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Alpine Skiing and Biathlon 2019/20
by Bleausardv2 Fri 25 Oct 2019, 3:40 pm
Well, a new season already!
The 2019/20 Alpine season starts at Sölden, with the Ladies Giant Slalom – the start list says that Petra Vlhova will be first away, ahead of Wendy Holdener, Tessa Worley and Mikaela Shiffrin! There are 66 on the start list, including Alex Tilley at number 29. Nick and Finlay are back – the piste is apparently in great condition and the weather looks good too! Course set by a German coach I think; Petra Vlhova is away – ye gods that course is steep in places! That looks like a pretty physical course, and with a good bit of altitude too – Wendy Holdener is away and red at intermediate 1; she’s red all the way and ends up +0.60 for run 1. Tessa Worley is slightly red at 1, but she’s green at 2 and 0.29 ahead at 3 – into the lead, 0.23 faster than Petra – Nick is going to be hoarse by run 2 at this rate! Mikaela Shiffrin is next and she’s over a second faster by inter 2; she looks amazingly relaxed and it’s working well – she finishes 1.24 ahead! Vikki Rebensburg into a slightly disappointing 4th, only to be pushed down a place as Federica Brignone goes 2nd! Kristin Lysdahl had a little stumble near the start and she’s fallen later, just as the course goes into shadow – first DNF of the season, but she seems OK. Now Alice Robinson, from New Zealand – she’s a former junior champion, and she’s in the green at inter 1! She’s really in touch here – just +0.03 at the last intermediate and into 2nd, +0.14 – amazing stuff! The course is getting a little bumpy but it didn’t seem to worry Alice – ten away now, and Shiffrin (USA) leads from Robinson (NZ; +0.14), Brignone (ITA; +0.86), Worley (FRA; +1.24) and Vlhova (SVK; +1.47). That’s a neat run from Meta Hrovat (SLO) – into 4th, +0.95; Stjernesund (NOR) goes 7th. Sara Hector (SWE) into 9th, and that’s 15 away. Now, there are a few ruts building up – can any of the next 15 get into the top 10, I wonder? Bernadette Schild (AUT) has made a good try – she’s into 10th! Now, Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) is looking good – she’s gaining places at each intermediate point, and she ends up in 5th, +1.06 – that’s a good result for her, and she’s looking deservedly pleased with it. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) into 14th; Francesca Marsaglia (ITA) is going well – into 9th, +1.84. Meanwhile, Estelle Alphand (SWE) is green at inter 1; she’s still in touch at inter 3 but then she had a big error – no second run, surely, after that? Sadly Alex Tilley has lost a bit of time on the steep section and has gone 23rd, +2.97 – will she get a 2nd run? That’s the end of Eurosport coverage for run 1 – no change to the top 10 since Marsaglia went into 9th. Looks as though Alex Tilley will just get a second run – in fact she’ll be first away!
Run 2: A straighter course, according to the team (although it doesn’t necessarily look it), set by a Swede I think – Alex Tilley is away and safely down, although Roberta Melesi (ITA) has already gone 0.76 faster despite an error as the steep bit starts – that was nice skiing. Franziska Gritsch (AUT) is even quicker, to the delight of the local fans. Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT) is perhaps better known as a downhill racer, but she’s into 2nd; only briefly though as Maria Therese Tviberg (NOR) has just taken over the lead. That’s the first 10 away – Tviberg still leads, from Gritsch and Siebenhofer and they are holding on well! Michelle Gisin (SUI) had a fairly nice advantage of 0.44 at inter 1 but it’s drifted off a little – she’s into 3rd though. Half way break – Tviberg (start number 58!) leads from Gritsch and Gisin. First away after the break is Lara Gut-Behrami – a couple errors but she’s into 3rd; Wendy Holdener has gained a bit to inter 1, but then it’s going red – just 7th after a very impressive start. Much the same for Marta Bassino (ITA), who has lost all her advantage and ends up 7th. Bernadette Schild has 0.58 in hand, but she’s out – looked a bit nasty and the race is interrupted; it looks like she will be taken off the mountain by helo – possibly an ACL injury? Race is back on – Sara Hector is first after the interruption but she’s off the pace and into 10th. Vikki Rebensburg has started well but she is also losing time and is into the red at inter 3 – she’s just 8th! Tviberg still leads as the snow warms a little – that’s going to be a really impressive PB for her no matter what happens. Marsaglia is also well off the pace – not sure what happened to her? Now, Petra Vlhova has 1.07 in hand at the start, 0.95 left at inter 1 but she’s in the red at 2 as well and ends up 9th – this is all very odd! The only suggestion seems to be that the snow conditions have changed quite significantly? Tessa Worley next with 1.30 at the start – she is losing time, but she has kept it green all the way – she takes the lead but only by 0.67. Just 5 to go – Holtmann has gone into 2nd; Norway now 2nd and 3rd. Meta Hrovat has fallen on the final flat section – seems OK though. Federica Brignone next away and she’s into 3rd; two to go – Alice Robinson has a massive 1.10 in hand; she’s losing a bit of it, but she’s skiing the course well – she leads by 0.36! Pressure? What pressure!? Mikaela Shiffrin away – and she’s just in the red at inter 2; it’s 0.18 red at 3 – she’s recovered a little on the final section but she’s second by 0.06! Now, there’s a surprise – some consolation for the rugby!! Alice Robinson is apparently the youngest winner here – she takes the win from Shiffrin and Worley with Tviberg ending up 6th.
The 2019/20 Alpine season starts at Sölden, with the Ladies Giant Slalom – the start list says that Petra Vlhova will be first away, ahead of Wendy Holdener, Tessa Worley and Mikaela Shiffrin! There are 66 on the start list, including Alex Tilley at number 29. Nick and Finlay are back – the piste is apparently in great condition and the weather looks good too! Course set by a German coach I think; Petra Vlhova is away – ye gods that course is steep in places! That looks like a pretty physical course, and with a good bit of altitude too – Wendy Holdener is away and red at intermediate 1; she’s red all the way and ends up +0.60 for run 1. Tessa Worley is slightly red at 1, but she’s green at 2 and 0.29 ahead at 3 – into the lead, 0.23 faster than Petra – Nick is going to be hoarse by run 2 at this rate! Mikaela Shiffrin is next and she’s over a second faster by inter 2; she looks amazingly relaxed and it’s working well – she finishes 1.24 ahead! Vikki Rebensburg into a slightly disappointing 4th, only to be pushed down a place as Federica Brignone goes 2nd! Kristin Lysdahl had a little stumble near the start and she’s fallen later, just as the course goes into shadow – first DNF of the season, but she seems OK. Now Alice Robinson, from New Zealand – she’s a former junior champion, and she’s in the green at inter 1! She’s really in touch here – just +0.03 at the last intermediate and into 2nd, +0.14 – amazing stuff! The course is getting a little bumpy but it didn’t seem to worry Alice – ten away now, and Shiffrin (USA) leads from Robinson (NZ; +0.14), Brignone (ITA; +0.86), Worley (FRA; +1.24) and Vlhova (SVK; +1.47). That’s a neat run from Meta Hrovat (SLO) – into 4th, +0.95; Stjernesund (NOR) goes 7th. Sara Hector (SWE) into 9th, and that’s 15 away. Now, there are a few ruts building up – can any of the next 15 get into the top 10, I wonder? Bernadette Schild (AUT) has made a good try – she’s into 10th! Now, Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) is looking good – she’s gaining places at each intermediate point, and she ends up in 5th, +1.06 – that’s a good result for her, and she’s looking deservedly pleased with it. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) into 14th; Francesca Marsaglia (ITA) is going well – into 9th, +1.84. Meanwhile, Estelle Alphand (SWE) is green at inter 1; she’s still in touch at inter 3 but then she had a big error – no second run, surely, after that? Sadly Alex Tilley has lost a bit of time on the steep section and has gone 23rd, +2.97 – will she get a 2nd run? That’s the end of Eurosport coverage for run 1 – no change to the top 10 since Marsaglia went into 9th. Looks as though Alex Tilley will just get a second run – in fact she’ll be first away!
Run 2: A straighter course, according to the team (although it doesn’t necessarily look it), set by a Swede I think – Alex Tilley is away and safely down, although Roberta Melesi (ITA) has already gone 0.76 faster despite an error as the steep bit starts – that was nice skiing. Franziska Gritsch (AUT) is even quicker, to the delight of the local fans. Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT) is perhaps better known as a downhill racer, but she’s into 2nd; only briefly though as Maria Therese Tviberg (NOR) has just taken over the lead. That’s the first 10 away – Tviberg still leads, from Gritsch and Siebenhofer and they are holding on well! Michelle Gisin (SUI) had a fairly nice advantage of 0.44 at inter 1 but it’s drifted off a little – she’s into 3rd though. Half way break – Tviberg (start number 58!) leads from Gritsch and Gisin. First away after the break is Lara Gut-Behrami – a couple errors but she’s into 3rd; Wendy Holdener has gained a bit to inter 1, but then it’s going red – just 7th after a very impressive start. Much the same for Marta Bassino (ITA), who has lost all her advantage and ends up 7th. Bernadette Schild has 0.58 in hand, but she’s out – looked a bit nasty and the race is interrupted; it looks like she will be taken off the mountain by helo – possibly an ACL injury? Race is back on – Sara Hector is first after the interruption but she’s off the pace and into 10th. Vikki Rebensburg has started well but she is also losing time and is into the red at inter 3 – she’s just 8th! Tviberg still leads as the snow warms a little – that’s going to be a really impressive PB for her no matter what happens. Marsaglia is also well off the pace – not sure what happened to her? Now, Petra Vlhova has 1.07 in hand at the start, 0.95 left at inter 1 but she’s in the red at 2 as well and ends up 9th – this is all very odd! The only suggestion seems to be that the snow conditions have changed quite significantly? Tessa Worley next with 1.30 at the start – she is losing time, but she has kept it green all the way – she takes the lead but only by 0.67. Just 5 to go – Holtmann has gone into 2nd; Norway now 2nd and 3rd. Meta Hrovat has fallen on the final flat section – seems OK though. Federica Brignone next away and she’s into 3rd; two to go – Alice Robinson has a massive 1.10 in hand; she’s losing a bit of it, but she’s skiing the course well – she leads by 0.36! Pressure? What pressure!? Mikaela Shiffrin away – and she’s just in the red at inter 2; it’s 0.18 red at 3 – she’s recovered a little on the final section but she’s second by 0.06! Now, there’s a surprise – some consolation for the rugby!! Alice Robinson is apparently the youngest winner here – she takes the win from Shiffrin and Worley with Tviberg ending up 6th.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Sölden - Giant Slalom (Men) - 27 Oct
by Bleausardv2 Sun 27 Oct 2019, 3:15 pm
27 Oct 19: Sölden, Giant Slalom Men, Run 1 – Of course, no Marcel Hirscher today as he announced his retirement earlier this year, probably to the immense relief of Henrik Kristoffersen, who is first away today! Nice to actually have the men racing here after weather problems in past years! The course for run 1 has been set by a Norwegian coach and it’s apparently got a lot of cross piste swing! Right - the race is on, the first of 45 for the men this season. Kristoffersen (NOR) is down, and that looked good – conditions are pretty perfect too with compact but not that icy snow. Now, that’s interesting – Zan Kranjec (SLO) has made an error but he’s gone well into the green despite that – he leads by 0.46! Marco Odermatt (SUI) was red at inter 2 and 3, but he’s sensational on the final section to go 0.01 ahead! What a recovery! Fourth away is Matts Olsson (SWE) – he’s green at inter 1 and 2 but then it’s drifting into the red – he’s 3rd, +0.14. Next away is Alexis Pinturault – very fast to inter 1 and 0.66 ahead at 2; he’s lost a little lower down but he’s still fast – he leads by 0.33. Loic Meillard into 5th; Tommy Ford into joint 6th, with Kristoffersen – that’s a surprise. So is watching Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (NOR, and that’s the last time I type his full name this season) being off the pace and ending up 9th of 9, +1.28 – Norwegians not as fast as expected today? That’s 10 away – Pinturault leads from Odermatt and Kranjec. Manuel Feller (AUT) next – he might not be here for run 2 if his wife goes into labour, but he’s going well on run 1 – into 5th. Mathieu Faivre (FRA) is bib 13 – he’s really well in touch – just fractionally in the red but fast enough to go 2nd, just 0.02 behind his compatriot! Victor Muffat-Jeandet (FRA) won’t be joining them on the potential podium – just 14th. Fifteen away, Pinturault leads from Faivre and Odermatt. Break over and it’s nice to see Ted Ligety (USA) here again – he’s into 10th. No changes to the top 10 for a while but then it’s Erik Read (CAN, bib 25), on new skis – he’s into 5th! That’s good news for the later starters and Stefan Brennsteiner (AUT, bib 26) has following Read by going 7th. That’s the end of Eurosport coverage for run 1 – no changes to the top 10 since Brennsteiner, but there are 71 starters! Charlie Raposo (GBR) won’t be getting a second run – in 40th after his run and ended up 43rd. Run 1 over and no late changes to the top 10.
Run 2: Interesting comment by Ted Ligety, about the lower section now being more mushy as the sun has been on it; let’s see, as the sun is now moving behind the mountain. Run 2 is away, course set by a German coach, with Roland Leitinger (AUT, bib 53!) the first away – safely down. He’s held off a couple but Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR, nice to see him here) is green at inter 1 – but it’s drifted into the red; he’s 2nd – some points for the overall? Here’s another downhill racer – Matthias Mayer (AUT) and he takes the lead! The steep section is now very much in shadow, and it seems to be catching a few people out? That’s a good run from the 19 year old Lucas Braathen (NOR) – he’s gained time and leads by 0.71 – that looked good! Gino Caviezel (SUI) into 2nd – good result given he’s coming back from a knee injury. Ten away – Braathen leads from Caviezel and Mayer. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) into 3rd; Luca de Aliprandini (ITA) has got himself into 2nd – Leif K N-H was gaining time on the lower section but it’s gone again and he’s 4th. That’s half way – Braathen leads from de Aliprandini and Caviezel and the piste is beginning to cut up. Here comes Ted Ligety, he’s lost a bit from inter 1 to 2, pulled some back to 3, and he takes over the lead by 0.01! Next away is Henrik Kristoffersen, and he’s just drifting into the red at inter 1 – he’s made a big error; great recovery but it cost time – into 10th. Tommy Ford (USA) is doing better – gaining time to inter 3 – he’s lost a bit of it, but that was good enough to lead by 0.39! Eight to go; Manu Feller is still here, so his wife must be still waiting! It’s good but he’s into 8th and away to the hospital! He’s done better than poor Stefan Brennsteiner though, who is out at “that” tricky gate. Matts Olsson has made a couple big errors and he’s lost too much time – into 12th. Erik Read has gained time to inter 1, but he’s slipping back into the red at 2 – he’s into 4th. Zan Kranjec is keeping in the green, by various amounts, all the way down – great run and he’s into the lead by just 0.07! Now, Marco Odermatt has just 0.01 in hand at the start – he’s gained a little to inter 1, but then it’s an error – expensive as regards time and he drops to 11th. Just the French to come – Mathieu Faivre has just dipped into the red at 2, and he’s still there at 3 – brilliant final section though and he leads by 0.09! So, just Alexis Pinturault to go, with just 0.02 in hand – he’s gaining time all the way to inter 3, where he’s 0.56 ahead – that was a lovely run and he deservedly takes the opening GS win of the new season! Faivre in 2nd, ahead of Kranjec, Ford, Ligety and Braathen. What a race!
Run 2: Interesting comment by Ted Ligety, about the lower section now being more mushy as the sun has been on it; let’s see, as the sun is now moving behind the mountain. Run 2 is away, course set by a German coach, with Roland Leitinger (AUT, bib 53!) the first away – safely down. He’s held off a couple but Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR, nice to see him here) is green at inter 1 – but it’s drifted into the red; he’s 2nd – some points for the overall? Here’s another downhill racer – Matthias Mayer (AUT) and he takes the lead! The steep section is now very much in shadow, and it seems to be catching a few people out? That’s a good run from the 19 year old Lucas Braathen (NOR) – he’s gained time and leads by 0.71 – that looked good! Gino Caviezel (SUI) into 2nd – good result given he’s coming back from a knee injury. Ten away – Braathen leads from Caviezel and Mayer. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) into 3rd; Luca de Aliprandini (ITA) has got himself into 2nd – Leif K N-H was gaining time on the lower section but it’s gone again and he’s 4th. That’s half way – Braathen leads from de Aliprandini and Caviezel and the piste is beginning to cut up. Here comes Ted Ligety, he’s lost a bit from inter 1 to 2, pulled some back to 3, and he takes over the lead by 0.01! Next away is Henrik Kristoffersen, and he’s just drifting into the red at inter 1 – he’s made a big error; great recovery but it cost time – into 10th. Tommy Ford (USA) is doing better – gaining time to inter 3 – he’s lost a bit of it, but that was good enough to lead by 0.39! Eight to go; Manu Feller is still here, so his wife must be still waiting! It’s good but he’s into 8th and away to the hospital! He’s done better than poor Stefan Brennsteiner though, who is out at “that” tricky gate. Matts Olsson has made a couple big errors and he’s lost too much time – into 12th. Erik Read has gained time to inter 1, but he’s slipping back into the red at 2 – he’s into 4th. Zan Kranjec is keeping in the green, by various amounts, all the way down – great run and he’s into the lead by just 0.07! Now, Marco Odermatt has just 0.01 in hand at the start – he’s gained a little to inter 1, but then it’s an error – expensive as regards time and he drops to 11th. Just the French to come – Mathieu Faivre has just dipped into the red at 2, and he’s still there at 3 – brilliant final section though and he leads by 0.09! So, just Alexis Pinturault to go, with just 0.02 in hand – he’s gaining time all the way to inter 3, where he’s 0.56 ahead – that was a lovely run and he deservedly takes the opening GS win of the new season! Faivre in 2nd, ahead of Kranjec, Ford, Ligety and Braathen. What a race!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Levi - Slaloms 23/24 Nov
by Bleausardv2 Sun 24 Nov 2019, 8:47 am
23 Nov 19: Levi, Women’s Slalom, run 1: Looks a bit foggy, floodlights on! It’s a bit warmer than expected too, with new terrain on the course too. This first run was set by one of Mikaela Shiffrin’s coaches, but it’s going to be a tricky day in these conditions. Shiffrin (USA) the first away – that visibility is not good! She’s safely down, possibly one slight stumble but it didn’t seem to cause too much of a problem. Wendy Holdener (SUI) was slightly green at the top two intermediates but has been tricked by the terrain – she’s 1.42 behind at the finish. Liensberger (AUT) has had a snag at the same point as Holdener; she’s 1.56 off the pace. Lysdahl (NOR) is the first DNF of the day; Katharina Truppe (AUT) is more in touch – she’s into 2nd, +0.86. Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) into 3rd; next away is Petra Vlhova – in touch at inter 1 and 2, and she’s just green at inter 3 – Vlhova leads by 0.13! The first 12 are away – Vlhova leads from Shiffrin (+0.13) and Truppe (+0.99), then Swenn Larsson (+1.31), Haver-Løseth (+1.46) and Holdener (+1.55) make up the top 6. It does seem that many of the later starters are staying in touch to intermediate 2 but then losing time; Marina Wallner (GER) is fairly typical; +0.12 at inter 2 but ending up +2.63 in 11th. We’re at the second TV break now – no change to the top 6. No one with a start number above 20 has yet got into the top 10 – the best at present is Emelie Wikström (SWE, bib 23) in 11th. Sadly Charlie Guest (GBR) is among the DNFs. I did think for a while that Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR, bib 50) might just sneak into the top 10 – she was in 9th at the final intermediate but lost a little more time – even so, she’s currently 16th, which is pretty impressive! However, Martina Dubovska (CZE, bib 56) has gone one better (or 7 better, I suppose) – she’s into a very impressive 10th, +2.11 at present! And that’s how run 1 finished.
Run 2: Sadly I missed this live, so I had to watch it later. First away was Asa Ando (JPN), but sadly she was a DNF. Erin Mielzynski (CAN) had a better run, on a course set by a French coach (although ironically there is no French skier on run 2 [apart from Estelle Alphand who now skis for Sweden!]) although she was almost immediately replaced as the interim leader by Gabriela Capova (CZE), and then Katharina Gallhuber (AUT) put in a storming run on her comeback from injury, to give her the lead for a good amount of time! Not sure who was 22nd on run 1, but she didn’t take her second run, not sure why!? As for run 1, it seems relatively straightforward to stay in touch on the flatter top section, but the final steep section is where the time seems to leak away. Eventually Franziska Gritsch (AUT) takes over the lead from her compatriot; great result given she started run 1 with bib number 52! She only held that position while a couple more skiers had their turn, and then lost out to Sara Hector (SWE), who was replaced by Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR). Another missing skier, the 14th on run 1 didn’t do run 2! Emelie Wikström (SWE) was 12th on run 1 – she’s into the lead on run 2 for the moment; not for long though as Lena Dürr (GER) takes over straight away and she in turn is replaced by almost at once by Martina Dubovska (CZE) who started run 1 with bib 56 and is guaranteed a top 10 finish – very impressive, and great to see that the pressure didn’t get to her! She, in turn, was replaced by Michelle Gisin (SUI) who turned a deficit on the upper section into a nice lead; Katharina Liensberger (AUT) into 2nd and Katharina Huber (AUT) into 3rd. Next away, sixth on run 1, was Wendy Holdener (SUI) – she’s gaining time to inter 2, and even more to 3 – what a run, and she leads! That was brilliant – what a second run charge! Nina Haver-Løseth (NOR) into the red by inter 1, but a good lower section gets her into 2nd; Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) is keeping in the green to inter 2 but the light has gone red at 3 – she’s into 2nd. The last of the Austrian team next – Katharina Truppe [are they all Katharinas?] – some great recoveries, and she’s into second! Just 2 to go – here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s losing a bit of her advantage at the top to inter 2, but then she starts to gain time – that’s the lead by a massive 1.78! Just Petra Vlhova to go – fractional gain to inter 1 but then she’ s fallen; she seems OK but understandably annoyed with herself! So, Shiffrin wins the first slalom of the season, ahead of Wendy Holdener and Katharina Truppe (I think that’s her first podium?); Swenn Larsson in 4th ahead of Haver-Løseth and Gisin.
Edit – I forgot to mention that Mikaela Shiffrin’s win means she is not only the first woman to win 4 slalom races at Levi, but more importantly she has also now beaten Ingemar Stenmark’s record by recording 41 world cup slalom victories.
