (Bogaliy-T), with the French (Boilly) 4th, and Belarus (Skardino) also very close in 5th – less than 9 seconds between these teams. Good shooting from the leaders at the prone shoot and on the next lap it’s Bachmann in the lead. No Slovenian team today apparently – maybe a good idea for them as I think it was Fak who got bad frostbite last year? A short lap so the second shoot is soon on – Bachmann loses her rhythm, and one reload costs her the lead; out Ukr/Fra/Fin with Germany now 22 seconds back. Kaisa Mäkäräinen, on home snow, is going fast on the final section of the first round, as are the Russians. We’re now 20 minutes into the race and Eurosport are STILL at the luge doubles (surely one of the most ridiculous and inelegant looking winter sports ever?) – great shame (from the biathlon fan’s perspective!)! First changeover and Laukkanen takes over the lead for Finland, ahead of Bescond (Fra), Pidrushna (Ukr) and Miri Gössner (Ger). Not sure what happened to Bogaliy (Rus) because she’s handed over in 11th place; the Swedes are also having a bad day on the range and hand over 17th. Eventually Eurosport condescend to join the biathlon by which time we’ve missed the whole first section and the third shoot (good from Pidrushna, problems for Bescond), but apparently we still have time for a long advert break!

Now, at last, with video and an English commentary; Germany have taken the lead from Ukraine and Finland. Into shoot 4 – can Miri hold this together? Pidrushna is fast and clean – out in the lead with Kuzmina (Svk) also doing well; Germany, Finland and France all having problems with various numbers of spare rounds needed. So, now it’s Ukr/Svk/Ger/Fra/Rus, with the Finns on the penalty loop. On the next loop Kuzmina (Svk) takes the lead, but Gössner is closing nicely; strong men for Russia and France to come, while Norway don’t seem to be taking this event so seriously! Over to the next changeover; Slovakia (Kazar) from Ukraine (Deryzemlya) with Germany 20 seconds back, 7 up on France. Now a good gap to Russia and Finland; Italy are next over 2 minutes down. On the next leg Beatrix (Fra) hits a course marker, which loses him a little time; into the first men’s prone and the leading 2 are clear and away; Böhm (Ger) needs one spare which lets Beatrix catch up a little – gaps pretty much the same as the handover; Makoveev catching up for Russia. Now the standing shoot (S6); Svk/Ukr neck and neck – Kazar better there and Beatrix better than Böhm – out Svk/Ukr/Fra/Ger with almost 30 seconds separating those 4 – Makoveev loses out with his shooting, wasting some of his gains on the track. USA get up to 6th but over 2.5 minutes back, just ahead of Finland.

Heading to the final handover; Slovakia leading and out in the lead (Matiasko) but behind them the French move into second with Vincent Jay taking the final leg ahead of Ukraine (Sednev). Germany (Lesser, from the IBU tour) now 35 seconds back, Russia (Shipulin) +1:09 in 4th. On the loop France and Germany are both closing the gaps – the question is are they going too fast? Shoot 7 – leading 3 in together; Jay gets 5/5, leading out from Slovakia and Ukraine but Lesser has an awful struggle to feed and eject his spares, leaving almost a minute down, barely ahead of Russia. Final shoot – Jay 5/5 again – excellent! Sednev is OK but Slovakia have problems which could possibly let Germany and Russia back into it – Lesser has another awful shoot and ends up with 2 penalty loops, but Shipulin is out 30 seconds off a podium place; can he make it? On the final run to the finish Sednev is still in touch with Jay but despite his efforts the Frenchman takes a well deserved win by just 1 second – very impressive shooting by him, but also well done to Ukraine and Slovakia (a podium place, also applauded by Russia, as Kuzmina is Shipulin’s sister!!). Russia were 4th, Germany 5th (poor Erik will need some reassurance after that), with the USA 6th. Sweden were 13th, despite quite a strong team, and Norway 14th, almost 6 minutes back and also with 2 penalty loops. Tomorrow (the sprints) is forecast to be warmer at about minus 15, but the first race is earlier so who knows!!

Meanwhile, at Soldeu in Andorra, it was supposed to be the women’s Giant Slalom (a rescheduled race already) but it was cold and windy – despite the sunshine the fine snow was blowing around making conditions difficult, and the flags on the gates showed just how strong that wind was – the start moved from 1100 to 1115 and then 1130 (GB time); each delay making the time/weather window for a proper 2 run event tighter – eventually the race was abandoned – disappointing but probably the right call.

Men’s 10 Km Sprint: Very cold again, officially -18 and even colder in some of the lower parts of the course, but the jury have agreed that it’s safe to race! Good spread of favourites across the 88 starters – Martin and Simon Fourcade (Fra), Alexis Boeuf (Fra) and Fred Lindström (Swe) are among the early starters, some good Russians in the 30s and Svendsen at start number 52; OEB and Bø in the 70s, so continuous interest throughout, and a lot of swapping between the various shoots and the finish!? Some very tough spectators have turned out too; lots of Russians, so they should be used to this cold! At the first shoot Martin F is very steady – 5/5 and a good start, although at the first split Klemen Bauer (Slo) is faster than Martin (will his shooting hold up? Didn’t see much of him from then, but with 4 misses it obviously didn’t), and back on the range Timofey Lapshin (Rus) is also 5/5. Boeuf also goes clear, but Garanichev (Rus) misses his first shot and has to complete a penalty loop. Lindström is also clear, but Simon Fourcade has a problem and misses a target; meanwhile his brother is already into his standing shoot and also misses one – maybe 23 seconds to do the penalty loop.