24 Nov 19: Levi, Men’s Slalom, run 1: Conditions look pretty nasty, but arguably not too bad for an early season event? It’s misty again, perhaps worse than yesterday (hard to tell on TV) and only just below zero; grippy snow and some new terrain – course set by a Slovenian coach. Right – the race is on – Ramon Zenhaeusern (SUI) the first away. It seems to be an easy set, but that might mean it’s hard to go really fast. That looked like a really good start; Daniel Yule (SUI) is next to go and he’s in the red early on, dead level at inter 3 but he’s lost a bit to the line – into 2nd. Here comes Manuel Feller (AUT) – he’s exciting but his timing seems to be a bit off – into 3rd, +1.06; he isn’t happy with that! Now, Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR); again he’s in the red at inter 1 and 2 – into the green at inter 3 but he too has lost a tiny bit to the line – into 2nd but just 0.02 off the pace. Michael Matt (AUT) is losing a bit between inter 2 and 3 – into 4th, +0.70. Now, Clement Noel (FRA) is another of the favourites today – he’s just green at 1, just red at 2, but nicely green at inter 3 – he takes the lead by an impressive 0.66! It’s starting to snow a little more heavily now, as Alexis Pinturault (FRA) comes onto the course – that’s a rather disappointing 7th, +2.48! Manfred Mölgg (ITA) into 4th; Victor Muffat-Jeandet (FRA) has also had a disappointing run – he’s 9th of 9, +2.75. Stefano Gross (ITA) is the first DNF; that’s 10 away and Noel leads from Zenhaeusern and Kristoffersen. Andre Myhrer (SWE) into 6th; Christian Hirschbühl (AUT) is more in touch and he’s into 4th. Next to go is Dave Ryding (GBR) and he’s just green at inter 1, more green at 2, into the red at 3 but he’s holding on to the speed and he’s into 2nd, +0.39 – Nick is going hoarse again. That’s the first TV break - Noel leads from Ryding, ahead of Zenhaeusern, Kristoffersen, Hirschbühl and Mölgg. The course is beginning to get a little rutted it seems – as with yesterday several skiers are in touch to inter 2, and then losing more time on the steep. It does seem that several of the skiers are carrying on with their racing longer than used to be the norm – some are nearly as old as the commentary team! That’s a good run from Elias Kolega (CRO) – bib number 23 and into 9th! His countryman, Matej Vidovic is well in touch to inter 2, but he’s got one of those tricky rollers wrong – that’s dropped him to 22nd! That’s Zan Kranjec (SLO) into 17th – it’s a big start list today and Pinturault is currently in 24th – safe for a second run at present, but if he doesn’t make the cut that will be a setback for his aspirations for the big globe this year! That’s Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (NOR) into 9th – great effort from bib number 30! Eurosport coverage has ended, but Pavel Trikhichev (RUS, bib 38) has had a pretty good run into 23rd, which means Muffat-Jeandet won’t get a second run, and Alexis Pinturault drops to 29th. What a time for a power cut – lost it for a couple minutes, during which time Pinturault slipped to 31st – no second run, which isn’t helping his quest for the big globe this year, now that Hirscher has retired! There are a few other names who won’t be in run 2 as well, including Fritz Dopfer (GER) and J-B Grange (FRA). Impressive stuff from Filip Zubcic (CRO) to get to joint 29th from a start number of 70, and he just hangs on to get a second run; the number of DNFs are growing now – sadly including Laurie Taylor. That’s run 1 over – Leif K N-H the highest bib number to get into the top 10; no change to the top 6 since Hirschbühl went 5th!
Run 2: It looks as though the ski jumping is over-running (what a surprise) so all Eurosport have on at present is the “ambient sound” coverage, which seems to mean no commentary! If anything the snow seems heavier as Loic Meillard (SUI) starts run 2; he’s safely down but Filip Zubcic has gone 0.11 faster – that snow is definitely much heavier!! Good on Armand Marchant (BEL) – this is the first time he’s qualified for run 2 at Levi – into 3rd. Trevor Philp (CAN) was in touch at the top but had a few snags on the steep – he’s into 3rd, a place that Pavel Trikhichev has just taken away from him, only to lose it to Tanguy Nef (SUI). I was a little surprised to see Luca Aerni (SUI) so far down – he’s into 2nd as Zubcic holds on to the lead. Now, Linus Strasser (GER) is gaining time on his second run – he takes the lead by 0.34 – hopefully he hasn’t been breathing pure oxygen this time! Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE) is hanging on to the green light and a good final section, where he gained 0.28 gives him the lead by 0.36. I think the visibility at the top is getting worse too? Johannes Strolz (AUT) is the first DNF of run 2, but he’s OK. Manu Feller into 3rd, and that’s us at the halfway stage – Jakobsen leads from Strasser and Feller, then Zubcic, with Aerni and Meillard tied in 5th. After the TV break Sandro Simonet (SUI) has got into 3rd, only to lose it to next on the course Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR). Young Alex Vinatzer (ITA) into 4th; well done to Istok Rodes (CRO) for pulling back time on the final turns to go from 9th at inter 3 to 6th – I wonder if he’ll have time to give a course report to Kolega? Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR) has gone into 3rd at present; Michael Matt is now into 4th, and here comes Elias Kolega – a healthy advantage of 0.50 at the start has pretty much gone by inter 2 and he’s losing time all the way – just 12th, behind Rodes who is currently 7th. An error from Leif K N-H on the final section which drops him to 20th. At the next TV break it’s still Jakobsen in the lead from Strasser and Foss-Solevaag. First on course after the break is Andre Myhrer (SWE) and although he’s losing time he’s keeping the light green – he leads by 0.19; still Jakobsen with the fastest time on run 2 though! Daniel Yule (SUI) has gained a good amount between inter 2 and 3, and he takes over the lead by 0.16 despite losing a little on the final section. Now Manfred Mölgg has only 0.03 in hand at the start and he’s just into the red at inter 2 – it’s slipping away from him and he’s into 6th. Five to go - Christian Hirschbühl is into the red by inter 2, and he’s going to disappointed with 4th. Next to go will be Henrik Kristoffersen, with an advantage of 0.26 – he’s just green at inter 2 but has managed to pull back some time by 3 – he takes over the lead by 0.18 after losing a little on the final turns – very impressive on the steep. Ramon Zenhaeusern next, with just 0.02 over Henrik – he’s gained time to inter 2 but he’s red by 0.62 at inter 3 – he’s pulled back some of that to go third, by 0.27. Next to go is Dave Ryding, and he’s flying – 0.29 at the start, 0.40 at inter 1, 0.74 at inter 2 and – he’s a DNF after falling – seems OK but gutted! Perhaps it’s as well we don’t have Nick F on commentary at present? Just Clement Noel to go – green at 1 and 2, but 0.27 red at 3 after an error – he has pulled some of it back, great recovery, but not enough – he goes 2nd by 0.09. So, Henrik Kristoffersen wins the first slalom of the season, Clement Noel in 2nd and Daniel Yule taking the final podium place. Ramon Zenhaeusern in 4th, ahead of Myhrer and Jakobsen, who was the fastest on run 2!
Run 2: Sadly I missed this live, so I had to watch it later. First away was Asa Ando (JPN), but sadly she was a DNF. Erin Mielzynski (CAN) had a better run, on a course set by a French coach (although ironically there is no French skier on run 2 [apart from Estelle Alphand who now skis for Sweden!]) although she was almost immediately replaced as the interim leader by Gabriela Capova (CZE), and then Katharina Gallhuber (AUT) put in a storming run on her comeback from injury, to give her the lead for a good amount of time! Not sure who was 22nd on run 1, but she didn’t take her second run, not sure why!? As for run 1, it seems relatively straightforward to stay in touch on the flatter top section, but the final steep section is where the time seems to leak away. Eventually Franziska Gritsch (AUT) takes over the lead from her compatriot; great result given she started run 1 with bib number 52! She only held that position while a couple more skiers had their turn, and then lost out to Sara Hector (SWE), who was replaced by Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR). Another missing skier, the 14th on run 1 didn’t do run 2! Emelie Wikström (SWE) was 12th on run 1 – she’s into the lead on run 2 for the moment; not for long though as Lena Dürr (GER) takes over straight away and she in turn is replaced by almost at once by Martina Dubovska (CZE) who started run 1 with bib 56 and is guaranteed a top 10 finish – very impressive, and great to see that the pressure didn’t get to her! She, in turn, was replaced by Michelle Gisin (SUI) who turned a deficit on the upper section into a nice lead; Katharina Liensberger (AUT) into 2nd and Katharina Huber (AUT) into 3rd. Next away, sixth on run 1, was Wendy Holdener (SUI) – she’s gaining time to inter 2, and even more to 3 – what a run, and she leads! That was brilliant – what a second run charge! Nina Haver-Løseth (NOR) into the red by inter 1, but a good lower section gets her into 2nd; Anna Swenn Larsson (SWE) is keeping in the green to inter 2 but the light has gone red at 3 – she’s into 2nd. The last of the Austrian team next – Katharina Truppe [are they all Katharinas?] – some great recoveries, and she’s into second! Just 2 to go – here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s losing a bit of her advantage at the top to inter 2, but then she starts to gain time – that’s the lead by a massive 1.78! Just Petra Vlhova to go – fractional gain to inter 1 but then she’ s fallen; she seems OK but understandably annoyed with herself! So, Shiffrin wins the first slalom of the season, ahead of Wendy Holdener and Katharina Truppe (I think that’s her first podium?); Swenn Larsson in 4th ahead of Haver-Løseth and Gisin.
Edit – I forgot to mention that Mikaela Shiffrin’s win means she is not only the first woman to win 4 slalom races at Levi, but more importantly she has also now beaten Ingemar Stenmark’s record by recording 41 world cup slalom victories.
24 Nov 19: Levi, Men’s Slalom, run 1: Conditions look pretty nasty, but arguably not too bad for an early season event? It’s misty again, perhaps worse than yesterday (hard to tell on TV) and only just below zero; grippy snow and some new terrain – course set by a Slovenian coach. Right – the race is on – Ramon Zenhaeusern (SUI) the first away. It seems to be an easy set, but that might mean it’s hard to go really fast. That looked like a really good start; Daniel Yule (SUI) is next to go and he’s in the red early on, dead level at inter 3 but he’s lost a bit to the line – into 2nd. Here comes Manuel Feller (AUT) – he’s exciting but his timing seems to be a bit off – into 3rd, +1.06; he isn’t happy with that! Now, Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR); again he’s in the red at inter 1 and 2 – into the green at inter 3 but he too has lost a tiny bit to the line – into 2nd but just 0.02 off the pace. Michael Matt (AUT) is losing a bit between inter 2 and 3 – into 4th, +0.70. Now, Clement Noel (FRA) is another of the favourites today – he’s just green at 1, just red at 2, but nicely green at inter 3 – he takes the lead by an impressive 0.66! It’s starting to snow a little more heavily now, as Alexis Pinturault (FRA) comes onto the course – that’s a rather disappointing 7th, +2.48! Manfred Mölgg (ITA) into 4th; Victor Muffat-Jeandet (FRA) has also had a disappointing run – he’s 9th of 9, +2.75. Stefano Gross (ITA) is the first DNF; that’s 10 away and Noel leads from Zenhaeusern and Kristoffersen. Andre Myhrer (SWE) into 6th; Christian Hirschbühl (AUT) is more in touch and he’s into 4th. Next to go is Dave Ryding (GBR) and he’s just green at inter 1, more green at 2, into the red at 3 but he’s holding on to the speed and he’s into 2nd, +0.39 – Nick is going hoarse again. That’s the first TV break - Noel leads from Ryding, ahead of Zenhaeusern, Kristoffersen, Hirschbühl and Mölgg. The course is beginning to get a little rutted it seems – as with yesterday several skiers are in touch to inter 2, and then losing more time on the steep. It does seem that several of the skiers are carrying on with their racing longer than used to be the norm – some are nearly as old as the commentary team! That’s a good run from Elias Kolega (CRO) – bib number 23 and into 9th! His countryman, Matej Vidovic is well in touch to inter 2, but he’s got one of those tricky rollers wrong – that’s dropped him to 22nd! That’s Zan Kranjec (SLO) into 17th – it’s a big start list today and Pinturault is currently in 24th – safe for a second run at present, but if he doesn’t make the cut that will be a setback for his aspirations for the big globe this year! That’s Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (NOR) into 9th – great effort from bib number 30! Eurosport coverage has ended, but Pavel Trikhichev (RUS, bib 38) has had a pretty good run into 23rd, which means Muffat-Jeandet won’t get a second run, and Alexis Pinturault drops to 29th. What a time for a power cut – lost it for a couple minutes, during which time Pinturault slipped to 31st – no second run, which isn’t helping his quest for the big globe this year, now that Hirscher has retired! There are a few other names who won’t be in run 2 as well, including Fritz Dopfer (GER) and J-B Grange (FRA). Impressive stuff from Filip Zubcic (CRO) to get to joint 29th from a start number of 70, and he just hangs on to get a second run; the number of DNFs are growing now – sadly including Laurie Taylor. That’s run 1 over – Leif K N-H the highest bib number to get into the top 10; no change to the top 6 since Hirschbühl went 5th!
Run 2: It looks as though the ski jumping is over-running (what a surprise) so all Eurosport have on at present is the “ambient sound” coverage, which seems to mean no commentary! If anything the snow seems heavier as Loic Meillard (SUI) starts run 2; he’s safely down but Filip Zubcic has gone 0.11 faster – that snow is definitely much heavier!! Good on Armand Marchant (BEL) – this is the first time he’s qualified for run 2 at Levi – into 3rd. Trevor Philp (CAN) was in touch at the top but had a few snags on the steep – he’s into 3rd, a place that Pavel Trikhichev has just taken away from him, only to lose it to Tanguy Nef (SUI). I was a little surprised to see Luca Aerni (SUI) so far down – he’s into 2nd as Zubcic holds on to the lead. Now, Linus Strasser (GER) is gaining time on his second run – he takes the lead by 0.34 – hopefully he hasn’t been breathing pure oxygen this time! Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE) is hanging on to the green light and a good final section, where he gained 0.28 gives him the lead by 0.36. I think the visibility at the top is getting worse too? Johannes Strolz (AUT) is the first DNF of run 2, but he’s OK. Manu Feller into 3rd, and that’s us at the halfway stage – Jakobsen leads from Strasser and Feller, then Zubcic, with Aerni and Meillard tied in 5th. After the TV break Sandro Simonet (SUI) has got into 3rd, only to lose it to next on the course Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR). Young Alex Vinatzer (ITA) into 4th; well done to Istok Rodes (CRO) for pulling back time on the final turns to go from 9th at inter 3 to 6th – I wonder if he’ll have time to give a course report to Kolega? Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR) has gone into 3rd at present; Michael Matt is now into 4th, and here comes Elias Kolega – a healthy advantage of 0.50 at the start has pretty much gone by inter 2 and he’s losing time all the way – just 12th, behind Rodes who is currently 7th. An error from Leif K N-H on the final section which drops him to 20th. At the next TV break it’s still Jakobsen in the lead from Strasser and Foss-Solevaag. First on course after the break is Andre Myhrer (SWE) and although he’s losing time he’s keeping the light green – he leads by 0.19; still Jakobsen with the fastest time on run 2 though! Daniel Yule (SUI) has gained a good amount between inter 2 and 3, and he takes over the lead by 0.16 despite losing a little on the final section. Now Manfred Mölgg has only 0.03 in hand at the start and he’s just into the red at inter 2 – it’s slipping away from him and he’s into 6th. Five to go - Christian Hirschbühl is into the red by inter 2, and he’s going to disappointed with 4th. Next to go will be Henrik Kristoffersen, with an advantage of 0.26 – he’s just green at inter 2 but has managed to pull back some time by 3 – he takes over the lead by 0.18 after losing a little on the final turns – very impressive on the steep. Ramon Zenhaeusern next, with just 0.02 over Henrik – he’s gained time to inter 2 but he’s red by 0.62 at inter 3 – he’s pulled back some of that to go third, by 0.27. Next to go is Dave Ryding, and he’s flying – 0.29 at the start, 0.40 at inter 1, 0.74 at inter 2 and – he’s a DNF after falling – seems OK but gutted! Perhaps it’s as well we don’t have Nick F on commentary at present? Just Clement Noel to go – green at 1 and 2, but 0.27 red at 3 after an error – he has pulled some of it back, great recovery, but not enough – he goes 2nd by 0.09. So, Henrik Kristoffersen wins the first slalom of the season, Clement Noel in 2nd and Daniel Yule taking the final podium place. Ramon Zenhaeusern in 4th, ahead of Myhrer and Jakobsen, who was the fastest on run 2!
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Biathlon - Östersund; Mixed Relays, 30 Nov
by Bleausardv2 Sun 01 Dec 2019, 11:05 am
Östersund – Single Mixed Relay; 30 Nov 2019: Sounds as though I must have missed an event, as the commentators keep talking about one? This is the first of the two “mixed” races today so the first problem for the coaches is to decide who goes in which event! So, the single mixed (1 of each, both going twice) is away. Some good names in this event – Lisa Theresa Hauser, Hannah Öberg, Marte Olsbu Røiseland , Franziska Preuß, and Susan Dunklee among them. It’s quite windy as they come in for shoot 1 (and, as it’s a relay, they have 3 spare rounds available each time) – Julia Simon (FRA) clear and away ahead of Hauser (AUT), Sanfillippo (ITA), Merkushyna (UKR) and Sola (BLR), who was the fastest with 1 spare used. Poor Öberg has used all her spares and is doing a penalty loop! Women coming in for S2 – the first standing shoot of the season – Simon has missed 2, as have Sola and Hauser. Merkushyna is clear and away; Franziska Preuß (2 spares at S1) is clear here and out 2nd, ahead of Sola, despite the penalty loop she had to do this time. Røiseland has used 5 spares and is out 4th ahead of Simon (loop this time) and Dunklee (USA – 4 spares so far). So – at the first exchange it’s UKR/GER/BLR/NOR/FRA/USA. Men pretty much straight into their prone shoot – Tyschenko (UKR) is clear and out 33.6 ahead of Erik Lesser (GER) who used 2 spares. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (NOR) also used 2 spares but is out 3rd (+47.5) ahead of Desthieux (FRA), and Doherty (USA). Men’s standing shoot – Tyschenko has actually used 1 spare – he’s out 28.5 ahead of Lesser (1 spare here) with Seb Samuelsson (SWE) up to 3rd after using just 1 spare – great recovery after Öberg’s 2 penalty loops. So at exchange 2 it’s UKR/GER/SWE/USA/AUT/NOR. At the next prone, Anastasia Merkushyna has used 1 more spare, but so has Preuß who is out 2nd; Öberg has used 2 more but is out 3rd. Dunklee in 4th, ahead of Hauser and Røiseland. Now – the final shoot for the women; standing again – wind quite strong and gusty. Merkushyna has missed her first, and another, and a third and more. Preuß is clear and away, ahead of Öberg (2+9, +13.7 – what a recovery!), Røiseland (1+13; +44.0) then Dunklee, Hauser and then Merkushyna (3 penalty loops! +1:02.0). Final exchange – GER/SWE/NOR/USA/AUT/UKR. Erik Lesser in for his prone – clear and out. Samuelsson has used 1 spare but is out +17.7, ahead of Christiansen, Doherty, and Tyschenko. Final shoot of this race – the wind has picked up even more – very variable! Lesser is missing this time – Samuelsson has used just 1 spare and he’s away. Lesser has done a loop but he’s still out 2nd as Christiansen uses 3 spares – out 3rd ahead of Tyschenko, Zahkna (EST) and Doherty. There doesn’t seem to be a team in the top 15 at present who haven’t been on the penalty loop at some stage today! At the finish Sweden (2 penalty loops + 11 spares) have taken the win, despite Öberg’s 2 penalty loops early on; Germany (1+9) in 2nd, comfortably ahead of Norway (1+16). Ukraine (3+6) in 4th, then Estonia (1+8; great effort) and USA (1+16). France in 7th, just ahead of Italy. So, mixed relay next; incidentally, what is happening in the IBU cup, where there is a French athlete called something like “M Bourgeois-Republique”??
Östersund – Mixed Relay; 30 Nov 2019: Right – this one is 2 of each so they only do 1 leg each. Norway look strong – Tandrevold, Eckhoff and both Bø brothers; France have Aymonier, Bescond, Fillon Maillet and Martin Fourcade; Italy Vittozzi, Wierer, Hofer and Windisch. Not so sure about Germany with Karo Horchler, Herrmann, Schempp and Doll. Conditions are lovely apart from the strong, variable and gusty wind, although it seems to have eased a little at present for this event, which will be under the lights! Ye gods – so many adverts on Eurosport, that’s three in a very short space, and I suspect we’ll get another after every shoot! The race is on – at 1.7 Km Marie Eder (FIN) leads from Vittozzi (ITA), and Selina Gasparin (SUI) with Aymonier (FRA) and Persson (SWE) tied in 4th. Norway and France missing – it’s Yurlova-Percht (RUS) who leads out, ahead of Horchler (GER), Persson, Tang (China, coached by the Bjørndalens) and Vita Semerenko. Estonia, Lithuania and Japan on the penalty loops this time; Tandrevold used 2 spares and Aymonier 3. We’ve lost the commentary feed! In for shooting 2 – Vittozzi is clear this time and she leads out, ahead of Eder, Claire Egan (USA), Moser (CAN), Persson and Semerenko – Horchler in 7th after using all 3 spares; Yurlova has done 1 loop. Got the commentary feed back – not sure what happened to Moser – she’s going backwards on the lap; 4th to 11th by 5.7 Km. At exchange 1 it’s ITA/FIN/SWE/SUI/UKR/USA. Doro Wierer on leg 2, chased by Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Brorsson (SWE); Denise Herrmann up to 6th early on, Tiril Eckhoff gaining time. Wierer in for her prone shoot with Kaisa M in close company. They seem to be lucky with the wind; both use 1 spare as the wind picks up again – Doro leads out, with Kaisa in 2nd +23.7, then Brorsson, Haecki (SUI), Herrmann (clear!) and Blashko (UKR). Tiril Eckhoff has used 2 spares and is out 8th, +1:01.4. It’s starting to snow a little as they head for S4. Doro is in – that’s amazingly fast and she’s clear and away! The chasing group are missing; Denise Herrmann has used 2 spares, Brorsson 1 but the German is marginally ahead as they both leave the range. Kaisa has used 2 more spares and is now 4th, +1:06.1 ahead of Blashko and Haecki (who did 1 loop after her standing shoot). Eckhoff has used another 3 spares and is now +1:37.3. At exchange 2 Italy lead by 39.3, ahead of Germany with Sweden up to 3rd, +56.6. Then FIN/SUI/CZE; Norway in 8th, +1:32.5. So, Lukas Hofer leads away on leg 3, ahead of Simon Schempp and Jesper Nelin; Tarjei Bø has gained a place by the 0.7 Km point, +1:23.1. Already four teams have been lapped and pulled out; in for shooting 5 and Hofer has only used 1 spare; he leads out. Schempp needs 2 spares which loses him a place to Nelin who shot clear. Seppala (FIN) in 4th ahead of Tarjei Bø and Weger (SUI). Oh dear, Moravec (CZE) is doing 2 penalty loops and Burnotte (CAN) 3. No sign of a French threat – QFM is 15th at present after being handed just over a 3 minute deficit at exchange 2. Final shoot for Hofer – 1 spare again and he stays in the lead. Nelin is missing – he needs all 3 spares but the rest of the chase group are also missing. Nelin is out 2nd, +1:08.4, with Bø up to 3rd after needing just 1 spare. Weger is 4th, ahead of Schempp who also used all 3 spares, with Nordgren (USA) in 6th. At the final exchange Italy (0+5) lead, from Sweden (0+7; +1:00.6), Norway (0+12; +1:07.8) Switzerland, Germany and USA. Now, can Dominik Windisch hold off Johannes Thingnes Bø? Windisch is in for his prone – bit lucky with his 4th, then 2 spares used as the chasers (NOR/FIN) arrive. Both of them are missing though and both need all 3 spares! Windisch leads JoBø by 49.5 with Ponsiluoma (FIN) 3rd, +56.2. Finello (SUI) up to 4th, ahead of Loginov (RUS) and Landertinger (AUT) – Germany (Doll) on the penalty loop and down in 7th, Martin F also needed all 3 spares and he’s 12th. Dominik Windisch is in for his standing shoot – he needs 2 spares; he’s away but JoBø has just blasted all 5 targets and he’s out just 12.1 behind! Ponsiluoma has used 1 spare and he’s out 3rd, with a good gap over Finello, Loginov and Landertinger. At 4.7 Km JoBø has pulled back just a fraction over 1 second. At 5.7 Km the gap is just 6.6 seconds; 1 climb to go! Well done Dominik – Italy (0+9) take a very well deserved win, just 4.1 ahead of Norway (0+15) with Sweden (0+11) in 3rd. Russia take 4th, ahead of Austria and Switzerland; Germany in 7th after Schempp’s shooting, compounded by Doll’s penalty loop!
Östersund – Mixed Relay; 30 Nov 2019: Right – this one is 2 of each so they only do 1 leg each. Norway look strong – Tandrevold, Eckhoff and both Bø brothers; France have Aymonier, Bescond, Fillon Maillet and Martin Fourcade; Italy Vittozzi, Wierer, Hofer and Windisch. Not so sure about Germany with Karo Horchler, Herrmann, Schempp and Doll. Conditions are lovely apart from the strong, variable and gusty wind, although it seems to have eased a little at present for this event, which will be under the lights! Ye gods – so many adverts on Eurosport, that’s three in a very short space, and I suspect we’ll get another after every shoot! The race is on – at 1.7 Km Marie Eder (FIN) leads from Vittozzi (ITA), and Selina Gasparin (SUI) with Aymonier (FRA) and Persson (SWE) tied in 4th. Norway and France missing – it’s Yurlova-Percht (RUS) who leads out, ahead of Horchler (GER), Persson, Tang (China, coached by the Bjørndalens) and Vita Semerenko. Estonia, Lithuania and Japan on the penalty loops this time; Tandrevold used 2 spares and Aymonier 3. We’ve lost the commentary feed! In for shooting 2 – Vittozzi is clear this time and she leads out, ahead of Eder, Claire Egan (USA), Moser (CAN), Persson and Semerenko – Horchler in 7th after using all 3 spares; Yurlova has done 1 loop. Got the commentary feed back – not sure what happened to Moser – she’s going backwards on the lap; 4th to 11th by 5.7 Km. At exchange 1 it’s ITA/FIN/SWE/SUI/UKR/USA. Doro Wierer on leg 2, chased by Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Brorsson (SWE); Denise Herrmann up to 6th early on, Tiril Eckhoff gaining time. Wierer in for her prone shoot with Kaisa M in close company. They seem to be lucky with the wind; both use 1 spare as the wind picks up again – Doro leads out, with Kaisa in 2nd +23.7, then Brorsson, Haecki (SUI), Herrmann (clear!) and Blashko (UKR). Tiril Eckhoff has used 2 spares and is out 8th, +1:01.4. It’s starting to snow a little as they head for S4. Doro is in – that’s amazingly fast and she’s clear and away! The chasing group are missing; Denise Herrmann has used 2 spares, Brorsson 1 but the German is marginally ahead as they both leave the range. Kaisa has used 2 more spares and is now 4th, +1:06.1 ahead of Blashko and Haecki (who did 1 loop after her standing shoot). Eckhoff has used another 3 spares and is now +1:37.3. At exchange 2 Italy lead by 39.3, ahead of Germany with Sweden up to 3rd, +56.6. Then FIN/SUI/CZE; Norway in 8th, +1:32.5. So, Lukas Hofer leads away on leg 3, ahead of Simon Schempp and Jesper Nelin; Tarjei Bø has gained a place by the 0.7 Km point, +1:23.1. Already four teams have been lapped and pulled out; in for shooting 5 and Hofer has only used 1 spare; he leads out. Schempp needs 2 spares which loses him a place to Nelin who shot clear. Seppala (FIN) in 4th ahead of Tarjei Bø and Weger (SUI). Oh dear, Moravec (CZE) is doing 2 penalty loops and Burnotte (CAN) 3. No sign of a French threat – QFM is 15th at present after being handed just over a 3 minute deficit at exchange 2. Final shoot for Hofer – 1 spare again and he stays in the lead. Nelin is missing – he needs all 3 spares but the rest of the chase group are also missing. Nelin is out 2nd, +1:08.4, with Bø up to 3rd after needing just 1 spare. Weger is 4th, ahead of Schempp who also used all 3 spares, with Nordgren (USA) in 6th. At the final exchange Italy (0+5) lead, from Sweden (0+7; +1:00.6), Norway (0+12; +1:07.8) Switzerland, Germany and USA. Now, can Dominik Windisch hold off Johannes Thingnes Bø? Windisch is in for his prone – bit lucky with his 4th, then 2 spares used as the chasers (NOR/FIN) arrive. Both of them are missing though and both need all 3 spares! Windisch leads JoBø by 49.5 with Ponsiluoma (FIN) 3rd, +56.2. Finello (SUI) up to 4th, ahead of Loginov (RUS) and Landertinger (AUT) – Germany (Doll) on the penalty loop and down in 7th, Martin F also needed all 3 spares and he’s 12th. Dominik Windisch is in for his standing shoot – he needs 2 spares; he’s away but JoBø has just blasted all 5 targets and he’s out just 12.1 behind! Ponsiluoma has used 1 spare and he’s out 3rd, with a good gap over Finello, Loginov and Landertinger. At 4.7 Km JoBø has pulled back just a fraction over 1 second. At 5.7 Km the gap is just 6.6 seconds; 1 climb to go! Well done Dominik – Italy (0+9) take a very well deserved win, just 4.1 ahead of Norway (0+15) with Sweden (0+11) in 3rd. Russia take 4th, ahead of Austria and Switzerland; Germany in 7th after Schempp’s shooting, compounded by Doll’s penalty loop!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Alpine Skiing - Killington & Lake Louise
by Bleausardv2 Sun 01 Dec 2019, 11:09 am
30 Nov: Killington, Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1: Missed a good bit of this because it clashed with the biathlon, and Eurosport missed it live because of the snooker (which is all over the BBC too)! Anyway, to summarise so far – Vikki Rebensburg away first; Wendy Holdener a little slower. Mikaela Shiffrin was bib 3 but she was only marginally faster than the German – I’d like to see that run! [Caught it on demand – slightly slow start and Shiffrin was playing catch up; just into the green on the line].Tessa Worley was next and she was faster than Shiffrin; mind you Shiffrin has never been better than 2nd in a Killington GS! Marta Bassino was quicker still, absolutely flying to inter 2 and beyond, and then Petra Vlhova went into 2nd; so far it’s Bassino, Vlhova and Worley with Shiffrin 4th!! Quick TV break and then Alice Robinson is a DNF; then it’s Michelle Gisin away and into 3rd; Shiffrin now 5th, +0.41! At TV break 2 it’s still the same; Bassino, Vlhova (+0.23), Gisin (bib 16), Worley, Shiffrin and Rebensburg. Not a bad run from Clara Direz (FRA, bib 27) into 16th – highest bib number in the top 20 so far. Also pretty good efforts by Marsaglia (bib 30) into 18th and Bucik (bib 35) into 20th at present. Now that was good – Estelle Alphand (SWE) – bib 47 and into joint 16th! Not quite sure how Sofia Goggia ended up with bib 54, but she’s into 15th, which is more like it! Final starter was Katharina Huber (bib 60) and she got into 21st place – no change to the top 6, looks like a good 2nd run in prospect? Nice to see Alex Tilley has just qualified for run 2, finishing in joint 30th!
Run 2: Sorry to hear that Ragnhild Mowinckel is apparently out for the season after re-injuring a knee in training. Good to see the nice conditions given the awful storms that the area has apparently had – very cold though. Right – the race is on; Maria Therese Tviberg (NOR) the first away – she’s a DNF, and that didn’t look nice – a full 360 and a heavy landing. Race interrupted, and it looks like there might be a need for a medic? Seems she might be OK as Alex Tilley has been called to the start; she’s safely down so she leads the competition at present!! That looked pretty good, and certainly Laura Pirovano (ITA) can’t match it – she’s 1.76 slower! Nina O Brien (USA) is next, and she too is over a second slower! Next away is Marie-Michele Gagnon (CAN) – gaining time to inter 1, but then an error and red at 2 and into 3rd – Alex is gaining some useful places and points. Marlene Schmotz (GER) has also gained to inter 1, just red at 2 and into 2nd. Now the Norwegians – Kristina Riis-Johannessen into 3rd; Kristin Lysdahl is also into the red at inter 1 and she can only manage 4th. Alex has seen off Ana Bucik too, but Andrea Ellenburger (SUI) is looking better – 0.46 ahead at inter 1, but she’s lost it lower down – that’s 10 away and Tilley leads. Katharina Huber into 2nd, Francesca Marsaglia had 0.56 in hand at inter 1 but once again the lower section is taking its toll and she can only manage 7th. Now, Lara Gut-Behrami in the start hut with 0.58 advantage – she’s into 2nd and that’s quite a scalp for Tilley! Clara Direz has also gone well to inter 1, but she too is losing time lower down – she’s improved after inter 2 though and at last the lead changes – that was a great effort by Alex Tilley. Direz hasn’t even managed to get to the leader’s chair before Estelle Alphand takes over the top spot – that was a good final section. That’s half way – Alphand leads from Direz and Tilley. TV break and then Sofia Goggia is away – she takes the lead! Katharina Truppe into 5th (behind Tilley); more Norwegians, and Mina Fuerst Holtmann is fast at the top and from inter 2 to the line – she takes over the lead. Stjernesund can’t quite match that and goes 5th; Meta Hrovat into 2nd. Now Wendy Holdener – she too has lost a bit on the lower section after a mistake, but she had enough in hand and takes over the lead by 0.17. This is very impressive – Federica Brignone has built on a very slender lead at the start to take over the lead by a massive 0.86; top 6 to come. Vikki Rebensburg can’t match Brignone – into 2nd; Shiffrin is next with 0.18 in hand – she’s lost it by inter 1 (0.05 red) and despite a good final section she’s only second – 0.03 off the pace! Tessa Worley into 3rd; Michelle Gisin is on course – gaining time at the top, 0.38 green at inter 1, 0.11 at 2 and it’s 3rd, just 0.05 off the leader; whatever happens that will apparently be her PB on a GS? Petra Vlhova seems to be a bit off her best this year – she’s red by inter 2 after an error on the flat – that’s a disappointing 5th place. Just Marta Bassino to come – still nicely green at inter 2 – she’s never won a World Cup race – she has now, it is all over! So, a great first win for Marta Bassino; her compatriot Federica Brignone is 2nd and Mikaela Shiffrin will probably be relieved to get the final place on the podium. Gisin in 4th, ahead of Worley and Vlhova with Alex Tilley ending up in 17th from bib number 51. No surprise that Brignone was fastest on run 2, with Tilley second fastest, ahead of Shiffrin!
30 Nov: Lake Louise, Men’s Downhill: Very cold – minus 22 degrees in places! That aside it looks lovely – blue skies and steep sections; Mauro Caviezel (SUI) is the first away and he’s down – faster than anything in training! Nought to sixty in 5 seconds according to the commentary team – that’s faster than my car! Josef Ferstl (Ger) into 2nd, but that was red all the way. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) in the red – he’s pulling some time back lower down, but not enough – into 2nd. I have actually skied a lot of this course, many years ago, but at nothing like those speeds! Good to see Peter Fill (ITA) back – he’s into 4th and now it’s last year’s winner – Beat Feuz (SUI). He’s into the green by inter 4 and he’s staying there – Feuz leads. Next to go is Carlo Janka (SUI), who has been blindingly fast in training – green all the way, but losing a little on the final section – he ties with Feuz in joint 1st – Switzerland have all 3 podium places at present. Now can Italy remove the Swiss – Dominik Paris is on course and he’s green at the top – slightly red at inter 3 and 4, green again at 5 and he takes over the lead by 0.24. Hannes Reichelt (AUT) – a veteran at 39 (aargh), into 7th after some impressive recoveries; Kilde (NOR) rather off the pace too and almost into the netting - just 6th. Adrien Theaux (FRA) drifting further into the red as he goes down the hill – he takes over 6th. First TV break – Paris leads from Janka/Feuz. Thomas Dressen (GER) is off it a bit at inter 1 but he’s pulling things back a bit and he’s fast through the final speed trap – Dressen leads by just 2 hundredths! Now, Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) on course – green at inter 1, dead level at inter 4 but now he’s drifting off the pace – one small error and it’s all gone – he’s 7th. Matthias Mayer into 5th, that’s the last major change so far! Dressen leads from Paris, Janka, Feuz, Mayer and Caviezel. Best of the later starters at present is Romed Baumann (GER) – start 32, into 15th – rather confusing as I could have sworn he was Austrian, but apparently he’s now German! Possibly the last major upset was Marco Odermatt, who was start number 62, but managed to get into 17th – very impressive! That’s how it finished, no changes to the top 20 since Odermatt – well done Thomas Dressen!
1 Dec: Killington, Women’s Slalom: This clashes with the women’s’ biathlon sprint so just a summary from the FIS feed I expect; hope to get run 2 live! Petra Vlhova will be first away on run 1 – safely down and Kristin Lysdahl can’t match her but bib 3 is Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s a stunning 1.13 faster! Liensberger into 3rd, but she’s lost that to Wendy Holdener; Christina Ackermann (GER) into 5th, but has that place taken away by Katharina Gallhuber. With 20 away it’s Shiffrin, Vlhova, Holdener, Liensberger, Gallhuber and Ackermann. Roni Remme (CAN) the highest bib number (19) in the top 10, in 10th place. No change to the top 10 so far but Federica Brignone has done well to go 11th from bib 31. Alex Tilley currently in 27th, but there are a lot to go – 61 in the start list! She’s just made it – 29th after run 1! All credit to Ana Bucik (bib 40 to 16th place) and Charlotte Chable (bib 42 to 19th).
Run 2: Course set by a Swiss coach this time, and it’s a bit of a turn rich beast. First away is Mina Fuerst Holtmann – safely down, but that looked a bit ragged at times? Ragged or not, Alex Tilley can’t match her speed today – 0.61 off the pace! Thea Louise Stjernesund however is much more impressive – over a second faster to take over the lead. Emelie Wikström into 2nd; Franziska Gritsch (no jokes about stealing Christmas please) goes into 3rd. Only briefly though as Magdalena Fjaellström is into 2nd; Asa Ando (JPN) now 4th. First 10 away – Stjernesund leads from Fjaellström and Wikström – the course is beginning to cut up a little. Gabriela Capova (CZE) isn’t being helped by the light conditions but she’s managed 4th, despite an error on the lower section. Chiara Mair (ITA) next and she’s keeping in the green until inter 2; just red at 3 but she’s pulled time back and ties for the lead – the sun has gone in and the light is really flat! Now Charlotte Chable (SUI) has 0.87 in hand – she’s keeping nicely in the green and still has 0.39 at inter 3 – massive error and she’s 12th. No such problems for Nina Haver-Løseth who has gained time all the way – she leads by a comfortable 1.26; that’s the best time so far on run 2! That was impressive – welcome back Nina! Irene Curtoni is arguably the first to challenge Nina, but she ends up 2nd, almost a full second back; St-Germain (CAN) is a DNF. Lena Dürr is well off the pace and it’s not a clean run – just 16th! That’s better – Kristin Lysdahl into 3rd; Brignone is out, and the visibility isn’t good – looks windy too. Now, Roni Remme was good on run 1, given her start number, but she’s into the red at inter 2 – she’s 2nd. Anna Swenn Larsson next, with an advantage of 1.17 – she’s lost half by inter 2 but is pulling a little back and she goes into the lead by 0.68. Huber is a DNF; Michelle Gisin into 4th as the wind seems to be getting worse – it’s lifting the banners and blowing the spindrift across the piste. Christina Ackermann (was Geiger) is going well in the conditions – into 2nd. It seems to be very easy to lose time on this course – Liensberger into 4th; next is Wendy Holdener, and she’s straddled the second gate – that is unusual! So Petra Vlhova next – 1.69 in hand; she’s lost a lot of it, but had enough of an advantage to still be in the green at the finish – she leads by 0.44! That’s just the 17th fastest time on run 2 but it’s enough at present. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to come – 1.13 green as she leaves the start hut – she’s lost a little to inter 1 but then she starts to gain; 1.25 at inter 2, 1,78 at 3 and she wins by a truly astonishing 2.29 – quiet amazing to see that is only the 4th best time on run 2; the best is still Nina H-L! That’s Shiffrin’s 4th win in Killington slalom out of 4 starts; not sure but I think she may also have broken another record, or equalled it, with that win? [Edit – no, but she’s equalled the second highest number of overall wins] Mikaela Shiffrin wins, ahead of Petra Vlhova and Anna Swenn Larsson. Christina Ackermann in 4th, ahead of Nina Haver-Løseth and Katharina Liensberger.
1 Dec: Lake Louise, Men’s Super G: Apparently the Norwegians have won this for the last 8 years! The commentary team reckon this Super G is very similar to yesterday’s Downhill – the mountain doesn’t allow too much variation, although the turns will be tighter where possible. Johan Clarey is the first away and he’s down safely; Christoph Krenn (AUT) green at inter 1 but thereafter he’s red – 2nd, +0.66. Now Kjetil Jansrud is one of the favourites – he’s green at 1 and 2 and building on his good start – almost a full second clear at inter 4 and he leads by 0.89. Risky but very impressive – can Beat Feuz match him? No, is the short answer – that looked very easy but only good enough for 2nd. Next is Mauro Caviezel red at inter 2 but after that he’s gaining it back – he’s taken over the lead by a massive 0.44; what a run! Steve Nyman into 4th; now it’s Dominik Paris, who lost the top place yesterday by just 2 hundredths – can he take revenge? He’s alternating between red and green; 0.01 red at inter 4 but he’s pulled it back and leads by 0.09! Vincent Kriechmayr is green at inter 4 but a couple tiny errors have cost him – into joint 2nd by 0.09 – just one heavy edge set and it’s gone! Thomas Dressen isn’t going to do the double sadly – he’s just 5th at present. Kilde into 4th, so maybe the Vikings won’t win today? That’s a fantastic run – Matthias Mayer right on the edge – red at inter 2 but back in green at 3 and he takes over 1st place by a pretty massive 0.40 – Dominik Paris edged out again! Marco Odermatt into 6th; Adrien Theaux is in touch at the top – losing a bit lower down and into 8th. That’s 20 away – Mayer (AUT) leads from Paris (ITA) and Kriechmayr (AUT), tied with Caviezel (SUI), then Kilde (NOR) and Odermatt (SUI) with Jansrud in 7th. That’s an impressive run from Mattia Casse (ITA) – he’s into 5th! Peter Fill on World Cup start 346 – I wonder if that is some kind of record? Sadly just 22nd, but what a career. Good effort for Emanuele Buzzi (ITA) to get into 13th, from start number 41, and also Brodie Seger (CAN); start 57 and into 16th! And that was it – well done Matthias Mayer, commiserations to Dominik Paris, runner up for the second day in succession, and well done Vincent Kriechmayr on third.
Run 2: Sorry to hear that Ragnhild Mowinckel is apparently out for the season after re-injuring a knee in training. Good to see the nice conditions given the awful storms that the area has apparently had – very cold though. Right – the race is on; Maria Therese Tviberg (NOR) the first away – she’s a DNF, and that didn’t look nice – a full 360 and a heavy landing. Race interrupted, and it looks like there might be a need for a medic? Seems she might be OK as Alex Tilley has been called to the start; she’s safely down so she leads the competition at present!! That looked pretty good, and certainly Laura Pirovano (ITA) can’t match it – she’s 1.76 slower! Nina O Brien (USA) is next, and she too is over a second slower! Next away is Marie-Michele Gagnon (CAN) – gaining time to inter 1, but then an error and red at 2 and into 3rd – Alex is gaining some useful places and points. Marlene Schmotz (GER) has also gained to inter 1, just red at 2 and into 2nd. Now the Norwegians – Kristina Riis-Johannessen into 3rd; Kristin Lysdahl is also into the red at inter 1 and she can only manage 4th. Alex has seen off Ana Bucik too, but Andrea Ellenburger (SUI) is looking better – 0.46 ahead at inter 1, but she’s lost it lower down – that’s 10 away and Tilley leads. Katharina Huber into 2nd, Francesca Marsaglia had 0.56 in hand at inter 1 but once again the lower section is taking its toll and she can only manage 7th. Now, Lara Gut-Behrami in the start hut with 0.58 advantage – she’s into 2nd and that’s quite a scalp for Tilley! Clara Direz has also gone well to inter 1, but she too is losing time lower down – she’s improved after inter 2 though and at last the lead changes – that was a great effort by Alex Tilley. Direz hasn’t even managed to get to the leader’s chair before Estelle Alphand takes over the top spot – that was a good final section. That’s half way – Alphand leads from Direz and Tilley. TV break and then Sofia Goggia is away – she takes the lead! Katharina Truppe into 5th (behind Tilley); more Norwegians, and Mina Fuerst Holtmann is fast at the top and from inter 2 to the line – she takes over the lead. Stjernesund can’t quite match that and goes 5th; Meta Hrovat into 2nd. Now Wendy Holdener – she too has lost a bit on the lower section after a mistake, but she had enough in hand and takes over the lead by 0.17. This is very impressive – Federica Brignone has built on a very slender lead at the start to take over the lead by a massive 0.86; top 6 to come. Vikki Rebensburg can’t match Brignone – into 2nd; Shiffrin is next with 0.18 in hand – she’s lost it by inter 1 (0.05 red) and despite a good final section she’s only second – 0.03 off the pace! Tessa Worley into 3rd; Michelle Gisin is on course – gaining time at the top, 0.38 green at inter 1, 0.11 at 2 and it’s 3rd, just 0.05 off the leader; whatever happens that will apparently be her PB on a GS? Petra Vlhova seems to be a bit off her best this year – she’s red by inter 2 after an error on the flat – that’s a disappointing 5th place. Just Marta Bassino to come – still nicely green at inter 2 – she’s never won a World Cup race – she has now, it is all over! So, a great first win for Marta Bassino; her compatriot Federica Brignone is 2nd and Mikaela Shiffrin will probably be relieved to get the final place on the podium. Gisin in 4th, ahead of Worley and Vlhova with Alex Tilley ending up in 17th from bib number 51. No surprise that Brignone was fastest on run 2, with Tilley second fastest, ahead of Shiffrin!
30 Nov: Lake Louise, Men’s Downhill: Very cold – minus 22 degrees in places! That aside it looks lovely – blue skies and steep sections; Mauro Caviezel (SUI) is the first away and he’s down – faster than anything in training! Nought to sixty in 5 seconds according to the commentary team – that’s faster than my car! Josef Ferstl (Ger) into 2nd, but that was red all the way. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) in the red – he’s pulling some time back lower down, but not enough – into 2nd. I have actually skied a lot of this course, many years ago, but at nothing like those speeds! Good to see Peter Fill (ITA) back – he’s into 4th and now it’s last year’s winner – Beat Feuz (SUI). He’s into the green by inter 4 and he’s staying there – Feuz leads. Next to go is Carlo Janka (SUI), who has been blindingly fast in training – green all the way, but losing a little on the final section – he ties with Feuz in joint 1st – Switzerland have all 3 podium places at present. Now can Italy remove the Swiss – Dominik Paris is on course and he’s green at the top – slightly red at inter 3 and 4, green again at 5 and he takes over the lead by 0.24. Hannes Reichelt (AUT) – a veteran at 39 (aargh), into 7th after some impressive recoveries; Kilde (NOR) rather off the pace too and almost into the netting - just 6th. Adrien Theaux (FRA) drifting further into the red as he goes down the hill – he takes over 6th. First TV break – Paris leads from Janka/Feuz. Thomas Dressen (GER) is off it a bit at inter 1 but he’s pulling things back a bit and he’s fast through the final speed trap – Dressen leads by just 2 hundredths! Now, Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) on course – green at inter 1, dead level at inter 4 but now he’s drifting off the pace – one small error and it’s all gone – he’s 7th. Matthias Mayer into 5th, that’s the last major change so far! Dressen leads from Paris, Janka, Feuz, Mayer and Caviezel. Best of the later starters at present is Romed Baumann (GER) – start 32, into 15th – rather confusing as I could have sworn he was Austrian, but apparently he’s now German! Possibly the last major upset was Marco Odermatt, who was start number 62, but managed to get into 17th – very impressive! That’s how it finished, no changes to the top 20 since Odermatt – well done Thomas Dressen!
1 Dec: Killington, Women’s Slalom: This clashes with the women’s’ biathlon sprint so just a summary from the FIS feed I expect; hope to get run 2 live! Petra Vlhova will be first away on run 1 – safely down and Kristin Lysdahl can’t match her but bib 3 is Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s a stunning 1.13 faster! Liensberger into 3rd, but she’s lost that to Wendy Holdener; Christina Ackermann (GER) into 5th, but has that place taken away by Katharina Gallhuber. With 20 away it’s Shiffrin, Vlhova, Holdener, Liensberger, Gallhuber and Ackermann. Roni Remme (CAN) the highest bib number (19) in the top 10, in 10th place. No change to the top 10 so far but Federica Brignone has done well to go 11th from bib 31. Alex Tilley currently in 27th, but there are a lot to go – 61 in the start list! She’s just made it – 29th after run 1! All credit to Ana Bucik (bib 40 to 16th place) and Charlotte Chable (bib 42 to 19th).