Back in the next group of starters Ben Weger (Swi) goes 5/5 at S1 and is marginally ahead of Martin F’s time – Bjorn Ferry (Swe) is also clear but his time is noticeably slower; over at the S2 times, Lapshin goes clear again, but despite the lack of penalty loops he’s still only just ahead of Fourcade. Meanwhile Anton Shipulin (Rus) is at the prone shoot – clear and a fast time too; 11 seconds up on Weger’s time. Back at the front, Lapshin has dropped behind Martin F’s time and although he pulls back he’s still 0.8 behind at the finish. Missed Weger’s S2, but it was again clear and from the timing data he’s still fastest at that point; one threat is Shipulin, but then he misses 2 targets in the standing shoot – an opportunity for the Russian gone! Alas, Weger can’t keep up the ski pace and loses time on his final lap to go third. Back at the prone, Emil Hegle Svendsen (Nor) is clear and just under 10 seconds slower than Shipulin’s best time. Back to S2 again and Daniel Böhm (Ger), who raced yesterday unlike some of the favourites, has gone 10/10, better than Malyshko (Rus) who misses his 9th target – another good time spoilt by a penalty loop, but then, that’s biathlon! Svendsen is also at S2, and he misses 2, most unusual! Not his day, but among the later starters Björndalen goes 5/5 at the prone and is third fastest as he leaves the range! Not such a good day for Bø though – slower into the shoot and then snatches his last shot – onto the penalty loop.

At the finish, it’s still Martin Fourcade (1 miss) who is the man to beat. Lapshin (0) and Weger (0) are holding the other podium places, and Lowell Bailey (USA, 1 miss) goes into 4th. In the standing shoot OEB has missed one target, but he’s still skiing in 6th as he goes out onto his final lap; Bø however is well below last year’s form – 3 misses in the stand, which can’t do his confidence any good. Some good news for Norway though as OEB moves up into 4th – great to see him back. No surprises from then on, so the final result is Martin Fourcade (1); Lapshin (0); Weger (0); Björndalen (1); Bailey (1) and Russell Currier (USA, 0) in 6th; good day for the Americans.

Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint: Tiny bit warmer than the men’s race at minus 15, and light but variable winds; 81 starters so plenty of to and fro again in this event. Arguably first of the favourites away was Tora Berger (Nor), with Olga Zaitseva (Rus) going no 12. Natalya Burdyga (Ukr) made a good start to the shooting with 5/5, but she also raced in the relay yesterday, which might slow her down? Berger also goes clear, and although she might not be as fast as normal, she’s faster than Burdyga. Zaitseva is into S1, big mitts coming off on the run in and another 5/5 – out just ahead of Berger's time. Local girl Kaisa Mäkäräinen missed one of her first 5 – big disappointment but remember she’s very fast. Lots of Russian support here, and Vilukhina delights them leaving the range clear just 4 seconds down on Zaitseva. As Gregorin (Slo) leaves her prone shoot (5/5) the early starters are coming into the standing shoot – Tora Berger misses her second, while Andrea Henkel (Ger) goes 5/5 at her S1; shortly after in comes Domracheva (Blr) but she misses 2 – a huge roar greets Zaitseva’s perfect score, 10/10, and she's 30 seconds up on Berger as she leaves the range for her last lap. Kaisa Mäkäräinen goes clear in the standing shoot and is fast, only 9 seconds behind Zaitseva, while Lena Neuner (Ger) misses one in the prone – again, unusual!

On their last laps Berger is upping the tempo, but Zaitseva knows what she has to beat and also that behind her Kaisa Mäkäräinen is flying! Zaitseva is almost 30 seconds up on Berger, and briefly leads but Mäkäräinen goes flat out and ends up almost 18 seconds faster, despite her penalties! Meanwhile Henkel misses 2 at S2, which has probably dropped her out of contention, while Domracheva is clear in the standing shoot – a definite threat. Speaking of threats, Lena goes clear at S2 as well and is marginally up on Zaitseva’s time as she leaves the range – very exciting stuff. Also in the mix is Vita Semerenko (Ukr), until she drops 3 in the standing shoot; starting to think too much? Despite her 2 penalty loops, Darya Domracheva goes into 2nd just inside 5 seconds back from Kaisa M, but Gold Lena has put the turbos on and goes into the lead by 12.3 seconds – wonderful stuff.