Run 2: Course set by a Swiss coach this time, and it’s a bit of a turn rich beast. First away is Mina Fuerst Holtmann – safely down, but that looked a bit ragged at times? Ragged or not, Alex Tilley can’t match her speed today – 0.61 off the pace! Thea Louise Stjernesund however is much more impressive – over a second faster to take over the lead. Emelie Wikström into 2nd; Franziska Gritsch (no jokes about stealing Christmas please) goes into 3rd. Only briefly though as Magdalena Fjaellström is into 2nd; Asa Ando (JPN) now 4th. First 10 away – Stjernesund leads from Fjaellström and Wikström – the course is beginning to cut up a little. Gabriela Capova (CZE) isn’t being helped by the light conditions but she’s managed 4th, despite an error on the lower section. Chiara Mair (ITA) next and she’s keeping in the green until inter 2; just red at 3 but she’s pulled time back and ties for the lead – the sun has gone in and the light is really flat! Now Charlotte Chable (SUI) has 0.87 in hand – she’s keeping nicely in the green and still has 0.39 at inter 3 – massive error and she’s 12th. No such problems for Nina Haver-Løseth who has gained time all the way – she leads by a comfortable 1.26; that’s the best time so far on run 2! That was impressive – welcome back Nina! Irene Curtoni is arguably the first to challenge Nina, but she ends up 2nd, almost a full second back; St-Germain (CAN) is a DNF. Lena Dürr is well off the pace and it’s not a clean run – just 16th! That’s better – Kristin Lysdahl into 3rd; Brignone is out, and the visibility isn’t good – looks windy too. Now, Roni Remme was good on run 1, given her start number, but she’s into the red at inter 2 – she’s 2nd. Anna Swenn Larsson next, with an advantage of 1.17 – she’s lost half by inter 2 but is pulling a little back and she goes into the lead by 0.68. Huber is a DNF; Michelle Gisin into 4th as the wind seems to be getting worse – it’s lifting the banners and blowing the spindrift across the piste. Christina Ackermann (was Geiger) is going well in the conditions – into 2nd. It seems to be very easy to lose time on this course – Liensberger into 4th; next is Wendy Holdener, and she’s straddled the second gate – that is unusual! So Petra Vlhova next – 1.69 in hand; she’s lost a lot of it, but had enough of an advantage to still be in the green at the finish – she leads by 0.44! That’s just the 17th fastest time on run 2 but it’s enough at present. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to come – 1.13 green as she leaves the start hut – she’s lost a little to inter 1 but then she starts to gain; 1.25 at inter 2, 1,78 at 3 and she wins by a truly astonishing 2.29 – quiet amazing to see that is only the 4th best time on run 2; the best is still Nina H-L! That’s Shiffrin’s 4th win in Killington slalom out of 4 starts; not sure but I think she may also have broken another record, or equalled it, with that win? [Edit – no, but she’s equalled the second highest number of overall wins] Mikaela Shiffrin wins, ahead of Petra Vlhova and Anna Swenn Larsson. Christina Ackermann in 4th, ahead of Nina Haver-Løseth and Katharina Liensberger.
1 Dec: Lake Louise, Men’s Super G: Apparently the Norwegians have won this for the last 8 years! The commentary team reckon this Super G is very similar to yesterday’s Downhill – the mountain doesn’t allow too much variation, although the turns will be tighter where possible. Johan Clarey is the first away and he’s down safely; Christoph Krenn (AUT) green at inter 1 but thereafter he’s red – 2nd, +0.66. Now Kjetil Jansrud is one of the favourites – he’s green at 1 and 2 and building on his good start – almost a full second clear at inter 4 and he leads by 0.89. Risky but very impressive – can Beat Feuz match him? No, is the short answer – that looked very easy but only good enough for 2nd. Next is Mauro Caviezel red at inter 2 but after that he’s gaining it back – he’s taken over the lead by a massive 0.44; what a run! Steve Nyman into 4th; now it’s Dominik Paris, who lost the top place yesterday by just 2 hundredths – can he take revenge? He’s alternating between red and green; 0.01 red at inter 4 but he’s pulled it back and leads by 0.09! Vincent Kriechmayr is green at inter 4 but a couple tiny errors have cost him – into joint 2nd by 0.09 – just one heavy edge set and it’s gone! Thomas Dressen isn’t going to do the double sadly – he’s just 5th at present. Kilde into 4th, so maybe the Vikings won’t win today? That’s a fantastic run – Matthias Mayer right on the edge – red at inter 2 but back in green at 3 and he takes over 1st place by a pretty massive 0.40 – Dominik Paris edged out again! Marco Odermatt into 6th; Adrien Theaux is in touch at the top – losing a bit lower down and into 8th. That’s 20 away – Mayer (AUT) leads from Paris (ITA) and Kriechmayr (AUT), tied with Caviezel (SUI), then Kilde (NOR) and Odermatt (SUI) with Jansrud in 7th. That’s an impressive run from Mattia Casse (ITA) – he’s into 5th! Peter Fill on World Cup start 346 – I wonder if that is some kind of record? Sadly just 22nd, but what a career. Good effort for Emanuele Buzzi (ITA) to get into 13th, from start number 41, and also Brodie Seger (CAN); start 57 and into 16th! And that was it – well done Matthias Mayer, commiserations to Dominik Paris, runner up for the second day in succession, and well done Vincent Kriechmayr on third.
Last edited by Bleausardv2 on Mon 02 Dec 2019, 9:36 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : 1 Dec races)
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Biathlon - Östersund; Sprints
by Bleausardv2 Mon 02 Dec 2019, 9:37 am
Östersund - Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 1 Dec 2019: Eurosport don’t seem to have this live either; it’s scheduled to start 25 minutes after the actual event start, which is a pity! Starting in the middle of the pack looks favourite; JoBø and Martin Fourcade are going in the mid 40s. At present the wind seems a bit kinder today; the race is on – 109 starters! Erlend Bjøntegaard (NOR) the first away today; with 10 through the first timing point at 2.1 km Emilien Jacquelin (FRA) is the fastest so far. Bjøntegaard is at S1 – clear and away; good start but relatively slow shooting – 38 seconds. Latypov (RUS) is considerably faster, but Malyshko (RUS) has missed 2 here, as the wind gets up a little. Ten through S1 and Latypov is still best at present. Dominik Windisch is at S1 – how much did yesterday’s effort take out of him, I wonder? One miss and he’s out +43.6; meanwhile Tarjei Bø is fastest at 2.1 km. Shame – Latypov has missed 2 at S2; no one is 10/10 so far. Tarjei has just gone clear at S1 and he’s the fastest out of the range now. Michal Krcmar ((CZE) is the first to get 10/10, but he’s 24.2 back after S2, so his ski pace is a bit off. Good work by Johannes Kühn (GER) – clear at S1 and just 2.6 behind Tarjei, but JoBø is fastest through 2.1 km, 5.3 ahead of Martin F. Twenty through S2 now, still just 1 perfect score. Loginov (RUS) has missed 1 at S2, but he’s still the fastest there so far; Tarjei was clear but a gust came as he took his 20th shot – he waited but still missed it; even so he’s marginally ahead of Loginov. Back at S1 JoBø has missed 1 despite a deliberate shoot; Martin F has cleared the lot, quite quickly! That puts him fastest at S1, 0.9 ahead of Tarjei, and 13.7 better than Johannes Bø, so JoBø is skiing faster. Thomas Bormolini (ITA) is the 2nd 10/10, and he’s out 5.3 behind Tarjei, who is gaining time over Loginov on his final lap, although ironically he may be helping Fourcade who is in the chasing group, albeit a lap behind! At the finish Alex Loginov has briefly taken the lead, only to lose it to Tarjei Bø, who is 8 seconds faster. Now JoBø at S2 – it’s slow but he’s clear this time and away; Martin F has missed 2 – out in 5th, +23 seconds; game over as regards the win! However Matvey Eliseev (RUS) is the third 10/10 but he’s quick too – out 9.1 ahead of JoBø, who is 17.8 ahead of his brother at 8.7 km. Martin F is in 3rd there, +26.3; crucially Eliseev is now 9.6 behind JoBø. Johannes Bø (1,0) is over the finish line in first, ahead of Tarjei (0,1) and Alex Loginov (0,1), who has just held off Martin F (0,2) – now Eliseev (0,0) over the line in third, just 0.9 behind Tarjei! Perhaps Martin F shouldn’t have stayed with Tarjei on that lap, before his second shoot? Not such a good day for the Germans – best at present is Johannes Kühn (0,2) in 6th; Doll and Lesser both (2,2); Schempp is (1,1) but slower on the skis. Race isn’t quite over as Johannes Dale (NOR, bib 107) is in touch at S1 – out 14th. He’s missed 1 at S2 but still out in 8th, +35.8. At one stage he’d got up to 4th, sadly he slowed a little to finish 7th, but that still puts him just ahead of Bjøntegaard, and well up on Birkeland and Christiansen. So, well done the Bø brothers, first and second again, with Eliseev third, ahead of Loginov, Fourcade and Kühn. I count just 6 perfect scores today!
Östersund - Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 1 Dec 2019: Sadly this clashes with the first run of the women’s slalom from Killington and neither are live on Eurosport except for the “ambient sound” feed, so no commentary. Hopefully the IBU feed will have a commentary? Looks like some of the better known names are going early (Dunklee at 3, Wierer at 8) – 105 in the start list. So, race on – no real surprise that Denise Herrmann (GER) is fastest to 1.3 km at present, 6 seconds up on Doro Wierer. Susan Dunklee in for S1, and clear – fast on the range too. Denise Herrmann was pretty fast on the range too – all 5 down and she’s away, but Doro is quick too and she’s out 2 seconds ahead. Røiseland is even faster than Herrmann at 1.3 km; Katharina Innerhofer up to 3rd there, until Eckhoff goes through to take over 3rd. Tandrevold has missed 1 at S1, Innerhofer clear as is Hauser. Røiseland has missed her first shot, and the last; Dunklee has missed 2 at S2. Herrmann has missed 1 at S2, so has Doro but that was quick shooting! Doro has gained 13 seconds at that shoot – meanwhile Tiril Eckhoff is clear at S1 and out 4.5 ahead of Doro. Vittozzi has missed 3 at S1 – rather a surprise. On the last lap Doro is losing very little to Denise H – no one 10/10 at present. That’s interesting – Franzi Preuß at S2 and she’s the first to shoot a perfect 10 – out just 9.6 behind Wierer; Røiseland is really flying – clear at S2 and just faster than Herrmann, who seems to have had a disappointing final lap. At the finish Doro is 22.1 faster than Denise H – amazing speed both on skis and in the range. Eckhoff has missed her first at S2, and 3 more. On the final lap Preuß is losing time to Røiseland; Öberg clear at S1 and skiing fast – out in 4th. Røiseland up to 2nd at 7.1 km – that’s very fast skiing! At present it’s Wierer (0,1) leading from Røiseland (2,0) Preuß (0,0), Herrmann (0,1), Innerhofer (0,1) and Haecki (2,0). Fuyuko Tachizaki (JPN) is the second to shoot a perfect 10, out 7th; Öberg has missed her last 2 shots at S2. Tachizaki over the line 7th, but loses that place to Aymonier. Back at S1 Linn Persson is clear and in touch – out 5th. Marketa Davidova (CZE) is clear after S2 – she’s out second, just 3.7 behind Wierer! She’s losing a little to Doro on the lap, looking good for a podium, but might not catch Røiseland? She hasn’t – into 3rd, which pushes Franzi P off the podium, rats! Persson (0,1) has missed 1 at S2 but she’s still out 4th; she’s into 5th, pushing Denise Herrmann down a place – double rats! I do wonder why Herrmann seemed a bit off the pace today – maybe the relays took a lot out of her, although Doro seemed OK? Back at S1 Elvira Öberg (little sister) is clear and out 9th, +15.1 – then one miss at S2, but the time is pretty good and she’s out in joint 11th. On the last lap she’s chasing hard and might just get her older sister – all very close at 7.1 km! She’s just behind at the finish – into 12th, just 0.4 behind Hannah! That’s it – well done Doro; amazing speed from Røiseland to get second after her two early penalty loops; great start from Davidova, good shooting from Preuß in 4th, then Persson and Herrmann. Larisa Kuklina (RUS) fastest on the range ahead of Wierer and Røiseland; no surprise that Røiseland was quickest around the track, 14.1 faster than MIronova with Wierer 3rd and Herrmann 4th, +19.2.
Östersund - Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 1 Dec 2019: Sadly this clashes with the first run of the women’s slalom from Killington and neither are live on Eurosport except for the “ambient sound” feed, so no commentary. Hopefully the IBU feed will have a commentary? Looks like some of the better known names are going early (Dunklee at 3, Wierer at 8) – 105 in the start list. So, race on – no real surprise that Denise Herrmann (GER) is fastest to 1.3 km at present, 6 seconds up on Doro Wierer. Susan Dunklee in for S1, and clear – fast on the range too. Denise Herrmann was pretty fast on the range too – all 5 down and she’s away, but Doro is quick too and she’s out 2 seconds ahead. Røiseland is even faster than Herrmann at 1.3 km; Katharina Innerhofer up to 3rd there, until Eckhoff goes through to take over 3rd. Tandrevold has missed 1 at S1, Innerhofer clear as is Hauser. Røiseland has missed her first shot, and the last; Dunklee has missed 2 at S2. Herrmann has missed 1 at S2, so has Doro but that was quick shooting! Doro has gained 13 seconds at that shoot – meanwhile Tiril Eckhoff is clear at S1 and out 4.5 ahead of Doro. Vittozzi has missed 3 at S1 – rather a surprise. On the last lap Doro is losing very little to Denise H – no one 10/10 at present. That’s interesting – Franzi Preuß at S2 and she’s the first to shoot a perfect 10 – out just 9.6 behind Wierer; Røiseland is really flying – clear at S2 and just faster than Herrmann, who seems to have had a disappointing final lap. At the finish Doro is 22.1 faster than Denise H – amazing speed both on skis and in the range. Eckhoff has missed her first at S2, and 3 more. On the final lap Preuß is losing time to Røiseland; Öberg clear at S1 and skiing fast – out in 4th. Røiseland up to 2nd at 7.1 km – that’s very fast skiing! At present it’s Wierer (0,1) leading from Røiseland (2,0) Preuß (0,0), Herrmann (0,1), Innerhofer (0,1) and Haecki (2,0). Fuyuko Tachizaki (JPN) is the second to shoot a perfect 10, out 7th; Öberg has missed her last 2 shots at S2. Tachizaki over the line 7th, but loses that place to Aymonier. Back at S1 Linn Persson is clear and in touch – out 5th. Marketa Davidova (CZE) is clear after S2 – she’s out second, just 3.7 behind Wierer! She’s losing a little to Doro on the lap, looking good for a podium, but might not catch Røiseland? She hasn’t – into 3rd, which pushes Franzi P off the podium, rats! Persson (0,1) has missed 1 at S2 but she’s still out 4th; she’s into 5th, pushing Denise Herrmann down a place – double rats! I do wonder why Herrmann seemed a bit off the pace today – maybe the relays took a lot out of her, although Doro seemed OK? Back at S1 Elvira Öberg (little sister) is clear and out 9th, +15.1 – then one miss at S2, but the time is pretty good and she’s out in joint 11th. On the last lap she’s chasing hard and might just get her older sister – all very close at 7.1 km! She’s just behind at the finish – into 12th, just 0.4 behind Hannah! That’s it – well done Doro; amazing speed from Røiseland to get second after her two early penalty loops; great start from Davidova, good shooting from Preuß in 4th, then Persson and Herrmann. Larisa Kuklina (RUS) fastest on the range ahead of Wierer and Røiseland; no surprise that Røiseland was quickest around the track, 14.1 faster than MIronova with Wierer 3rd and Herrmann 4th, +19.2.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Biathlon - Östersund; Individuals
by Bleausardv2 Thu 05 Dec 2019, 5:00 pm
Östersund - Men’s 20 Km Individual, 4 Dec 2019: Sadly I missed this live as life intruded! Now, as it’s early in the season, a quick reminder – for the Individual there is no penalty loop; every miss on the range adds a full minute to the time, so good shooting is even more important than usual. So over to the highlights (very poor picture quality – not sure it’s my end). Bib 20 is Martin Fourcade; this event was one of his few successes last year – meanwhile Simon Eder is at S1; quick but he missed his 5th shot and so has Benni Weger. No one clear so far, but Johannes Bø is heading for the range. At present Simon Desthieux leads, as he was clear at S1 but JoBø is in – quick (lucky with number 5) and clear, so he takes over the lead. Quentin Fillon Maillet has missed 2; surely he can’t make the podium? Martin F is on the range – all 5 clear and out 2nd, behind JoBø. Weger at S2 – the first stand (Individual is prone, stand, prone, stand) – he’s clear this time; Arnd Peiffer clear at S1, as is Tarjei Bø. Good, fast shooting from Alex Loginov but his ski speed isn’t quite there? Benedikt Doll is 10/10 so far and leads after S2, ahead of Desthieux, who is 0,1 at present. JoBø in for S2 and he’s missed 1 here; Martin F is clear though, 10/10 and he leads here. We have cut to S3 (?) now, and JoBø – one miss and out 3rd, with Desthieux (0,1,0) leading here; Martin F clear and he leads – meanwhile QFM has taken a full minute out of JoBø on the tracks! QFM is at S4 – 1 miss but he’s taken even more time out of JoBø, who has missed another 1 at S4. Martin F in for his last shoot – his first miss of the day, but he’s out fractionally ahead of Simon Desthieux (0,1,0,0). After S4 the French are in the top 3 places, and Jacquelin is also going well. The best “non-French” athlete at present is Benni Weger (1,0,0,0). Meanwhile Doll has faded; after his 10/10 he’s missed 2 at each of S3 and S4; not sure what happened to Peiffer – 10/10 and then marked as DNF? Tarjei in for S4 – 1 miss and a long pause – he’s 0,0,1,1. Desthieux over the line in first but Martin F is chasing; however Alex Loginov has missed 2 at S4. Jacquelin through S4 – 0,1,0,1 but Johannes is losing time on the track – very unusual. The track is cutting up badly in the warm conditions as Martin F (0,0,0,1) crosses the line to take the lead; Desthieux (0,1,0,0) in 2nd and, amazingly, Fillon Maillet (2,0,0,1) in 3rd after a real demonstration of ski speed. An all French podium at present; Benni Weger (1,0,0,0) best of the rest at present. Tarjei Bø (0,0,1,1) over the line in 5th; he’s definitely going to beat his brother, but Jacquelin has just crossed the line in 4th – the French in the top 4 places now. And that’s how it stayed – Martin F wins, from Desthieux, QFM and Jacquelin – great work by them and their technicians. Weger in 5th, Tarjei Bø in 6 ahead of Fabien Claude (another Frenchman), then Eliseev, Loginov and JoBø in 10th. Doll best of the Germans in 16th; not sure what happened to Christiansen (0,0,0,1) but 31st . Women’s Individual tomorrow.
Östersund - Women’s 15 Km Individual, 5 Dec 2019: Now – the French technicians certainly had their skis dialled in yesterday – can they do the same thing today? 103 starters – seems the bigger names are going in group 1 or 2 today. Veronika Vítková (CZE) the first away today, just ahead of Franzi Preuß; tracks look good today – let’s hope that they hold up better than yesterday, when bib numbers above 40 had to plough through the soft stuff. That’s 10 through 1.5 Kms; Røiseland fastest just ahead of Eckhoff. The early starters are at S1 – Preuß clear and out; Eckhoff has missed 1, and so has Røiseland, but then, QFM missed 2 in his first shoot yesterday and got on the podium! Meanwhile the wind has got more testing; Mironova and Hildebrand have both missed 2 here – now, there’s an upset – Doro Wierer has also missed 2. Kaisa Mäkäräinen is clear and fastest after S1 at present, just ahead of Öberg and Preuß. Franzi Preuß first in for S2 – she’s missed 2; so has Vitková! Røiseland has missed 2 more (1,2) and Eckhoff 3 more (1,3). Katharina Innerhofer clear at S1 and out just 4.6 behind Mäkäräinen. Wierer and Hildebrand are through S2 – both (2,1). Back at S1 Lena Haecki is clear and just 1.3 behind Mäkäräinen, who has just left the range after S2 with just 1 miss (0,1). Öberg currently 2nd here (0,1; +8.4), then Hauser (1,0+42.2), but Bescond has missed 3 (1,3). Back at S1 Julia Simon is clear and out 3rd, but Braisaz has missed 2. The early starters are at S3 – Preuß clear (0,2,0), Røiseland one more miss (1,2,1) but fast and Eckhoff clear this time; at present it’s Preuß, Persson (0,2,0; +11.0), Mironova (2,1,0; +42.8) – Doro Wierer has just cleared here (2,1,0;+20.1) and is out 3rd . Back at S2 Lena Haecki is 10/10 and 35.8 faster than Tandrevold who is also 10/10. Öberg now fastest after S3 (0,1,1) by 5.3 seconds, with Hojnisz-Starega (0,2,0) in 3rd behind Franzi P. Julia Simon is also 10/10 and 9.2 behind Haecki; Kaisa M has missed 2 at S3. Vittozzi has missed 2 at S2; Preuß is at S4 and has missed 1 more (0,2,0,1), but so have Røiseland (1,2,1,1) and Eckhoff (1,3,0,1); Linn Persson (0,2,0,1; +9.3) still chasing Preuß; Mironova has missed 3 at S4. Doro Wierer is clear at S4 though (2,1,0,0) and leads at present; Haecki though has just gone through S3 and she and Tandrevold are both 15/15, although the Norwegian is 49.1 behind the Swiss athlete. Hanna Öberg in for S4 and the wind has eased – she has missed 1 more (her last; 0,1,1,1) – out 29.4 behind Wierer, as Hojnisz (0,2,0,0) leaves the range 3 seconds ahead of Doro. Denise Herrmann is out of S4 (1,2,1,0) in 7th; +1:28.0. Back at S3 Julia Simon is also 15/15 (one of just 3 to do it so far) and 7.1 behind Haecki. On her last lap Hojnisz has pulled out a couple seconds on Doro! Tandrevold has missed 1 at S4 but she’s out 39.6 ahead of Hojnisz; sadly Haecki has missed 3 here. At 14.3 km Hojnisz is now 1.1 behind Wierer; at the finish the gap is 3.3 – so Doro leads from Hojnisz, Öberg and Preuß. At S3 Mona Brorsson is 15/15, but 48.3 behind Simon, who is at S4 – she’s missed 2 (0,0,0,2) – even so she’s faster than Tandrevold. Now, Justine Braisaz is at S4, and she’s cleared it (2,0,0,0) – she leads out 7.1 ahead of Simon. Haecki is skiing well still – at 14.3 Km she’s just ahead of Doro, but Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold is 40.3 faster at the same point. At the finish it’s currently Tandrevold, Haecki and Wierer, but here come the French – Simon has lost a bit of time to Tandrevold. Back at S4 Mona Brorsson has missed 3 to ruin her day! The French are doing it again – Braisaz (2,0,0,0) leads from Simon (0,0,0,2; +17.7) at the finish with Tandrevold now 3rd. Haecki now 4th ahead of Wierer and Hojnisz-Starega, with Vittozzi in 7th. Preuß the best German in 9th (at present), with Herrmann currently 13th. This might change though as Larisa Kuklina (RUS) is (1,1,0,0) and out of S4 just 27.5 behind Braisaz – she’s over the finish line in 4th; Davidova over in 10th. Back at S3 Yuliia Dzhima is 15/15 but her ski speed isn’t too good. Now this is interesting – it’s not over yet as Yuliia Dzhima (UKR) is at S4; the wind isn’t good but she’s the first to shoot 20/20 (and it looks like the only one to so). She’s out in the lead but only 6.7 ahead of Braisaz, who had 2 minutes added to her time! Dzhima is 2nd at 13.5 km; 11 seconds in hand over Simon though – she’s still holding onto 2nd at 14.3 km, 8.4 in hand now, but her legs have gone! Pity – Zdouc (AUT) has missed her 20th shot! Well done to Yuliia Dzhima though – she’s into 2nd! So, the final results – Justine Braisaz wins, despite 2 early misses, ahead of Yuliia Dzhima (0,0,0,0) in 2nd and Julia Simon in 3rd. Tandrevold the best Norwegian in 4th, ahead of Kuklina and Haecki, with Wierer in 7th. It’s certainly snowing hard now; Preuß best German, now in 12th, just ahead of Kaisa M. Julia Simon fastest on the range ahead of Kuklina and Hanna Öberg (who finished 10th); Røiseland fastest around the course again, ahead of Kaisa M, Braisaz, Eckhoff, Davidova and Haecki – surprised to see Herrmann only 8th fastest?