Hand me the smelling salts – Miri Gössner has just gone 10/10 - absolutely delighted to see that; what odds could you have got against that yesterday?! However, she raced yesterday so does she have the legs to get on the podium? Also in yesterday’s race was Pidrushna (Ukr) but just like Vita S she drops 3 on her final shoot. Alas for Miri – I think yesterday’s efforts took their toll of her usual speed but even so, into 6th, 30 seconds back. No more surprises, final result Magdalena Neuner (1 miss) from Kaisa Mäkäräinen (1), Darya Domracheva (2), Olga Zaitseva (0), Anastasia Kuzmina (Svk, 2) and Miri Gössner (0). Three Germans in the top 10 (Bachmann in 8th), and also 3 Russians, which should please their coaches.

Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit: Martin Fourcade (Fra) away first, closely followed by Lapshin (Rus), Weger (Swi), Björndalen (Nor), Bailey & Currier (USA both) – closest start in pursuit history I understand, more like a mass start! Into the first prone shoot – wind OK, but maybe awkward in certain lanes; Weger and Fourcade shoot clear but OEB misses 2 as does Bailey; Svendsen is clear though and coming up the rankings from 12th to 5th – out in the order Weger, Fourcade, Sumann (Aut) and Lapshin. At the next split Svendsen is up to third – the man’s not human! Into shoot 2, also prone, the 2 leaders drop 1 each but Svendsen is clear and now into the lead, massive gain of places, with Sumann also clear and 4th behind Fourcade and Weger after their loops; OEB back up to 5th – great recovery. First standing shoot – Fourcade & Svendsen are clear, with the Frenchman marginally faster, as is OEB who is now up to 3rd – still a contender! Svendsen turns up the tempo on the next lap, and just leads into the final shoot; 2 misses for Fourcade and 3 for Svendsen; great chance for OEB – he has a slight problem with the rifle but goes clear – out in the lead! Fourcade comes out 2nd ahead of Malyshko (Rus), Sumann and Svendsen. The US team were doing fairly well, but one by one they are dropping back on the range – definitely among the better nations though; Bailey ended up 12th today despite 6 misses, and they had 3 in the top 15!

Now the final lap – in the early stages Fourcade is catching OEB (not entirely a popular move with the crowd!), but fades back to 12 seconds before the split – Malyshko is only 10 seconds back on Martin, but I doubt he can close that down. Amazing – Björndalen wins, to take his 93rd win despite the 2 misses early on – 17 seasons running that he’s won at least 1 world cup race; a truly incredible performance. Fourcade (M) is second (3 misses) from Dmitry Malyshko (2) and Svendsen (3).

Women’s 10 Km Pursuit: Should be another hottie – Neuner has only just come back from illness, although she looked good yesterday, Kaisa Mäkäräinen is fast and really wants a home win and Darya Domracheva was arguably the fastest on the track yesterday. Tora Berger is 10th away but she’s leading the pursuit standings so she must also be in the mix. Here we go – lovely to watch Darya going up the steep hill which was left out of the sprint course – very slick technique! Into the first prone – Neuner clear, so is Kaisa but Darya drops 2 (same as OEB so let’s not write her off yet, although each loop costs the women about 28 seconds!). Miri Gössner (Ger) is also clear, and out just behind Zaitseva (Rus) – I hope she can keep this up! Darya still 5th ahead of Olga Vilukhina (Rus). Now the 2nd prone shoot – Neuner drops 1, but so does the unblinking Kaisa (her eyes must dry out in this cold, surely?); Miri misses 1 but Olga Zaitseva is clear, and so is Darya – out of the range with Neuner ahead of Mäkäräinen, then Zaitseva, Domracheva, Vilukhina and Gössner. At the next split Kaisa has lost some time, but Darya is 3rd and fast; Berger in 8th although her shooting hasn’t been perfect either.

The first standing shoot – in a significant breeze, Neuner drops another 1; Kaisa is clear, but Darya throws the first one wide, letting Zaitseva back through after her 5/5. Sadly Miri goes back to her old ways and melts down, missing 4, letting her team mate Tina Bachmann through. Out in order Mäkäräinen, Neuner, Zaitseva, Domracheva, Bachmann, Berger. On the next loop the 2 leaders pull away a bit; into the final shoot – wind looks friskier - Kaisa Mäkäräinen goes clear while Neuner drops 2 (0,1,1,2 today, not ideal), and surely that’s Kaisa’s home win in the bag? Zaitseva also goes clear, but so does Darya – very close between Olga, Lena and Darya for the podium places as they leave the range – Berger has cleared 19/20 and is also well up. At the finish Kaisa Mäkäräinen gets her win (1 miss) and behind her it’s sprint time (schlussspurt!) – Lena (4) takes it from Domracheva (4) with Zaitseva (0) about 40 seconds back in 4th despite excellent shooting. Tora Berger (1) up to 5th and Tina Bachmann (3) 6th. Again, 3 in the top 10 for Germany, but a disappointing day for the Swedes and French? Kuzmina must have been fast on the skis as she was 10th despite 6 misses, while Miri dropped 8 in all – another blow to the confidence; very sorry for her as she needs to get good results, and when she’s on form she’s capable of so much more! I do hope I'm not developing the commentator's "kiss of death"!