Östersund - Women’s 15 Km Individual, 5 Dec 2019: Now – the French technicians certainly had their skis dialled in yesterday – can they do the same thing today? 103 starters – seems the bigger names are going in group 1 or 2 today. Veronika Vítková (CZE) the first away today, just ahead of Franzi Preuß; tracks look good today – let’s hope that they hold up better than yesterday, when bib numbers above 40 had to plough through the soft stuff. That’s 10 through 1.5 Kms; Røiseland fastest just ahead of Eckhoff. The early starters are at S1 – Preuß clear and out; Eckhoff has missed 1, and so has Røiseland, but then, QFM missed 2 in his first shoot yesterday and got on the podium! Meanwhile the wind has got more testing; Mironova and Hildebrand have both missed 2 here – now, there’s an upset – Doro Wierer has also missed 2. Kaisa Mäkäräinen is clear and fastest after S1 at present, just ahead of Öberg and Preuß. Franzi Preuß first in for S2 – she’s missed 2; so has Vitková! Røiseland has missed 2 more (1,2) and Eckhoff 3 more (1,3). Katharina Innerhofer clear at S1 and out just 4.6 behind Mäkäräinen. Wierer and Hildebrand are through S2 – both (2,1). Back at S1 Lena Haecki is clear and just 1.3 behind Mäkäräinen, who has just left the range after S2 with just 1 miss (0,1). Öberg currently 2nd here (0,1; +8.4), then Hauser (1,0+42.2), but Bescond has missed 3 (1,3). Back at S1 Julia Simon is clear and out 3rd, but Braisaz has missed 2. The early starters are at S3 – Preuß clear (0,2,0), Røiseland one more miss (1,2,1) but fast and Eckhoff clear this time; at present it’s Preuß, Persson (0,2,0; +11.0), Mironova (2,1,0; +42.8) – Doro Wierer has just cleared here (2,1,0;+20.1) and is out 3rd . Back at S2 Lena Haecki is 10/10 and 35.8 faster than Tandrevold who is also 10/10. Öberg now fastest after S3 (0,1,1) by 5.3 seconds, with Hojnisz-Starega (0,2,0) in 3rd behind Franzi P. Julia Simon is also 10/10 and 9.2 behind Haecki; Kaisa M has missed 2 at S3. Vittozzi has missed 2 at S2; Preuß is at S4 and has missed 1 more (0,2,0,1), but so have Røiseland (1,2,1,1) and Eckhoff (1,3,0,1); Linn Persson (0,2,0,1; +9.3) still chasing Preuß; Mironova has missed 3 at S4. Doro Wierer is clear at S4 though (2,1,0,0) and leads at present; Haecki though has just gone through S3 and she and Tandrevold are both 15/15, although the Norwegian is 49.1 behind the Swiss athlete. Hanna Öberg in for S4 and the wind has eased – she has missed 1 more (her last; 0,1,1,1) – out 29.4 behind Wierer, as Hojnisz (0,2,0,0) leaves the range 3 seconds ahead of Doro. Denise Herrmann is out of S4 (1,2,1,0) in 7th; +1:28.0. Back at S3 Julia Simon is also 15/15 (one of just 3 to do it so far) and 7.1 behind Haecki. On her last lap Hojnisz has pulled out a couple seconds on Doro! Tandrevold has missed 1 at S4 but she’s out 39.6 ahead of Hojnisz; sadly Haecki has missed 3 here. At 14.3 km Hojnisz is now 1.1 behind Wierer; at the finish the gap is 3.3 – so Doro leads from Hojnisz, Öberg and Preuß. At S3 Mona Brorsson is 15/15, but 48.3 behind Simon, who is at S4 – she’s missed 2 (0,0,0,2) – even so she’s faster than Tandrevold. Now, Justine Braisaz is at S4, and she’s cleared it (2,0,0,0) – she leads out 7.1 ahead of Simon. Haecki is skiing well still – at 14.3 Km she’s just ahead of Doro, but Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold is 40.3 faster at the same point. At the finish it’s currently Tandrevold, Haecki and Wierer, but here come the French – Simon has lost a bit of time to Tandrevold. Back at S4 Mona Brorsson has missed 3 to ruin her day! The French are doing it again – Braisaz (2,0,0,0) leads from Simon (0,0,0,2; +17.7) at the finish with Tandrevold now 3rd. Haecki now 4th ahead of Wierer and Hojnisz-Starega, with Vittozzi in 7th. Preuß the best German in 9th (at present), with Herrmann currently 13th. This might change though as Larisa Kuklina (RUS) is (1,1,0,0) and out of S4 just 27.5 behind Braisaz – she’s over the finish line in 4th; Davidova over in 10th. Back at S3 Yuliia Dzhima is 15/15 but her ski speed isn’t too good. Now this is interesting – it’s not over yet as Yuliia Dzhima (UKR) is at S4; the wind isn’t good but she’s the first to shoot 20/20 (and it looks like the only one to so). She’s out in the lead but only 6.7 ahead of Braisaz, who had 2 minutes added to her time! Dzhima is 2nd at 13.5 km; 11 seconds in hand over Simon though – she’s still holding onto 2nd at 14.3 km, 8.4 in hand now, but her legs have gone! Pity – Zdouc (AUT) has missed her 20th shot! Well done to Yuliia Dzhima though – she’s into 2nd! So, the final results – Justine Braisaz wins, despite 2 early misses, ahead of Yuliia Dzhima (0,0,0,0) in 2nd and Julia Simon in 3rd. Tandrevold the best Norwegian in 4th, ahead of Kuklina and Haecki, with Wierer in 7th. It’s certainly snowing hard now; Preuß best German, now in 12th, just ahead of Kaisa M. Julia Simon fastest on the range ahead of Kuklina and Hanna Öberg (who finished 10th); Røiseland fastest around the course again, ahead of Kaisa M, Braisaz, Eckhoff, Davidova and Haecki – surprised to see Herrmann only 8th fastest?
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Alpine Skiing - Beaver Creek (M) & Lake Louise (W)
by Bleausardv2 Sun 08 Dec 2019, 1:07 pm
6 Dec: Beaver Creek, Men’s Super G: The Birds of Prey course, and I’ve never even contemplated trying that one! Some bad news – apparently Manu Feller has a herniated disk and is out, possibly for a while? So, on with the race – conditions look good; 70 starters today. Not a good start on this tricky course, set by a German coach – Adrien Theaux first away and he’s a DNF after missing a gate. Marco Odermatt next and he’s safely down, although he almost lost it on the same gate as Theaux – great recovery! Max Franz is off the pace – over 2 seconds slower than Odermatt. Alexis Pinturault is just into the green at inter 1 and building a little, but he’s slipped back into the red at inter 3 – into 2nd, +0.37. That should help his ambitions on the overall this year? Josef Ferstl is a DNF after a straddle; Sejersted into 3rd, +0.86. Dominik Paris next – but he’s red all the way too; only 4th, +1.18 – given the epic Odermatt had at “that” gate we might have expected his time to be beaten quite quickly, but it’s holding up at present! Beat Feuz isn’t doing any better either – he’s into 5th; Mauro Caviezel is more in touch and he’s into 3rd, +0.64. Ten away – Odermatt still leads, ahead of Pinturault and Caviezel. After the TV break Vincent Kriechmayr goes into 4th; Hannes Reichelt can only manage 6th – Matthias Mayer is fractionally green at inter 2, fractionally red at 3 and he’s into 2nd, +0.14! Travis Ganong into 5th – apparently the US skiers have never won a Super G on American snow! Some strange performances today – Kjetil Jansrud into 9th! Kilde is going well though – green at inter 2 and 3, but like so many before he’s lost time on the final section – into 2nd by just 0.10. Brice Roger has straddled at the same place as Ferstl. Thomas Dressen is off the pace, perhaps remembering that this is where he had his ACL injury? Twenty away, Odermatt (SUI) still leads, now from Kilde (NOR) and Mayer (AUT); Pinturault (FRA) now 4th ahead of Caviezel (SUI) and Ganong (USA). One of the best of the later starters at present is Thomas Tumler – bib 26 into 12th. Now, Ryan Cochrane-Siegle was apparently fastest in the one practice for the downhill, but he’s off the pace here – just 17th at present; Tumler still the best of the later starters. Meanwhile the Women’s Downhill at Lake Louise has been delayed – they are apparently having “weather issues”. That was a really good run from Miha Hrobat (SLO) – bib 44 into 16th!! Good grief – Ted Ligety is bib 64 – into 27th, ahead of Max Franz who started bib 3 and his split times on the upper section were impressive! That was good from Pavel Trikhichev – bib 69 and ended up joint 21st with Gilles Roulin. Well – that’s it – Marco Odermatt takes the win! What a performance from him; Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in 2nd, with Matthias Mayer getting the final podium place. Very impressive stuff from Alexis Pinturault to take 4th – good points for the overall. Looks like they will start the Women’s downhill, although it is still snowing hard!
6 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Downhill 1: Seems that this snow is pretty much unprecedented – hard to see how they can race but they are saying the forerunners are on course. Forecast for tomorrow is for minus twenty degrees!! This course I have skied, although it’s hard to recognise anything through the snow! Vikki Rebensburg is at the start, and the race is on; visibility isn’t ideal (although it’s hard to tell from a camera shot) but at least there isn’t any wind! Vikki is safely down; Lara Gut-Behrami next to go, and she’s 1.16 slower. Michelle Gisin is bib 3 – she’s a little slower and into 3rd. Actually it doesn’t look too awful at present (from the comfort of my chair, with a good log fire in the stove) – better than expected so all power to the team who worked so hard getting this race underway. Tamara Tippler into 2nd; Nicol Delago (ITA) is very fast through the top speed trap – she’s taken over 2nd place. Next to go is Mikaela Shiffrin – fractionally green at inter 1 but slow through the top speed trap; red at inter 2 and 3 but then pulling a bit of time back on the lower section – into 3rd, +0.30. Stephanie Venier is going well – red early on but green at inter 4 and she’s taken over the lead by 0.21! Now, Nicole Schmidhofer who took both downhills here last year – green at inter 1 but slower through the top speed trap; still green at 2, greener at 3 but into the red at 4 and it’s 3rd. Ten away – Venier leads from Rebensburg and Schmidhofer. TV break and the it’s Sofia Goggia – really nice line and into 3rd; Ilka Stuhec is back from injury – green early on but she’s lost time lower down – into 10th. Corinne Suter is bib 15 and she’s also green at the top – she’s keeping it green though – still there at inter 3 – red at 4 but she’s pulled some time back and she leads by 0.10; can she make it a Swiss double today with Odermatt? Good run from Kira Weidle into 6th; that’s 20 away and Suter leads from Venier and Rebensburg. Now Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) was fastest in both training runs – not quite there today though, and she’s into 9th. Ester Ledecka next – and she’s green at inter 2 – 0.53 green at inter 3 still 0.39 green at 4 AND SHE LEADS, by a pretty impressive 0.35! She made history when she won Olympic golds in both Super G (when she was bib 26; the same start number as today) and snowboarding and she might be the first Czech woman to win a downhill? Now that’s another impressive run, especially as the vis has got worse again – Nina Ortlieb (AUT) into joint 4th from start number 30! And that’s how it finished – well done Ester Ledecka, what a result! Corinne Suter in 2nd, with Stephanie Venier in 3rd, then Ortlieb and Rebensburg in 4th and Goggia 6th; Shiffrin finished 10th.
7 Dec: Beaver Creek, Men’s Downhill: The start has been slightly lowered, possibly because of wind? I think it’s very unlikely that Marco Odermatt will do the double today as he starts number 62! Matthias Mayer is first away – only 1 practice run for this race! He’s safely down; Steve Nyman is into the green at inter 1 and he’s even more green at inter 3 – he leads by 0.42! Kilde is bib 3 – he’s 0.35 green at inter 1, 0.50 at 2, 0.42 at 3 – he leads by 0.42 which is very impressive especially as he had the worst of the wind at the start. Adrien Theaux away next – nice line and he’s in touch – into 2nd, which might be some slight consolation for yesterday’s DNF? Bib 5 is Thomas Dressen – he’s quite a bit off the pace at inter 1 though and he’s lost more to 2; he did pull a bit back, but just 4th, looking a bit nervous (not a great surprise). Now Vincent Kriechmayr is fractionally green at inter 2 and 3; slow (relatively, he’s doing 114 kph!) through the last speed gun but he leads by 0.23. Beat Feuz is a little off at inter 1 but just red at 2 and 0.33 green at 3 – he’s going really well and leads by 0.41! That’s a good one; 10 down now and Feuz leads from Kriechmayr and Kilde. Mauro Caviezel into 5th, as the wind starts to get up, blowing across the piste. Hannes Reichelt (the veteran, as we are frequently reminded) is well in touch – that’s a great line and he’s into 3rd. Dominik Paris can only manage 6th today; Max Franz off the pace into 10th. Kjetil Jansrud is better but even he can only manage joint 5th with Theaux. Bib 19 is Johan Clarey and he’s much more in touch than some of the recent skiers – he’s gained from inter 2 to 3 and he’s into joint 2nd, +0.41 with Kriechmayr. Twenty away and Feuz leads from Clarey/Kriechmayr with Reichelt in 4th, then Kilde and Jansrud/Theaux. The wind seems to be getting up a little more? Christian Walder into 10th, from bib 24; epic recovery from Matthieu Bailet – he really is risking it all – into joint 8th with Paris. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was fastest in practice – he’s also well in touch and he’s into 5th – a PB for him! Thirty away – no change to the top 4. Almost a change now – Sejersted into 5th! Meanwhile there is a 30 minute delay at Lake Louise for “track preparation”, but they seem confident that it will be OK. So, here at Beaver Creek it seems unlikely that Beat Feuz will be dislodged from first place; Clarey and Kriechmayr tied in 2nd, then Reichelt, Sejersted, Cochran-Siegle, Kilde and Jansrud & Theaux tied in 8th. Wow – that’s a bit of an upset – Dominik Schwaiger (GER) has just gone into joint 7th with Kilde [lots of tied places today – two 2s, 7s, 9s and 11s!] from start number 41 – what an effort! James Crawford (CAN) has crashed – luckily he kept his skis up and the nets stopped him – took a while to untangle him, but he’s fine and picking up his kit. That’s going to take a while to repair!! Still 15 to go as we switch (at last) to Lake Louise. Impressive to see Alex Köll (SWE) get into 19th from start number 50. Well, Marco Odermatt is off the pace today – he’s just 45th! That’s it – no late changes to the top 10
7 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Downhill 2: Snow clearing still happening, but the visibility looks good. Michelle Gisin will be the first away – she’s being held in the start hut for another 2 minutes, which isn’t going to help her, I suspect. Just 47 on the start list today; Gisin away at last – safely down. Ester Ledecka, yesterday’s winner, is bib 2 and she’s just green at inter 2; bit greener at 3 and much more at 4 and 5 – she leads by 1.16! That was a fast run; not entirely without a couple small errors (apparently) but it might take some beating! Vikki Rebensburg is well in touch – only slightly red at the last intermediate and she’s into 2nd, +0.38. Tamara Tippler is also in touch – alternating between green and red, then green a little more and she’s into 2nd, +0.33. That’s a nasty crash for Stephanie Venier; amazingly she seems to be up and skiing down but I think that might need a thorough check up later? Race back on and Romane Miradoli is gaining time on the lower sections – she’s into 2nd by 0.25, which is impressive after that long interruption. Next to go is Nicole Schmidhofer; green by inter 4, bit greener at 5 and she’s taken her revenge on Ledecka – Schmidhofer leads by 0.45! Ten away and Schmidhofer leads from Ledecka and Miradoli, then Tippler, Rebensburg and Gisin. Nicol Delago has skied out; there’s yet another delay while a gate panel is replaced. OK – Mikaela Shiffrin away, nicely green at the top and 0.51 ahead at inter 3, but then she starts to lose time – still 0.18 green at inter 5, but the a little slow through the gun – into 2nd, +0.13 – impressive! Corinne Suter is a bit off the pace but she’s gaining time on the final section, and into 4th. Kira Weidle away 17th – green at 1, greener at 2 but then it starts to drift away after an error – she’s into a very creditable 5th. Sofia Goggia is also green at the top - 0.19 ahead at inter 3 and taking a lot of chances; sadly it’s all going away from her; great recoveries but it’s cost her time – into 10th! Kajsa Vickhoff Lie on course after the TV break and she’s 0.47 green at inter 3 – she’s red at 4 though and redder at 5 – she’s fallen in sight of the finish – looked nasty but she’s up and skiing away – these are tough people! Another interruption – Schmidhofer leads from Shiffrin and Ledecka, then Suter, Weidle and Miradoli. Francesca Marsaglia is just green at inter 3, back red at 4 and 5 and into 3rd – it’s her first World Cup podium I think, so very well done; pity to see Ledecka off the podium though! Conditions do seem to be getting better for the later starters; Merryweather into 11th and Ortlieb 12th.
8 Dec: Beaver Creek, Men’s Giant Slalom: Run 1 – It has to be said that conditions aren’t that good – snow and poor visibility, but at least there is no wind to speak of! Zan Kranjec (SLO) is first away on a course set by a Swedish coach and that looked pretty good – hard to see in some parts of the course. Mathieu Faivre is 0.36 slower into 2nd; I’m surprised to see Alexis Pinturault making an early error – great recovery but he’s 1.25 off the pace. Loic Meillard just in the green at inter 1 and 2, but then red at 3 and into 3rd. The storm is easing a little and vis is getting better – Tommy Ford is green all the way, and gaining to inter 3; he leads by 0.71. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – fractionally red at inter 2 and a little more so at 3 – he’s into 2nd, +0.23. Marco Odermatt is also green at inter 1, very risky but a little less green at 2 – he’s the first DNF today, just as he comes off the steep. Sadly the vis on the lower sections has got worse again as the mist rolls in; Stefan Luitz is also a DNF – probably far too aggressive! Next is Leif K N-H – green, green, red and he goes into 2nd, +0.20. Victor Muffat-Jeandet doesn’t seem to be having a good season so far – off the pace and just 7th; that’s a tricky looking course though. Now, bib 13 is Ted Ligety – red at 1 and 2 but in touch, and just 0.07 off the pace at inter 3 – he’s hit a rut in the mist, and into 4th, +0.61. Windingstad another DNF after a quick 360 into a straddle; With 15 away Ford leads from Leif Kristian N-H and Kristoffersen, then Ligety, Kranjec and Faivre. Gino Caviezel into 11th; these conditions aren’t good – very hard to see the bumps and ruts! Manfred Mölgg is another DNF; Erik Read into 12th. Cochran-Siegle into a disappointing 18th; Trevor Philp is much better, taking advantage of a slight improvement in the weather he’s into 6th. Conditions are bad again, there is apparently some discussion about whether they need to interrupt things until it improves? Good work by Lucas Braathen (NOR) to get 13th in those conditions! Oh dear, Kilde has joined the DNFs – that fog really is getting thick. Yes – arguably about time- the race is on hold. Bit of the start/stop that must infuriate the racers; no surprise that the top 10 hasn’t changed! Still seven to go and we’re on hold again; run 1 over and no late changes.
Run 2: Conditions seem to be better, although it has warmed a little and there is still a bit of fog around. Cyprien Sarrazin first away, on a tricky course, set by a Canadian coach, and he’s staying in the lead; Trikhichev into 2nd, but he doesn’t stay there long – Favrot into 2nd now. Next away is Matthias Mayer, looking for points for the overall – he’s into 3rd. There is a very tricky mix of flat and steep here, not helped by the visibility being so variable too – quite thick fog at present. Alex Schmid into 4th; it seems very easy to lose a lot of time on this run – Leitinger has 1.15 in hand at the start, but he’s 1.07 red at the finish and into 5th – he’s not untypical. Filip Zubcic (CRO) is doing better – he lost almost half his advantage to inter 1, but then he steadied and he’s keeping that advantage – he leads by 0.77. Pinturault has made a very similar error to the one he made on run 1 – into 3rd. Luca di Aliprandini has taken over 3rd; Erik Read over but up and seems OK. Lucas Braathen into 4th as the wind gets up – maybe the forecast storm is on the way a little early? Gino Caviezel is keeping nicely in the green, but he’s lost time on the final section – into 2nd. Now, Victor Muffat-Jeandet is on track and he’s keeping in the green despite losing some of his advantage – that looks better and he takes over the lead. They are shortening the start interval to get the skiers away before the storm, although I see we are still having a TV break!! Murisier into 4th, Olsson 5th and it’s now snowing heavily! Mathieu Faivre going well despite the conditions and he gets into 2nd. Trevor Philp has gained from inter 1 to 2 and a bit more to 3 but it’s gone again over the Red Tail roller and he’s only 3rd. Zan Kranjec in the gate – he’s losing time but he’s gained a bit back from 1 to 2; he’s just held on, and leads by 0.03! Ted Ligety into the red by inter 2; he’s not going to win but I do love watching him – he’s into 8th. Henrik Kristoffersen has 0.48 in hand as he gets ready in the gate – he’s got it up to 0.62 by inter 1, back to 0.49 at 2 but then he changes gear – 1.02 green at 3 and he leads by 0.95 – 3rd best time on run 2 (Sarrazin fastest, then Zubcic). Nestvold-Haugen is just red at inter 1, green at 2, red at 3 and into 2nd; Norway 1 and 2! Just Tommy Ford to go, with 0.23 in hand – it’s down to 0.06 at inter 1, but he’s pulling it back – 0.29 at 2, 0.44 at 3 – what a run – he wins by 0.80 with the 2nd best time on run 2! Well done to him – first win on the World Cup tour, I think! Kristoffersen 2nd, Leif K N-H 3rd, then Kranjec, Muffat-Jeandet (a good result for him) and Faivre.
8 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Super G: Hmm – another postponed start; more track preparation, which hopefully means it will happen. Yes, all the hard work to remove overnight snow has paid off and the race is on. It’s a nice day but very cold! OK – Tamara Tippler is first away and she’s at the start; there is a bit of haze and blown snow but she’s safely down. It might be that “they” have left the snow cannons on? Romane Miradoli goes next – green at 1 and 2, just red at 3 and into 2nd. Tina Weirather is bib 3 – quite well green at 1, but only just green at 2 after an error, fractionally red at 3 – she goes 2nd by just 5 hundredths! Now, it’s Ester Ledecka again; she’s a bit off the pace today – 1.48 slower at the line. Nicole Schmidhofer has done the double here before – she too is quite green at 1, just green at 2 and just red at 3 – she takes over 2nd just one one hundredth faster than Weirather! Kajsa Vickhoff Lie a little more red at 2 and 3 and she’s into 4th; Vikki Rebensburg has gained between 2 and 3 and she’s a massive 0.82 ahead at 3 – fast through the speed guns too and she leads by a very impressive 1.06 seconds! Stephanie Venier is back, despite yesterday’s crash – she’s into 2nd; tough lady! Mikaela Shiffrin is next – she’s over a second back and into 6th. Joana Haehlen has crashed – tried to make a gate she was low for and went through it – on her feet and heading down. Lara Gut-Behrami into 7th; Federica Brignone goes 4th. Ilka Stuhec has made a good start but then she has snags at the gate where Haehlen had problems – that’s her run spoiled. Sofia Goggia has skied out at the same gate – if I heard correctly, that’s a rude phrase Sofia (one of a very few Italian phrases I know!). Siebenhofer into 8th; Corinne Suter looks nicely in touch and keeping there too – red all the way but not by much and she’s into 2nd place. Twenty away – Rebensburg leads from Suter, Venier, Tippler, Brignone and Schmidhofer. No change for a good while but Mirjam Puchner (bib 25) is looking good – nicely in touch and fast through the speed gun – she’s taken over 4th place! Veronique Hronek had a lucky escape – skidding along the safety netting; I gather that’s a naughty German word, although I didn’t recognise it this time! That’s 30 away, no change to the top 6 since Puchner went into 4th. However – number 31 is Nicol Delago she’s 0.55 red at inter 3 but a storming final section gets her over the line just 0.35 off the pace – that gets her into 2nd position! As coverage shifts to run 2 at Beaver Creek, it’s Rebensburg, Delago and Suter on the podium, then Venier, Puchner and Tippler; Shiffrin currently in 10th. That’s the race over – no change to the top 10 – Well done Vikki Rebensburg; good results for Nicol Delago and Corinne Suter too; great metal strength from Venier to come back from her crash to get 4th today!
6 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Downhill 1: Seems that this snow is pretty much unprecedented – hard to see how they can race but they are saying the forerunners are on course. Forecast for tomorrow is for minus twenty degrees!! This course I have skied, although it’s hard to recognise anything through the snow! Vikki Rebensburg is at the start, and the race is on; visibility isn’t ideal (although it’s hard to tell from a camera shot) but at least there isn’t any wind! Vikki is safely down; Lara Gut-Behrami next to go, and she’s 1.16 slower. Michelle Gisin is bib 3 – she’s a little slower and into 3rd. Actually it doesn’t look too awful at present (from the comfort of my chair, with a good log fire in the stove) – better than expected so all power to the team who worked so hard getting this race underway. Tamara Tippler into 2nd; Nicol Delago (ITA) is very fast through the top speed trap – she’s taken over 2nd place. Next to go is Mikaela Shiffrin – fractionally green at inter 1 but slow through the top speed trap; red at inter 2 and 3 but then pulling a bit of time back on the lower section – into 3rd, +0.30. Stephanie Venier is going well – red early on but green at inter 4 and she’s taken over the lead by 0.21! Now, Nicole Schmidhofer who took both downhills here last year – green at inter 1 but slower through the top speed trap; still green at 2, greener at 3 but into the red at 4 and it’s 3rd. Ten away – Venier leads from Rebensburg and Schmidhofer. TV break and the it’s Sofia Goggia – really nice line and into 3rd; Ilka Stuhec is back from injury – green early on but she’s lost time lower down – into 10th. Corinne Suter is bib 15 and she’s also green at the top – she’s keeping it green though – still there at inter 3 – red at 4 but she’s pulled some time back and she leads by 0.10; can she make it a Swiss double today with Odermatt? Good run from Kira Weidle into 6th; that’s 20 away and Suter leads from Venier and Rebensburg. Now Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) was fastest in both training runs – not quite there today though, and she’s into 9th. Ester Ledecka next – and she’s green at inter 2 – 0.53 green at inter 3 still 0.39 green at 4 AND SHE LEADS, by a pretty impressive 0.35! She made history when she won Olympic golds in both Super G (when she was bib 26; the same start number as today) and snowboarding and she might be the first Czech woman to win a downhill? Now that’s another impressive run, especially as the vis has got worse again – Nina Ortlieb (AUT) into joint 4th from start number 30! And that’s how it finished – well done Ester Ledecka, what a result! Corinne Suter in 2nd, with Stephanie Venier in 3rd, then Ortlieb and Rebensburg in 4th and Goggia 6th; Shiffrin finished 10th.
7 Dec: Beaver Creek, Men’s Downhill: The start has been slightly lowered, possibly because of wind? I think it’s very unlikely that Marco Odermatt will do the double today as he starts number 62! Matthias Mayer is first away – only 1 practice run for this race! He’s safely down; Steve Nyman is into the green at inter 1 and he’s even more green at inter 3 – he leads by 0.42! Kilde is bib 3 – he’s 0.35 green at inter 1, 0.50 at 2, 0.42 at 3 – he leads by 0.42 which is very impressive especially as he had the worst of the wind at the start. Adrien Theaux away next – nice line and he’s in touch – into 2nd, which might be some slight consolation for yesterday’s DNF? Bib 5 is Thomas Dressen – he’s quite a bit off the pace at inter 1 though and he’s lost more to 2; he did pull a bit back, but just 4th, looking a bit nervous (not a great surprise). Now Vincent Kriechmayr is fractionally green at inter 2 and 3; slow (relatively, he’s doing 114 kph!) through the last speed gun but he leads by 0.23. Beat Feuz is a little off at inter 1 but just red at 2 and 0.33 green at 3 – he’s going really well and leads by 0.41! That’s a good one; 10 down now and Feuz leads from Kriechmayr and Kilde. Mauro Caviezel into 5th, as the wind starts to get up, blowing across the piste. Hannes Reichelt (the veteran, as we are frequently reminded) is well in touch – that’s a great line and he’s into 3rd. Dominik Paris can only manage 6th today; Max Franz off the pace into 10th. Kjetil Jansrud is better but even he can only manage joint 5th with Theaux. Bib 19 is Johan Clarey and he’s much more in touch than some of the recent skiers – he’s gained from inter 2 to 3 and he’s into joint 2nd, +0.41 with Kriechmayr. Twenty away and Feuz leads from Clarey/Kriechmayr with Reichelt in 4th, then Kilde and Jansrud/Theaux. The wind seems to be getting up a little more? Christian Walder into 10th, from bib 24; epic recovery from Matthieu Bailet – he really is risking it all – into joint 8th with Paris. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was fastest in practice – he’s also well in touch and he’s into 5th – a PB for him! Thirty away – no change to the top 4. Almost a change now – Sejersted into 5th! Meanwhile there is a 30 minute delay at Lake Louise for “track preparation”, but they seem confident that it will be OK. So, here at Beaver Creek it seems unlikely that Beat Feuz will be dislodged from first place; Clarey and Kriechmayr tied in 2nd, then Reichelt, Sejersted, Cochran-Siegle, Kilde and Jansrud & Theaux tied in 8th. Wow – that’s a bit of an upset – Dominik Schwaiger (GER) has just gone into joint 7th with Kilde [lots of tied places today – two 2s, 7s, 9s and 11s!] from start number 41 – what an effort! James Crawford (CAN) has crashed – luckily he kept his skis up and the nets stopped him – took a while to untangle him, but he’s fine and picking up his kit. That’s going to take a while to repair!! Still 15 to go as we switch (at last) to Lake Louise. Impressive to see Alex Köll (SWE) get into 19th from start number 50. Well, Marco Odermatt is off the pace today – he’s just 45th! That’s it – no late changes to the top 10
7 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Downhill 2: Snow clearing still happening, but the visibility looks good. Michelle Gisin will be the first away – she’s being held in the start hut for another 2 minutes, which isn’t going to help her, I suspect. Just 47 on the start list today; Gisin away at last – safely down. Ester Ledecka, yesterday’s winner, is bib 2 and she’s just green at inter 2; bit greener at 3 and much more at 4 and 5 – she leads by 1.16! That was a fast run; not entirely without a couple small errors (apparently) but it might take some beating! Vikki Rebensburg is well in touch – only slightly red at the last intermediate and she’s into 2nd, +0.38. Tamara Tippler is also in touch – alternating between green and red, then green a little more and she’s into 2nd, +0.33. That’s a nasty crash for Stephanie Venier; amazingly she seems to be up and skiing down but I think that might need a thorough check up later? Race back on and Romane Miradoli is gaining time on the lower sections – she’s into 2nd by 0.25, which is impressive after that long interruption. Next to go is Nicole Schmidhofer; green by inter 4, bit greener at 5 and she’s taken her revenge on Ledecka – Schmidhofer leads by 0.45! Ten away and Schmidhofer leads from Ledecka and Miradoli, then Tippler, Rebensburg and Gisin. Nicol Delago has skied out; there’s yet another delay while a gate panel is replaced. OK – Mikaela Shiffrin away, nicely green at the top and 0.51 ahead at inter 3, but then she starts to lose time – still 0.18 green at inter 5, but the a little slow through the gun – into 2nd, +0.13 – impressive! Corinne Suter is a bit off the pace but she’s gaining time on the final section, and into 4th. Kira Weidle away 17th – green at 1, greener at 2 but then it starts to drift away after an error – she’s into a very creditable 5th. Sofia Goggia is also green at the top - 0.19 ahead at inter 3 and taking a lot of chances; sadly it’s all going away from her; great recoveries but it’s cost her time – into 10th! Kajsa Vickhoff Lie on course after the TV break and she’s 0.47 green at inter 3 – she’s red at 4 though and redder at 5 – she’s fallen in sight of the finish – looked nasty but she’s up and skiing away – these are tough people! Another interruption – Schmidhofer leads from Shiffrin and Ledecka, then Suter, Weidle and Miradoli. Francesca Marsaglia is just green at inter 3, back red at 4 and 5 and into 3rd – it’s her first World Cup podium I think, so very well done; pity to see Ledecka off the podium though! Conditions do seem to be getting better for the later starters; Merryweather into 11th and Ortlieb 12th.
8 Dec: Beaver Creek, Men’s Giant Slalom: Run 1 – It has to be said that conditions aren’t that good – snow and poor visibility, but at least there is no wind to speak of! Zan Kranjec (SLO) is first away on a course set by a Swedish coach and that looked pretty good – hard to see in some parts of the course. Mathieu Faivre is 0.36 slower into 2nd; I’m surprised to see Alexis Pinturault making an early error – great recovery but he’s 1.25 off the pace. Loic Meillard just in the green at inter 1 and 2, but then red at 3 and into 3rd. The storm is easing a little and vis is getting better – Tommy Ford is green all the way, and gaining to inter 3; he leads by 0.71. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – fractionally red at inter 2 and a little more so at 3 – he’s into 2nd, +0.23. Marco Odermatt is also green at inter 1, very risky but a little less green at 2 – he’s the first DNF today, just as he comes off the steep. Sadly the vis on the lower sections has got worse again as the mist rolls in; Stefan Luitz is also a DNF – probably far too aggressive! Next is Leif K N-H – green, green, red and he goes into 2nd, +0.20. Victor Muffat-Jeandet doesn’t seem to be having a good season so far – off the pace and just 7th; that’s a tricky looking course though. Now, bib 13 is Ted Ligety – red at 1 and 2 but in touch, and just 0.07 off the pace at inter 3 – he’s hit a rut in the mist, and into 4th, +0.61. Windingstad another DNF after a quick 360 into a straddle; With 15 away Ford leads from Leif Kristian N-H and Kristoffersen, then Ligety, Kranjec and Faivre. Gino Caviezel into 11th; these conditions aren’t good – very hard to see the bumps and ruts! Manfred Mölgg is another DNF; Erik Read into 12th. Cochran-Siegle into a disappointing 18th; Trevor Philp is much better, taking advantage of a slight improvement in the weather he’s into 6th. Conditions are bad again, there is apparently some discussion about whether they need to interrupt things until it improves? Good work by Lucas Braathen (NOR) to get 13th in those conditions! Oh dear, Kilde has joined the DNFs – that fog really is getting thick. Yes – arguably about time- the race is on hold. Bit of the start/stop that must infuriate the racers; no surprise that the top 10 hasn’t changed! Still seven to go and we’re on hold again; run 1 over and no late changes.
Run 2: Conditions seem to be better, although it has warmed a little and there is still a bit of fog around. Cyprien Sarrazin first away, on a tricky course, set by a Canadian coach, and he’s staying in the lead; Trikhichev into 2nd, but he doesn’t stay there long – Favrot into 2nd now. Next away is Matthias Mayer, looking for points for the overall – he’s into 3rd. There is a very tricky mix of flat and steep here, not helped by the visibility being so variable too – quite thick fog at present. Alex Schmid into 4th; it seems very easy to lose a lot of time on this run – Leitinger has 1.15 in hand at the start, but he’s 1.07 red at the finish and into 5th – he’s not untypical. Filip Zubcic (CRO) is doing better – he lost almost half his advantage to inter 1, but then he steadied and he’s keeping that advantage – he leads by 0.77. Pinturault has made a very similar error to the one he made on run 1 – into 3rd. Luca di Aliprandini has taken over 3rd; Erik Read over but up and seems OK. Lucas Braathen into 4th as the wind gets up – maybe the forecast storm is on the way a little early? Gino Caviezel is keeping nicely in the green, but he’s lost time on the final section – into 2nd. Now, Victor Muffat-Jeandet is on track and he’s keeping in the green despite losing some of his advantage – that looks better and he takes over the lead. They are shortening the start interval to get the skiers away before the storm, although I see we are still having a TV break!! Murisier into 4th, Olsson 5th and it’s now snowing heavily! Mathieu Faivre going well despite the conditions and he gets into 2nd. Trevor Philp has gained from inter 1 to 2 and a bit more to 3 but it’s gone again over the Red Tail roller and he’s only 3rd. Zan Kranjec in the gate – he’s losing time but he’s gained a bit back from 1 to 2; he’s just held on, and leads by 0.03! Ted Ligety into the red by inter 2; he’s not going to win but I do love watching him – he’s into 8th. Henrik Kristoffersen has 0.48 in hand as he gets ready in the gate – he’s got it up to 0.62 by inter 1, back to 0.49 at 2 but then he changes gear – 1.02 green at 3 and he leads by 0.95 – 3rd best time on run 2 (Sarrazin fastest, then Zubcic). Nestvold-Haugen is just red at inter 1, green at 2, red at 3 and into 2nd; Norway 1 and 2! Just Tommy Ford to go, with 0.23 in hand – it’s down to 0.06 at inter 1, but he’s pulling it back – 0.29 at 2, 0.44 at 3 – what a run – he wins by 0.80 with the 2nd best time on run 2! Well done to him – first win on the World Cup tour, I think! Kristoffersen 2nd, Leif K N-H 3rd, then Kranjec, Muffat-Jeandet (a good result for him) and Faivre.
8 Dec: Lake Louise, Women’s Super G: Hmm – another postponed start; more track preparation, which hopefully means it will happen. Yes, all the hard work to remove overnight snow has paid off and the race is on. It’s a nice day but very cold! OK – Tamara Tippler is first away and she’s at the start; there is a bit of haze and blown snow but she’s safely down. It might be that “they” have left the snow cannons on? Romane Miradoli goes next – green at 1 and 2, just red at 3 and into 2nd. Tina Weirather is bib 3 – quite well green at 1, but only just green at 2 after an error, fractionally red at 3 – she goes 2nd by just 5 hundredths! Now, it’s Ester Ledecka again; she’s a bit off the pace today – 1.48 slower at the line. Nicole Schmidhofer has done the double here before – she too is quite green at 1, just green at 2 and just red at 3 – she takes over 2nd just one one hundredth faster than Weirather! Kajsa Vickhoff Lie a little more red at 2 and 3 and she’s into 4th; Vikki Rebensburg has gained between 2 and 3 and she’s a massive 0.82 ahead at 3 – fast through the speed guns too and she leads by a very impressive 1.06 seconds! Stephanie Venier is back, despite yesterday’s crash – she’s into 2nd; tough lady! Mikaela Shiffrin is next – she’s over a second back and into 6th. Joana Haehlen has crashed – tried to make a gate she was low for and went through it – on her feet and heading down. Lara Gut-Behrami into 7th; Federica Brignone goes 4th. Ilka Stuhec has made a good start but then she has snags at the gate where Haehlen had problems – that’s her run spoiled. Sofia Goggia has skied out at the same gate – if I heard correctly, that’s a rude phrase Sofia (one of a very few Italian phrases I know!). Siebenhofer into 8th; Corinne Suter looks nicely in touch and keeping there too – red all the way but not by much and she’s into 2nd place. Twenty away – Rebensburg leads from Suter, Venier, Tippler, Brignone and Schmidhofer. No change for a good while but Mirjam Puchner (bib 25) is looking good – nicely in touch and fast through the speed gun – she’s taken over 4th place! Veronique Hronek had a lucky escape – skidding along the safety netting; I gather that’s a naughty German word, although I didn’t recognise it this time! That’s 30 away, no change to the top 6 since Puchner went into 4th. However – number 31 is Nicol Delago she’s 0.55 red at inter 3 but a storming final section gets her over the line just 0.35 off the pace – that gets her into 2nd position! As coverage shifts to run 2 at Beaver Creek, it’s Rebensburg, Delago and Suter on the podium, then Venier, Puchner and Tippler; Shiffrin currently in 10th. That’s the race over – no change to the top 10 – Well done Vikki Rebensburg; good results for Nicol Delago and Corinne Suter too; great metal strength from Venier to come back from her crash to get 4th today!
Last edited by Bleausardv2 on Thu 12 Dec 2019, 11:36 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Forgot to add the last two races!)
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Östersund; Relays
by Bleausardv2 Sun 08 Dec 2019, 1:10 pm
Östersund - Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 7 Dec 2019: Well, there’s a surprise – the ski jumping has finished slightly early so the biathlon can cover the start! Wind looks fairly benign (by Östersund standards) and with 3 spares on each shoot this might not be too testing?? The tracks look a bit sugary and soft – Erik Lesser has leg 1 for Germany (despite his awful last race) and he’s leading away from the start. Jacquelin is on leg 1 for France, while Norway have Dale; Stenersen for Sweden and Eliseev for Russia. All very close as they head for S1 – Lesser shooting fast but he’s clear and out fractionally ahead of Jacquelin, then Anev (BUL), Burnotte (CAN, 1 spare), Tyschenko (UKR) and Dale – Hidensalo (FIN) is doing 2 penalty loops as are Kazakhstan. That’s a pretty punishing pace on the lap as they head for the first standing shoot today – let’s see what that does to the shooting! My apologies to Erik Lesser for doubting him – he’s 10/10 and out 5 seconds ahead of Burnotte with Leitner (AUT) in 3rd, +9.3. Hofer close behind in 4th, ahead of Jacquelin and Stenersen. Dale in 10th (0+2) at +28.2; Latvia and Lithuania both doing 2 penalty loops. Erik Lesser sprinting for the exchange; he’ll hand over to Horn, arguably the least experienced of the German team. At exchange 1 it’s Germany from Italy and France, then AUT/NOR/CAN/SWE/RUS/BLR/UKR. Germany, Austria, Ukraine and Romania seem to be the only teams who haven’t used at least 1 spare. On the lap QFM has got France up to 2nd, and Bjøntegaard is pulling back time. Horn leading in for S3 and the wind is getting up – Bormolini (1 spare) first out after 1 spare, then Nelin (despite 2 spares) and Bjøntegaard (2 spares); Horn will be doing at least 1 loop – it’s 2! QFM is doing 1 loop, so Canada (Gow) are 4th, ahead of Austria (Eder) and Moravec (CZE). Once again Bjøntegaard is gaining time on the lap; in for S4 and it’s gusty! Nelin clear and out in the lead, 11.0 ahead of Bormolini (2 spares) and Bjøntegaard (1; +15.6). Fillon Maillet clear and up to 4th; Malyshko has got Russia up to 8th from 18th after S3; Horn has done another loop and Germany are (3+6), Eder is doing 1 loop. Exchange 2 – Sweden (Ponsiluoma) lead out, with Norway 2nd (Tarjei Bø), then France (Desthieux), Italy (Cappellari), Slovenia and Ukraine – Russia 8th and Germany 12th (+1:55.0). Bø gaining time on the lap – in for S5; Tarjei Bø out first (1 spare), ahead of Desthieux (1; +17.5) and Cappellari (1: +21.7). Ponsiluoma has done 1 penalty loop and is out 4th, ahead of Bauer (SLO) and Latypov (RUS). Peiffer is clear and out 8th. Bø in for his standing shoot – 1 spare and he’s away; Desthieux (2) is out +16.5 with Cappellari (0) 3rd, +27.5. Ponsiluoma needed all 3 spares and out just ahead of Russia and Slovenia – Peiffer is doing 1 penalty loop – that’s 4 in all, worst so far (of those not lapped – Latvia did 6, Japan also on 4!). Exchange 3 – Norway (one Johannes Thingnes Bø) lead by 11.3 from France (Martin Fourcade) – what a recovery from that early penalty. Italy (Windisch) in 3rd, +1:01.7, ahead of Sweden (Samuelsson), Russia (Loginov) and Slovenia (Trsan). Fourcade has lost a little to Bø on the lap – the rest have lost a bit more! In for S7 and the wind is shifting around again – Bø missed his 4th, out after 1 spare; Fourcade took his time but cleared all 5 – out 2nd, +8.4. Windisch used 1 spare but he’s out 3rd, over a minute back but he’s held off Loginov (1 spare) – Samuelsson is on the penalty loop. Doll 8th but he’s used 2 spares and he’s losing time. The tracks are looking very cut up now; Bø in for the last shoot - 1 miss and he’s out after 1 spare - Martin F has cleared again and he’s out 7 seconds behind. Windisch (1) still 3rd, but only about 9 seconds clear of Alex Loginov (1). Bø is flying around the lap and at 6.3 km he’s got the gap back to 23.9 seconds - looks as though Fourcade is suffering from that Individual? He’s lost another 10 seconds by 7.1 Km. So, Norway (0+9) take a well-deserved win, France (1+7) in 2nd, well clear of Italy (0+8). Russia (1+10) in 4th, then Sweden (2+12) and Ukraine (0+9). Germany (4+13) in 8th, after being (0+0) and first when Erik Lesser handed over!
Östersund - Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 8 Dec 2019: Well, can Norway do the double – they have Knotten, Tandrevold, Eckhoff and Røiseland, but Eckhoff’s shooting has been a bit weak of late? Germany have Karo Horchler, Herrmann, Hinz and Preuß. Italy might be the team to beat, and the French have had very fast skis here? It seems to be snowing today, and quite heavily too! The race is on – not live on Eurosport with commentary, and this time there is no commentary on the IBU feed! Knotten just ahead at the first timing point, then Horchler, Bescond, Voronina, Persson and Dunklee; Vittozzi in 7th, but up to 1st by the next timing point. Here we go for the first prone shoot – wind a bit variable but not too strong. France and Germany taking a while to get the last target down with spares – Vittozzi leads out, ahead of Persson, Dunklee, Vishnevskaya (KAZ) and Voronina – all using no spares. Knotten in 6th, after 1 spare; Bescond 9th (1) and Horchler 11th (1). Bulgaria seem to be the only ones on the penalty loop; with a 6 km leg S2 is quickly reached – Vittozzi leads out despite 1 spare, ahead of Knotten (0 this time), Dunklee (2), Alimbekava (BLR, 0), Persson (3) and Bescond (2); Horchler in 7th after 1 more spare. Poor Eder (FIN) is on the loop this time and Bulgaria are doing another one. Vittozzi is pulling out time on the lap; at the first exchange Italy lead by 13 seconds, ahead of Norway, Sweden, USA, France and Germany (+33.4). Not sure what happened to Russia – they are 16th, despite using only 3 spares. So, leg 2 and Gontier is losing a little time to Tandrevold in the early stages; Elvira Öberg has also gained a little and Denise Herrmann has pulled back 13 seconds to get Germany up to 4th. The chasers pace seems to have eased a bit as they head for S3 (no real surprise); it looks as though the wind has got up a little? Gontier, Tandrevold and Herrmann have missed 2 already. Elvira O is away after using 1 spare, ahead of Braisaz (0), Tandrevold (3), Egan (USA, 1), Innerhofer (0)and Selina Gasparin (1) – sadly Denise Herrmann is on the loop (1+5) and now 8th, +50.2. Gontier, Charvatova (CZE) and Moser (CAN) have also done a loop here. Elvira Öberg is taking it steady on the lap - she’s in for S4; her coach is looking a bit stressed! She’s lucky with the wind – 1 spare and away, ahead of Braisaz (1), Tandrevold (2), Gasparin (0), Herrmann (0) and Innerhofer (1). Gontier has done 2 more penalty loops – so much for my suggestion that Italy could win – kiss of death! Braisaz just ahead of Elvira O on the lap, with Herrmann fractionally ahead of Tandrevold and Gasparin. The Swede has got past Braisaz again – she’s opening up a nice little gap – the next three are all very close about 11 seconds back. At the exchange Sweden lead by 5.5 from France, then Germany (+16.8), Norway (+17) and Switzerland (+17.4). Russia back up to 8th. Mona Brorsson for Sweden this time, ahead of Chevalier with Eckhoff up to 3rd ahead of Hinz, Aita (?) Gasparin and Hauser. USA (Reid) fractionally ahead of Russia (Yurlova-P). I don’t think Wierer is pushing too hard after being handed a 2:23.1 deficit! In for S5 – wind not too bad again – Tiril Eckhoff is clear and away, just ahead of Brorsson who was also clear; Gasparin clear to and out 3rd, +5.5 ahead of Hinz (1), Chevalier (1) and Hauser (1); Reid has used 2 spares to Yurlova’s 1 so the Russian is out some 14 seconds ahead now. Doro Wierer is clear and up to 12th. Eckhoff seems to be dropping Brorsson a little on the lap; Hinz just past Gasparin as they head for S6. Eckhoff has missed her first but Brorsson is clear and away – the crowd are going wild! Gasparin is clear too and out 2nd, +6.6; Hinz has used 2 spares and is 3rd, just 5.7 ahead of Eckhoff (2), with Chevalier (0) a further 2 seconds back, fractionally ahead of Hauser (0) – all very close! There is then about half a minute to Yurlova, and another 25 seconds to Reid. Eckhoff past Hinz at the next timing point; she’s already halved the gap to Brorsson! The gap is down to less than 6 seconds by the next point – glad to see Hinz staying close to Eckhoff! At the final exchange it’s Sweden by just 2.2, ahead of Norway with Germany 3rd (+3.0); the Swiss in 4th (+6.6) then Austria (+24.8) and France (+55.2) with Russia now just 2 seconds behind them! At 0.8 km into the final leg Røiseland is past Hannah O, Haecki up to 3rd and Preuß now 11.1 back. Røiseland and Hannah O seem fairly evenly matched at present; as are Preuß and Haecki some 13 seconds back. The final prone shoot – Røiseland clear and out but Hannah has missed 2 already. It’s Lena Haecki (0) who is away 2nd, about 7 seconds ahead of Preuß (0) with Öberg 4th (3 spares, +23.4); then over 30 seconds to Zdouc (AUT) and Kuklina (RUS). Julia Simon has used all 3 spares and is out 7th. I think the snow is getting heavier? Marta Olsbu Røiseland is 17.6 clear as she heads for the final shoot; some very serious looking coaches now! Røiseland has missed 1, and 1 more – 2 spares and away, but Öberg is clear and out just 10.5 behind; Haecki (1) in 3rd, +11.9 with Preuß (1) in 4th (+21.3) – not sure I’d bet on any of them catching Røiseland! Those four have over a minute back to Kuklina and Zdouc. At 4.8 Norway have pulled out a little, and Haecki is very close to Öberg; Preuß is 5 seconds off a podium place. At 5.6 km Haecki is past Öberg who has Preuß just 3 seconds behind – what a finish! Norway (0+10) take it, ahead of Switzerland (0+4; well done them) with Sweden (0+8) holding off Germany (1+9) for 3rd. Impressive recovery by the Germans from that penalty loop! Great result for the Swiss – just 4 spares used, best shooting of the day! Russia (0+9) took 5th, ahead of France (0+9); Italy (5+10) down in 12th despite Doro using no spares! Glad I watched this on the IBU feed as the Eurosport slot has switched to snooker instead of the scheduled biathlon!
Östersund - Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 8 Dec 2019: Well, can Norway do the double – they have Knotten, Tandrevold, Eckhoff and Røiseland, but Eckhoff’s shooting has been a bit weak of late? Germany have Karo Horchler, Herrmann, Hinz and Preuß. Italy might be the team to beat, and the French have had very fast skis here? It seems to be snowing today, and quite heavily too! The race is on – not live on Eurosport with commentary, and this time there is no commentary on the IBU feed! Knotten just ahead at the first timing point, then Horchler, Bescond, Voronina, Persson and Dunklee; Vittozzi in 7th, but up to 1st by the next timing point. Here we go for the first prone shoot – wind a bit variable but not too strong. France and Germany taking a while to get the last target down with spares – Vittozzi leads out, ahead of Persson, Dunklee, Vishnevskaya (KAZ) and Voronina – all using no spares. Knotten in 6th, after 1 spare; Bescond 9th (1) and Horchler 11th (1). Bulgaria seem to be the only ones on the penalty loop; with a 6 km leg S2 is quickly reached – Vittozzi leads out despite 1 spare, ahead of Knotten (0 this time), Dunklee (2), Alimbekava (BLR, 0), Persson (3) and Bescond (2); Horchler in 7th after 1 more spare. Poor Eder (FIN) is on the loop this time and Bulgaria are doing another one. Vittozzi is pulling out time on the lap; at the first exchange Italy lead by 13 seconds, ahead of Norway, Sweden, USA, France and Germany (+33.4). Not sure what happened to Russia – they are 16th, despite using only 3 spares. So, leg 2 and Gontier is losing a little time to Tandrevold in the early stages; Elvira Öberg has also gained a little and Denise Herrmann has pulled back 13 seconds to get Germany up to 4th. The chasers pace seems to have eased a bit as they head for S3 (no real surprise); it looks as though the wind has got up a little? Gontier, Tandrevold and Herrmann have missed 2 already. Elvira O is away after using 1 spare, ahead of Braisaz (0), Tandrevold (3), Egan (USA, 1), Innerhofer (0)and Selina Gasparin (1) – sadly Denise Herrmann is on the loop (1+5) and now 8th, +50.2. Gontier, Charvatova (CZE) and Moser (CAN) have also done a loop here. Elvira Öberg is taking it steady on the lap - she’s in for S4; her coach is looking a bit stressed! She’s lucky with the wind – 1 spare and away, ahead of Braisaz (1), Tandrevold (2), Gasparin (0), Herrmann (0) and Innerhofer (1). Gontier has done 2 more penalty loops – so much for my suggestion that Italy could win – kiss of death! Braisaz just ahead of Elvira O on the lap, with Herrmann fractionally ahead of Tandrevold and Gasparin. The Swede has got past Braisaz again – she’s opening up a nice little gap – the next three are all very close about 11 seconds back. At the exchange Sweden lead by 5.5 from France, then Germany (+16.8), Norway (+17) and Switzerland (+17.4). Russia back up to 8th. Mona Brorsson for Sweden this time, ahead of Chevalier with Eckhoff up to 3rd ahead of Hinz, Aita (?) Gasparin and Hauser. USA (Reid) fractionally ahead of Russia (Yurlova-P). I don’t think Wierer is pushing too hard after being handed a 2:23.1 deficit! In for S5 – wind not too bad again – Tiril Eckhoff is clear and away, just ahead of Brorsson who was also clear; Gasparin clear to and out 3rd, +5.5 ahead of Hinz (1), Chevalier (1) and Hauser (1); Reid has used 2 spares to Yurlova’s 1 so the Russian is out some 14 seconds ahead now. Doro Wierer is clear and up to 12th. Eckhoff seems to be dropping Brorsson a little on the lap; Hinz just past Gasparin as they head for S6. Eckhoff has missed her first but Brorsson is clear and away – the crowd are going wild! Gasparin is clear too and out 2nd, +6.6; Hinz has used 2 spares and is 3rd, just 5.7 ahead of Eckhoff (2), with Chevalier (0) a further 2 seconds back, fractionally ahead of Hauser (0) – all very close! There is then about half a minute to Yurlova, and another 25 seconds to Reid. Eckhoff past Hinz at the next timing point; she’s already halved the gap to Brorsson! The gap is down to less than 6 seconds by the next point – glad to see Hinz staying close to Eckhoff! At the final exchange it’s Sweden by just 2.2, ahead of Norway with Germany 3rd (+3.0); the Swiss in 4th (+6.6) then Austria (+24.8) and France (+55.2) with Russia now just 2 seconds behind them! At 0.8 km into the final leg Røiseland is past Hannah O, Haecki up to 3rd and Preuß now 11.1 back. Røiseland and Hannah O seem fairly evenly matched at present; as are Preuß and Haecki some 13 seconds back. The final prone shoot – Røiseland clear and out but Hannah has missed 2 already. It’s Lena Haecki (0) who is away 2nd, about 7 seconds ahead of Preuß (0) with Öberg 4th (3 spares, +23.4); then over 30 seconds to Zdouc (AUT) and Kuklina (RUS). Julia Simon has used all 3 spares and is out 7th. I think the snow is getting heavier? Marta Olsbu Røiseland is 17.6 clear as she heads for the final shoot; some very serious looking coaches now! Røiseland has missed 1, and 1 more – 2 spares and away, but Öberg is clear and out just 10.5 behind; Haecki (1) in 3rd, +11.9 with Preuß (1) in 4th (+21.3) – not sure I’d bet on any of them catching Røiseland! Those four have over a minute back to Kuklina and Zdouc. At 4.8 Norway have pulled out a little, and Haecki is very close to Öberg; Preuß is 5 seconds off a podium place. At 5.6 km Haecki is past Öberg who has Preuß just 3 seconds behind – what a finish! Norway (0+10) take it, ahead of Switzerland (0+4; well done them) with Sweden (0+8) holding off Germany (1+9) for 3rd. Impressive recovery by the Germans from that penalty loop! Great result for the Swiss – just 4 spares used, best shooting of the day! Russia (0+9) took 5th, ahead of France (0+9); Italy (5+10) down in 12th despite Doro using no spares! Glad I watched this on the IBU feed as the Eurosport slot has switched to snooker instead of the scheduled biathlon!
Last edited by Bleausardv2 on Thu 12 Dec 2019, 11:34 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Forgot to add the Women's relay!!)
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Hochfilzen - Sprints
by Bleausardv2 Sun 15 Dec 2019, 2:45 pm
Hochfilzen – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 13 Dec 2019: Valj Semerenko will be the first away today; 105 starters, the big names all seem to be going fairly early. Quite overcast it seems, and it looks a little windy too – need to see the flags on the range. Lucie Charvátová (CZE) the fastest of the early starters at 1.1 km at present. Valj S is at S1 – that was quite fast and she’s got all 5 down very neatly. Hinz has missed 1, and Haecki 2; Charvátová has also missed 1, as has Eder and that was slow shooting too. Meanwhile Hauser is clear and out in 2nd, +8.0. Quite a few missing the first shot; Elvira Öberg has joined them. Yurlova-Percht is clear at S1 and out 2nd, +3.6 – fast shooting too. No surprise that at 1.1 km the fastest is now Røiseland, just ahead of Eckhoff! Valj S is now 10/10 – good shooting! Tiril Eckhoff has missed her 5th at S1; Hinz is (1,1) after S2, Charvátová clear this time and despite that early miss she’s just 1.8 behind Valj. Lisa Theresa Hauser also 10/10 and out 3.6 behind Valj; Røiseland has missed 1 at S1. Also at S1 Svetlana Mironova is clear, and currently fastest there; Davidova is also clear and just 2.2 slower than the Russian. Eckhoff is (1,1) but just 17.6 behind the leader. Doro Wierer is at S1 and fast but she’s missed her 5th; Tandrevold clear and in touch. Røiseland and Eckhoff are both (1,1) but good ski speed has kept them in touch, around 17/18 seconds behind. Some shocks on the range; Dunklee (2,4) and Hojnisz (0,5). Back at S1 Hanna Öberg is clear and +2.7; Innerhofer also clear and +3.5; Mironova has missed 1 at S2 but she’s still out in the lead, 8.5 ahead of Valj S. At the finish it’s Charvátová who leads at present; Tiril Eckhoff into 2nd despite those 2 misses; Røiseland has just taken that position away from her – fast skiing by the Norwegians! At S2 Tandrevold is 10/10 and out 2nd, but the leader is Doro Wierer (1,0) who really blasted through those last 5! Back at S1 Kaisa Mäkäräinen is clear and just 0.8 behind Mironova, who has just crossed the finish line 11.0 ahead of Charvátová. Doro is flying on the final lap, but so is Tandrevold. Kaisa has missed 2 at S2, Preuß is (2,1), Herrmann (1,2) and slower than I expected on her skis too. Doro has crossed the finish line in the lead, and Tandrevold is in 2nd, +5.9; Hanna Öberg (0,1) is 4th at present. Currently Wierer leads from Tandrevold, Mironova, Hanna Ö, Charvátová and Røiseland. Paulina Fialkova is 10/10 and in touch as she leaves S2; she’s over the line in 4th. Wind has eased a little; Solemdal and Pidhrushna both clear at S1 and in touch. Anais Bescond is 10/10 and best of the French at present, but +18.5 as she leaves the range, and she’s losing a bit of time on the final lap – over the line 10th. Best of the late starters through S2 – Pidhrushna has missed 1 and Solemdal missed her 3rd, and then the final 2 as well – I think that might be the last chance of a change to the top 6 over? Awful day for the Germans – Herrmann (1,2) the best at present in 35th, just ahead of Hinz (1,1); Franzi Hildebrand (1,0) shot fairly well but her ski speed was poor – she’s 42nd at present, with Preuß (2,1) in 46th, and they are dropping back as the later starters come over the line! Not sure if Karo Horchler (1,2) will even make the Pursuit? Julia Simon fastest on the range, ahead of Doro and Hanna Ö; Braisaz quickest around the course, ahead of Røiseland, Wierer, Eckhoff and Kaisa M. No late changes to the top 6 since Fialkova; great win by Wierer, Tandrevold in 2nd, best of a strong Norwegian team, with Mironova 3rd. Good race!
Hochfilzen – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 13 Dec 2019: I’m pretty sure this was brought forward by some 40 minutes, so I joined it a little late – 26 through S1 as I joined, one JoBø fastest, ahead of Jacquelin, Loginov, Fak, Leitner and Lesser – all 5/5. Klemen Bauer and Mario Dolder the only 2 clear at S2 at present; Lesser has missed 3 here! Bjøntegaard has just gone 10/10 and he’s fastest after S2 now; JoBø in for S2 and 50 seconds or so faster than Bjøntegaard – he’s missed one here, but he’s still out 32.2 faster!! Back at S1 Tarjei Bø is clear and just 7.5 slower than his brother; Eliseev and Guigonnat both clear here too, and in touch, as is Schempp. Alex Loginov in for S2 - he’s clear again and out 3.5 behind JoBø; Leitner also 10/10 and out 3rd; Doll (1,1) currently 6th and Kühn (1,2) in 7th despite those misses; Jacquelin has missed 2 here, but out 4th. I can’t see Martin Fourcade – apparently he’s start number 78? QFM has missed his last 2 at S1. JoBø is over the line, well ahead of Bjøntegaard. Tarjei went around that final lap with his brother and it’s done him no favours at S2, where he’s missed 2; Eliseev is 10/10 and just 3.9 behind Johannes. Loginov (0,0) over the line in 2nd, and Benedikt Doll (1,1) is currently third – great ski speed! Leitner (0,0) into 3rd; Schempp has missed 2 at S2. Dmytro Pidruchnyi (1,0) over the line in 4th; Eliseev is losing a bit of time on his last lap, against JoBø; Tarjei is into 3rd briefly but Eliseev has pulled back a bit and now he’s 3rd. Russians in 2 and 3 at present; back at S1 Christiansen and Hofer are clear and well in touch. Martin Fourcade is at S1 – he’s clear and out 5th, +10.1. At the finish it’s currently JoBø, then Loginov, Eliseev, Tarjei, Leitner and Pidruchnyi. Dominik Windisch (1,0) out after S2 in 6th; Desthieux clear at S1 and just 3 seconds slower than Johannes. Back at S1 Malyshko is in fast and he’s clear – great grouping; out 9th, +15.7. Lukas Hofer in for S2 – 1 miss; Christiansen has missed 2. That’s it over, surely – Martin F has missed 2 at S2; Jo Bø is looking happy at the finish!! Windisch has crossed the line, and he’s 5th; at S2 Desthieux has missed 1, but he’s fast – might just get a podium, if he can ski faster than the two Russians? Malyshko shooting fast at S2 but he’s missed 2; Hofer at the finish and 4th! Simon Desthieux is losing a little to JoBø but crucially he is gaining on the Russians – he’s up to 3rd at 8.5 Km, and 2nd at 8.9! That was quite a final lap for Desthieux; after S2 he was about 8 seconds back on the Russians, and now he’s over the line in 2nd, some 7 seconds ahead of Loginov! So, it’s a win for Johannes Thingnes Bø, ahead of Desthieux and Loginov. Eliseev takes 4th, ahead of Hofer and Tarjei Bø. Martin F ended up 10th, just ahead of Doll, who was the best of the Germans today. Lapshin fastest on the range ahead of Tarjei and Jacquelin; JoBø quickest on the track, ahead of QFM and Desthieux.
Hochfilzen – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 13 Dec 2019: I’m pretty sure this was brought forward by some 40 minutes, so I joined it a little late – 26 through S1 as I joined, one JoBø fastest, ahead of Jacquelin, Loginov, Fak, Leitner and Lesser – all 5/5. Klemen Bauer and Mario Dolder the only 2 clear at S2 at present; Lesser has missed 3 here! Bjøntegaard has just gone 10/10 and he’s fastest after S2 now; JoBø in for S2 and 50 seconds or so faster than Bjøntegaard – he’s missed one here, but he’s still out 32.2 faster!! Back at S1 Tarjei Bø is clear and just 7.5 slower than his brother; Eliseev and Guigonnat both clear here too, and in touch, as is Schempp. Alex Loginov in for S2 - he’s clear again and out 3.5 behind JoBø; Leitner also 10/10 and out 3rd; Doll (1,1) currently 6th and Kühn (1,2) in 7th despite those misses; Jacquelin has missed 2 here, but out 4th. I can’t see Martin Fourcade – apparently he’s start number 78? QFM has missed his last 2 at S1. JoBø is over the line, well ahead of Bjøntegaard. Tarjei went around that final lap with his brother and it’s done him no favours at S2, where he’s missed 2; Eliseev is 10/10 and just 3.9 behind Johannes. Loginov (0,0) over the line in 2nd, and Benedikt Doll (1,1) is currently third – great ski speed! Leitner (0,0) into 3rd; Schempp has missed 2 at S2. Dmytro Pidruchnyi (1,0) over the line in 4th; Eliseev is losing a bit of time on his last lap, against JoBø; Tarjei is into 3rd briefly but Eliseev has pulled back a bit and now he’s 3rd. Russians in 2 and 3 at present; back at S1 Christiansen and Hofer are clear and well in touch. Martin Fourcade is at S1 – he’s clear and out 5th, +10.1. At the finish it’s currently JoBø, then Loginov, Eliseev, Tarjei, Leitner and Pidruchnyi. Dominik Windisch (1,0) out after S2 in 6th; Desthieux clear at S1 and just 3 seconds slower than Johannes. Back at S1 Malyshko is in fast and he’s clear – great grouping; out 9th, +15.7. Lukas Hofer in for S2 – 1 miss; Christiansen has missed 2. That’s it over, surely – Martin F has missed 2 at S2; Jo Bø is looking happy at the finish!! Windisch has crossed the line, and he’s 5th; at S2 Desthieux has missed 1, but he’s fast – might just get a podium, if he can ski faster than the two Russians? Malyshko shooting fast at S2 but he’s missed 2; Hofer at the finish and 4th! Simon Desthieux is losing a little to JoBø but crucially he is gaining on the Russians – he’s up to 3rd at 8.5 Km, and 2nd at 8.9! That was quite a final lap for Desthieux; after S2 he was about 8 seconds back on the Russians, and now he’s over the line in 2nd, some 7 seconds ahead of Loginov! So, it’s a win for Johannes Thingnes Bø, ahead of Desthieux and Loginov. Eliseev takes 4th, ahead of Hofer and Tarjei Bø. Martin F ended up 10th, just ahead of Doll, who was the best of the Germans today. Lapshin fastest on the range ahead of Tarjei and Jacquelin; JoBø quickest on the track, ahead of QFM and Desthieux.
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Biathlon - Hochfilzen - Pursuits and Relays
by Bleausardv2 Sun 15 Dec 2019, 2:48 pm
Hochfilzen – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 14 Dec 2019: Conditions look even better for this race, as Johannes Bø sets off, with Desthieux in hot pursuit! Looks like a fast pace towards S1, JoBø pulling out a little; first prone shoot – no sign of wind – JoBø clear and away; Desthieux has missed 1. Loginov clear and out 2nd, +29.3 though. Hofer is 3rd, ahead of Tarjei Bø, Eliseev and Fak; first 8 all clear here; worst shooting was by Christiansen, who is doing 3 penalty loops. On the lap JoBø has about 30 seconds in hand; he’s already in for his 2nd prone shoot – good shooting and he’s 10/10. Tarjei also clear and out 2nd, +32.4, ahead of Hofer, Loginov, Eliseev and Fillon Maillet. Martin F has missed 1 this time and he’s 16th, +1:14.0! JoBø has at least 1 penalty loop in hand and it’s starting to creep up to 2 loops spare! Poor Sinapov is out – his ski binding seems to have failed. The lonely figure of JoBø is in for his first standing shoot – all 5 down quickly – lucky with number 2, but it went down! Tarjei has missed 1 but Loginov is clear and out 2nd; Hofer in 3rd, ahead of Eliseev and Fak – all clear so far. Fourcade has missed another 1; Doll is (0,0,2), Peiffer (0,0,1), QFM (0,0,1), Schempp (0,0,3), Christiansen (3,0,2). On the lap JoBø now has 2 penalty loops in hand! JoBø in for his last shoot – just like last time; all five down fast, and lucky with number 2 again! Alex Loginov clear and out 2nd, +46.9, Fak also clear and 3rd, +1:02.2. Desthieux (1,0,0,0) in 4th, just fractionally ahead of Jacquelin. Eliseev in 6th after missing 1 here, but Tarjei is (0,0,1,1) and 7th, ahead of Hofer who missed 2 here. Kühn was the best German but he’s missed 2 at S4, dropping him to behind Doll and Peiffer. At 11.2 Km the two Frenchmen are past Fak. Johannes Thingnes Bø (0,0,0,0) cruises to another win; Alex Loginov in 2nd with Emilien Jacquelin getting the final podium place. Fak has got past Desthieux to claim 4th, with Tarjei Bø taking 6th. Then Hofer, Claude, QFM and Martin Fourcade in 10th. Kühn was the best German in 12th, just ahead of Peiffer and Doll. Pidruchnyi fastest on the range, ahead of Fak and Dovzan; Kühn quickest around the course ahead of Claude and Bjøntegaard, although JoBø eased off a lot on the final section. Those who gained places include Jacquelin (18 to 3), Fak (13-4), Claude (23-8; that’s the French F Claude, not the Belgian one), Kühn (20-12), Peiffer (24-13) and Rastorgujevs (39-19). Going the wrong way the list includes Eliseev (4-11), Leitner (8-20), Windisch (7-21) and Lapshin (17-36).
Hochfilzen – Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 14 Dec 2019: Not so windy here as it was for the Alpine events, although it’s a bit overcast! Norway looking strong, Italy also on form and the Swiss had a good result last time – sadly I don’t think the Germans will feature, given that their best in the Sprint was Denise Herrmann in 41st! Early on leg 1 it’s Knotten ahead of Horchler, then Elisa Gasparin (the Swiss team is 3 Gasparins and Haecki), Persson, Vittozzi, and Reztsova (RUS). So, shoot 1 – Reztsova clear and out ahead of Knotten, Horchler and Semerenko, all clear. Vittozzi in 5th after 1 spare, and Bescond (0). Just Finland (Minkkinen) on the penalty loop after S1; no Kaisa in the team today as she’s resting before the Pursuit. Vishnevskaya (KAZ) leading in – Patrick reckons she’s going too fast and he’s offered to buy lunch if she gets all 5 – he is paying!! He should have said Italy or France – Reztsova clear and away, just 2.7 ahead of Vishnevskaya (0) and Knotten (1); Vittozzi (3) in 4th ahead of Schwaiger (1) and Beaudry (0). Horchler (2) in 7th, just ahead of Bescond (3); Bulgaria on the loop this time. Russia leading on the lap, Italy up to 2nd – at exchange 1 it’s Russia (0+0) from Italy (0+4; +1.6) and Austria (0+1; +10.6), then KAZ/NOR/FRA/SUI/GER/UKR/SLO. Early on leg 2 Kuklina leads but Doro Wierer is right with her (seems odd to put her on leg 2?); Herrmann up to 3rd just ahead of Tandrevold, Braisaz and Selina Gasparin. In for S3 – Kuklina clear and she leads out, ahead of Wierer (1 spare), Herrmann (0), Tandrevold (0), Braisaz (1) and Tomingas (EST, 0). Innerhofer is doing 2 penalty loops, as is Elvira Öberg; Charvátová has 1 loop to do. On the lap Doro is leading a group of 3 , with Herrmann and Kuklina, then the chasing group about 10 seconds back. The second standing shoot – Doro leads (1 spare) from Kuklina (1) – Herrmann has missed all 5 and will do 3 penalty loops! That lets Bankes (CAN; 1 spare) through to 3rd, ahead of Semerenko, Hojnisz and Gasparin. Dunklee has used all 3 spares, Braisaz on a penalty loop as is Tandrevold. Several upsets there! Now, Wierer is leading, but Italy have Gontier and Sanfilippo to come, whereas Russia have their two more experienced athletes on the final 2 legs. Exchange 2 – Italy just ahead of Russia (+1.0); Swiss in 3rd now (+28.1) then POL/FRA/BLR/USA/CAN/SLO/UKR. Norway currently in 12, just ahead of Germany. Shooting 5 – Mironova clear and away; great shooting from Russia today! Gontier clear and out 4.5 behind, then Aita Gasparin (0 spares), Dzhima (UKR, 0), Moser (CAN, 0) and Egan (USA, 0). Eckhoff (1) has got Norway up to 7th, France in 9th after Aymonier used just 1 spare but that was a slow shoot. S6 and Mironova has actually missed – she needed all 3 spares but leads anyway. Gasparin (0) out 2nd, +25.8 with Gontier (3) in 3rd, +29.1. Tiril Eckhoff (1) has got Norway up to 4th, +41.3, ahead of Poland and Canada and she’s flying on the final lap towards exchange 3 (that’s not going to help her Pursuit, but it’s impressive to watch!). Last exchange – Russia lead by 25.7 ahead of Norway, then Italy, +35.4. Switzerland in 4th, then POL/USA/CAN/CZE/UKR/FRA. Germany in 11th, but just over 2 minutes off the pace. The final prone – Yurlova clear and away, but so is Røiseland – out 26.2 back so the gap is pretty steady; Lena Haecki also needing no spares and out 3rd, +34.4. Then there’s half a minute or so to Gwizdon, Lunder and Dreissigacker. Sanfilippo 8th, after using all 3 spares, Julia Simon 9th, Franzi Hildebrand 11th but losing time. Yurlova-Percht in for the last shoot – one miss and she’s away after just 1 spare. Røiseland is shooting fast; 1 spare but quick and the gap is now just 15.3. Haecki has missed 3 and she’s doing 1 penalty loop. Dreissigacker clear and out 3rd, just 1 second ahead of Pidhrushna (1) with Haecki 5th and Lunder 6th. On the lap Røiseland has steamed past Yurlova – 15 seconds pulled back in just a kilometre – what astonishing speed! Good battle for 3rd between Pidhrushna and Haecki, and possibly Lunder. That’s it – Eckhoff and Røiseland have pulled Norway (1+7) back to win. Russia (0+5) in 2nd, with the Swiss (1+9) getting the final podium place! Ukraine in 4th ahead of Canada and the Czech Republic; France 7th, Sweden 10th, Italy 11th and Germany 12th.
Hochfilzen – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 15 Dec 2019: Eurosport leaving it a bit late to start this event, they are through 1.2 Km as we join! Tandrevold has closed a little on Doro Wierer; Røiseland and Eckhoff also gaining time. Doro in for S1 – she’s missed her first, and another. Tandrevold is clear and away, ahead of Hanna Öberg and Tiril Eckhoff, also both clear. Wierer out 7th; Røiseland has missed 1 and out 10th, Vittozzi up from 23 to 9, Braisaz from 25 to 11 after S1. In for S2 – prone again, and Eckhoff has cleared again – she leads out ahead of Tandrevold – both clear – Öberg out 3rd after 1 miss, +22.4 and Braisaz is 4th, just ahead of Knotten. Doro has missed another 1, and is out 12th, +47.2. Best German is Vanessa Hinz (0,1) who started 42 and is out 28th; Herrmann is (2,2) and has lost 11 places to 52nd! On the lap the leading 2 Norwegians have a 20 second gap as they head for S3, neatly in step up the hill. Tiril Eckhoff is on fire today – clear again at S3 and out; Tandrevold has missed 1 and is out 2nd, but just 3 seconds ahead of Paulina Fialkova (0,1,0) with Öberg (0,1,1) and Braisaz (0,0,1) also in touch. Doro (2,1,1) is still 8th; Vittozzi missed 2 here. Some problems with the targets (?) – officials seem to be very slow to react to signals, hopefully those affected will get the time back? On the lap Tiril Eckhoff is over 30 seconds clear – so a penalty loop in hand. She’s hit all 20, and out 24.5 clear of Öberg (0,1,1,0), who is 11 seconds ahead of Tandrevold (0,0,1,0). Braisaz (0,0,1,1) out 4th, +51.7, ahead of Fialkova and Bescond. Doro (2,1,1,1) isn’t having a good day but she’s holding on to 8th, just ahead of Kaisa M (1,0,1,0). Great to see Vanessa Hinz (0,1,0,0) in 11th, up from 40th after S4. So, a relatively easy win for Eckhoff, a just rewards for being the only one to clear all 20 targets! Hanna Öberg gets 2nd, with Tandrevold getting the final podium place. Among those gaining places were Braisaz (25 to 4), Eva Kristejn Puskarčíková (32 to 8), Aymonier (40-10), Hinz (42-12), Brorsson (29-16), Davidova (35-24), Selina Gasparin (46-28) and Franzi Hildebrand (50-33). Going the wrong way the list includes Wierer (1st to 9th), Mironova (3-11), Røiseland (7-17), Charvátová (6-30), Zuk (16-32), Colombo (15-38), and Hauser (11-39) – Denise Herrmann started 41st, missed 7 targets and finished 41st! Hanna Öberg fastest on the range, ahead of Haecki and Cadurisch; Denise Herrmann quickest around the course, ahead of Aymonier, Braisaz and Davidova. Well done Tiril Eckhoff!
Hochfilzen – Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 15 Dec 2019: Eurosport showing Luge instead of the scheduled relay; this is getting annoying!? No commentary on the IBU feed either. Guigonnat leading at the first timing point, from Dale, Femling, Eliseev and Horn; a couple very near falls on that crowded bend! All change at S1 – Dovzan (SLO) leads out, ahead of Zahkna (EST), Anev (BUL) and Dale (NOR), +2.9 – all clear! Guigonnat needed 2 spares and he’s out 16th; Romania (Buta) doing 1 loop and Femling (SWE) is doing 3! Eurosport, for some completely inexplicable reason, are showing an “explainer” about curling, downhill and other winter sports– we are now 25 minutes into what is supposed to be biathlon coverage and they are mucking about! Leg 1, S2 and Dale is clear and out ahead of Guigonnat (+5.4) and Zahkna, with Burnotte (CAN) in 4th ahead of Eliseev and Doherty (USA). China doing 1 loop this time. Canada going well on the lap as they head towards the first exchange, but Dale is pulling away nicely – he’s gained over 10 seconds since leaving the range; delighted to see Horn gaining ground for Germany too! At the exchange Bjøntegaard takes over for Norway and he’s out a healthy 19.5 seconds ahead of Germany, with France in 3rd. Canada in 4th, then Russia and USA. Eurosport are now repeating the whole “explainer” stream – what (polite version) is going on? On the lap Bjøntegaard is gaining a bit of time over Kühn and Jacquelin; Scott Gow holding on to 4th. In for S3 – Jacquelin clear here and he leads out, ahead of Gow and Kühn who were also clear. Latypov (RUS) in 4th, ahead of Langer (BEL!) and Leitner (AUT); Bjøntegaard is doing a penalty loop but on present form that doesn’t mean the end of the Norwegian threat – 11th after S3 and already up to 8th, and with two Bø brothers to come! At last – we have commentary! S4 and France have missed 1; Scott Gow clear and out, just 2.3 ahead of Kühn, Jacquelin out 3rd after 2 spares. Then Latypov, Krcmar (CZE) and Fak (SLO); Bjøntegaard 9th after 2 more spares, +35.9. Exchange 2 – Germany lead from France (+21.3) and Canada (+28.5). Then SLO/CZE/RUS/NOR/AUT/EST/UKR. Arnd Peiffer away, ahead of the French F Claude (whose older brother is the Belgian F Claude), and Millar (CAN). Tarjei Bø has already pulled back some 8 seconds by the 1.1 Km marker! In for the next prone – Peiffer has cleared and he’s out; Claude also clear and 2nd (+19.2). Millar has used 1 spare but out 3rd, ahead of Vaclavik (CZE) and Bø (clear; +41.8). Ye gods those targets look small from the firing point! Claude gaining time on the lap; Bø up to 3rd now (+31.4 at 3.9 Km). Arnd Peiffer in for S6; his standing stats aren’t good – he has cleared this time though; well done Arnd! Tarjei has also cleared and he’s now 2nd, +41.6. Millar up to 3rd (1 spare), ahead of Vaclavik (2) and Claude (1 penalty loop!). Malyshko and Bauer also doing 1 loop each. The last exchange – Benedikt Doll takes over for Germany – he has 43 seconds in hand to JoBø with Canada hanging on to third. France up to 4th, +57.9, then CZE/RUS/SLO/BLR/SUI/POL. Johannes is gaining – some 7 seconds in the first kilometre! The final prone – no wind and good light; Doll has cleared. JoBø also clear and out +36.5; Canada and France have both missed 1 – 1 spare each and out in that order. Then Stvrtecky (CZE), Loginov, Trsan (SLO), and Janik (POL). JoBø has pulled back another 8 seconds on the lap; QFM past Christian Gow. Doll in for the final shoot – he’s used 2 spares; JoBø has missed his first and he’s also used 2 spares – out 13.8 behind! QFM is clear and 3rd, +39.5 and Gow has also cleared but Stvrtecky has used all 3 spares and has Loginov close behind. JoBø is just 5.1 behind at 6.1 Km; it’s 1.1 at 6.4. What a finish – Bø is fading but he has the better skis, and he’s just taken it! Superb speed by Johannes to give Norway (1+7) another win – superhuman stuff! Germany (0+6) do at least get a well-deserved 2nd place, with France (1+8) in 3rd. Great effort from Canada (0+6) to get 4th, ahead of the Czech Republic (0+9) and Russia (1+8).
Hochfilzen – Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 14 Dec 2019: Not so windy here as it was for the Alpine events, although it’s a bit overcast! Norway looking strong, Italy also on form and the Swiss had a good result last time – sadly I don’t think the Germans will feature, given that their best in the Sprint was Denise Herrmann in 41st! Early on leg 1 it’s Knotten ahead of Horchler, then Elisa Gasparin (the Swiss team is 3 Gasparins and Haecki), Persson, Vittozzi, and Reztsova (RUS). So, shoot 1 – Reztsova clear and out ahead of Knotten, Horchler and Semerenko, all clear. Vittozzi in 5th after 1 spare, and Bescond (0). Just Finland (Minkkinen) on the penalty loop after S1; no Kaisa in the team today as she’s resting before the Pursuit. Vishnevskaya (KAZ) leading in – Patrick reckons she’s going too fast and he’s offered to buy lunch if she gets all 5 – he is paying!! He should have said Italy or France – Reztsova clear and away, just 2.7 ahead of Vishnevskaya (0) and Knotten (1); Vittozzi (3) in 4th ahead of Schwaiger (1) and Beaudry (0). Horchler (2) in 7th, just ahead of Bescond (3); Bulgaria on the loop this time. Russia leading on the lap, Italy up to 2nd – at exchange 1 it’s Russia (0+0) from Italy (0+4; +1.6) and Austria (0+1; +10.6), then KAZ/NOR/FRA/SUI/GER/UKR/SLO. Early on leg 2 Kuklina leads but Doro Wierer is right with her (seems odd to put her on leg 2?); Herrmann up to 3rd just ahead of Tandrevold, Braisaz and Selina Gasparin. In for S3 – Kuklina clear and she leads out, ahead of Wierer (1 spare), Herrmann (0), Tandrevold (0), Braisaz (1) and Tomingas (EST, 0). Innerhofer is doing 2 penalty loops, as is Elvira Öberg; Charvátová has 1 loop to do. On the lap Doro is leading a group of 3 , with Herrmann and Kuklina, then the chasing group about 10 seconds back. The second standing shoot – Doro leads (1 spare) from Kuklina (1) – Herrmann has missed all 5 and will do 3 penalty loops! That lets Bankes (CAN; 1 spare) through to 3rd, ahead of Semerenko, Hojnisz and Gasparin. Dunklee has used all 3 spares, Braisaz on a penalty loop as is Tandrevold. Several upsets there! Now, Wierer is leading, but Italy have Gontier and Sanfilippo to come, whereas Russia have their two more experienced athletes on the final 2 legs. Exchange 2 – Italy just ahead of Russia (+1.0); Swiss in 3rd now (+28.1) then POL/FRA/BLR/USA/CAN/SLO/UKR. Norway currently in 12, just ahead of Germany. Shooting 5 – Mironova clear and away; great shooting from Russia today! Gontier clear and out 4.5 behind, then Aita Gasparin (0 spares), Dzhima (UKR, 0), Moser (CAN, 0) and Egan (USA, 0). Eckhoff (1) has got Norway up to 7th, France in 9th after Aymonier used just 1 spare but that was a slow shoot. S6 and Mironova has actually missed – she needed all 3 spares but leads anyway. Gasparin (0) out 2nd, +25.8 with Gontier (3) in 3rd, +29.1. Tiril Eckhoff (1) has got Norway up to 4th, +41.3, ahead of Poland and Canada and she’s flying on the final lap towards exchange 3 (that’s not going to help her Pursuit, but it’s impressive to watch!). Last exchange – Russia lead by 25.7 ahead of Norway, then Italy, +35.4. Switzerland in 4th, then POL/USA/CAN/CZE/UKR/FRA. Germany in 11th, but just over 2 minutes off the pace. The final prone – Yurlova clear and away, but so is Røiseland – out 26.2 back so the gap is pretty steady; Lena Haecki also needing no spares and out 3rd, +34.4. Then there’s half a minute or so to Gwizdon, Lunder and Dreissigacker. Sanfilippo 8th, after using all 3 spares, Julia Simon 9th, Franzi Hildebrand 11th but losing time. Yurlova-Percht in for the last shoot – one miss and she’s away after just 1 spare. Røiseland is shooting fast; 1 spare but quick and the gap is now just 15.3. Haecki has missed 3 and she’s doing 1 penalty loop. Dreissigacker clear and out 3rd, just 1 second ahead of Pidhrushna (1) with Haecki 5th and Lunder 6th. On the lap Røiseland has steamed past Yurlova – 15 seconds pulled back in just a kilometre – what astonishing speed! Good battle for 3rd between Pidhrushna and Haecki, and possibly Lunder. That’s it – Eckhoff and Røiseland have pulled Norway (1+7) back to win. Russia (0+5) in 2nd, with the Swiss (1+9) getting the final podium place! Ukraine in 4th ahead of Canada and the Czech Republic; France 7th, Sweden 10th, Italy 11th and Germany 12th.
Hochfilzen – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 15 Dec 2019: Eurosport leaving it a bit late to start this event, they are through 1.2 Km as we join! Tandrevold has closed a little on Doro Wierer; Røiseland and Eckhoff also gaining time. Doro in for S1 – she’s missed her first, and another. Tandrevold is clear and away, ahead of Hanna Öberg and Tiril Eckhoff, also both clear. Wierer out 7th; Røiseland has missed 1 and out 10th, Vittozzi up from 23 to 9, Braisaz from 25 to 11 after S1. In for S2 – prone again, and Eckhoff has cleared again – she leads out ahead of Tandrevold – both clear – Öberg out 3rd after 1 miss, +22.4 and Braisaz is 4th, just ahead of Knotten. Doro has missed another 1, and is out 12th, +47.2. Best German is Vanessa Hinz (0,1) who started 42 and is out 28th; Herrmann is (2,2) and has lost 11 places to 52nd! On the lap the leading 2 Norwegians have a 20 second gap as they head for S3, neatly in step up the hill. Tiril Eckhoff is on fire today – clear again at S3 and out; Tandrevold has missed 1 and is out 2nd, but just 3 seconds ahead of Paulina Fialkova (0,1,0) with Öberg (0,1,1) and Braisaz (0,0,1) also in touch. Doro (2,1,1) is still 8th; Vittozzi missed 2 here. Some problems with the targets (?) – officials seem to be very slow to react to signals, hopefully those affected will get the time back? On the lap Tiril Eckhoff is over 30 seconds clear – so a penalty loop in hand. She’s hit all 20, and out 24.5 clear of Öberg (0,1,1,0), who is 11 seconds ahead of Tandrevold (0,0,1,0). Braisaz (0,0,1,1) out 4th, +51.7, ahead of Fialkova and Bescond. Doro (2,1,1,1) isn’t having a good day but she’s holding on to 8th, just ahead of Kaisa M (1,0,1,0). Great to see Vanessa Hinz (0,1,0,0) in 11th, up from 40th after S4. So, a relatively easy win for Eckhoff, a just rewards for being the only one to clear all 20 targets! Hanna Öberg gets 2nd, with Tandrevold getting the final podium place. Among those gaining places were Braisaz (25 to 4), Eva Kristejn Puskarčíková (32 to 8), Aymonier (40-10), Hinz (42-12), Brorsson (29-16), Davidova (35-24), Selina Gasparin (46-28) and Franzi Hildebrand (50-33). Going the wrong way the list includes Wierer (1st to 9th), Mironova (3-11), Røiseland (7-17), Charvátová (6-30), Zuk (16-32), Colombo (15-38), and Hauser (11-39) – Denise Herrmann started 41st, missed 7 targets and finished 41st! Hanna Öberg fastest on the range, ahead of Haecki and Cadurisch; Denise Herrmann quickest around the course, ahead of Aymonier, Braisaz and Davidova. Well done Tiril Eckhoff!
Hochfilzen – Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 15 Dec 2019: Eurosport showing Luge instead of the scheduled relay; this is getting annoying!? No commentary on the IBU feed either. Guigonnat leading at the first timing point, from Dale, Femling, Eliseev and Horn; a couple very near falls on that crowded bend! All change at S1 – Dovzan (SLO) leads out, ahead of Zahkna (EST), Anev (BUL) and Dale (NOR), +2.9 – all clear! Guigonnat needed 2 spares and he’s out 16th; Romania (Buta) doing 1 loop and Femling (SWE) is doing 3! Eurosport, for some completely inexplicable reason, are showing an “explainer” about curling, downhill and other winter sports– we are now 25 minutes into what is supposed to be biathlon coverage and they are mucking about! Leg 1, S2 and Dale is clear and out ahead of Guigonnat (+5.4) and Zahkna, with Burnotte (CAN) in 4th ahead of Eliseev and Doherty (USA). China doing 1 loop this time. Canada going well on the lap as they head towards the first exchange, but Dale is pulling away nicely – he’s gained over 10 seconds since leaving the range; delighted to see Horn gaining ground for Germany too! At the exchange Bjøntegaard takes over for Norway and he’s out a healthy 19.5 seconds ahead of Germany, with France in 3rd. Canada in 4th, then Russia and USA. Eurosport are now repeating the whole “explainer” stream – what (polite version) is going on? On the lap Bjøntegaard is gaining a bit of time over Kühn and Jacquelin; Scott Gow holding on to 4th. In for S3 – Jacquelin clear here and he leads out, ahead of Gow and Kühn who were also clear. Latypov (RUS) in 4th, ahead of Langer (BEL!) and Leitner (AUT); Bjøntegaard is doing a penalty loop but on present form that doesn’t mean the end of the Norwegian threat – 11th after S3 and already up to 8th, and with two Bø brothers to come! At last – we have commentary! S4 and France have missed 1; Scott Gow clear and out, just 2.3 ahead of Kühn, Jacquelin out 3rd after 2 spares. Then Latypov, Krcmar (CZE) and Fak (SLO); Bjøntegaard 9th after 2 more spares, +35.9. Exchange 2 – Germany lead from France (+21.3) and Canada (+28.5). Then SLO/CZE/RUS/NOR/AUT/EST/UKR. Arnd Peiffer away, ahead of the French F Claude (whose older brother is the Belgian F Claude), and Millar (CAN). Tarjei Bø has already pulled back some 8 seconds by the 1.1 Km marker! In for the next prone – Peiffer has cleared and he’s out; Claude also clear and 2nd (+19.2). Millar has used 1 spare but out 3rd, ahead of Vaclavik (CZE) and Bø (clear; +41.8). Ye gods those targets look small from the firing point! Claude gaining time on the lap; Bø up to 3rd now (+31.4 at 3.9 Km). Arnd Peiffer in for S6; his standing stats aren’t good – he has cleared this time though; well done Arnd! Tarjei has also cleared and he’s now 2nd, +41.6. Millar up to 3rd (1 spare), ahead of Vaclavik (2) and Claude (1 penalty loop!). Malyshko and Bauer also doing 1 loop each. The last exchange – Benedikt Doll takes over for Germany – he has 43 seconds in hand to JoBø with Canada hanging on to third. France up to 4th, +57.9, then CZE/RUS/SLO/BLR/SUI/POL. Johannes is gaining – some 7 seconds in the first kilometre! The final prone – no wind and good light; Doll has cleared. JoBø also clear and out +36.5; Canada and France have both missed 1 – 1 spare each and out in that order. Then Stvrtecky (CZE), Loginov, Trsan (SLO), and Janik (POL). JoBø has pulled back another 8 seconds on the lap; QFM past Christian Gow. Doll in for the final shoot – he’s used 2 spares; JoBø has missed his first and he’s also used 2 spares – out 13.8 behind! QFM is clear and 3rd, +39.5 and Gow has also cleared but Stvrtecky has used all 3 spares and has Loginov close behind. JoBø is just 5.1 behind at 6.1 Km; it’s 1.1 at 6.4. What a finish – Bø is fading but he has the better skis, and he’s just taken it! Superb speed by Johannes to give Norway (1+7) another win – superhuman stuff! Germany (0+6) do at least get a well-deserved 2nd place, with France (1+8) in 3rd. Great effort from Canada (0+6) to get 4th, ahead of the Czech Republic (0+9) and Russia (1+8).
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Alpine Skiing - Val d"Isère and St Moritz
by Bleausardv2 Sun 15 Dec 2019, 2:49 pm
14 Dec: Val d”Isère, Men’s Slalom: This was another race that was re-scheduled, this one by 90 minutes because of poor weather; the start has now been pushed back another 15 minutes; looks as though Eurosport might ignore run 1 in favour of the biathlon!? Another 15 minutes – now 120 minutes late. And… it’s cancelled!
14 Dec: St Moritz, Women’s Super G: This did take place as scheduled! Conditions look good, if a bit windy at times – Ilka Stuhec first away, but next is Wendy Holdener, and she’s much faster! Stephanie Venier was very much better too – she’s into 2nd by just 0.02. Marsaglia into 3rd, and then bib 5 is Lara Gut-Behrami – green all the way through the intermediates and she goes into the lead by 0.30 – Swiss 1 and 2! Not for that long though; Vikki Rebensburg briefly into 2nd, before being dislodged by Kasja Vickhoff Lie. Bib 9 is Federica Brignone and she’s flying – she leads by a massive 0.71! Tippler into 5th and Gisin into 6th – that’s 12 away and Brignone leads from Gut-Behrami and Lie. Bib 13 now, and it’s Mikaela Shiffrin, and the course was asset by one of her coaches! The weather has been varied but she seems to be lucky – nicely green at inter 1, red at 2, back to green at 3and she’s over the line in 2nd; just 0.12 off Brignone’s time! Now, Nicole Schmidhofer is away, and just green at inter 1, red at 2 and 3 though and she’s into 3rd; Swiss off the podium. Sofia Goggia away – apparently she’s never finished this event here! She’s green at 1, red at 2, green again at 3 – she really is right on the edge and she’s lost a pole – she leads by just one one hundredth! What an epic run! Tina Weirather nicely green at inter 1, but she’s missed a gate – first DNF today. The wind is back up again, Nicol Delago into 14th – Corinne Suter a little luckier with the wind and she’s into joint 6th. With 20 away Sofia Goggia leads, ahead of Brignone (+0.01) and Shiffrin (+0.13); then Schmidhofer, Gut-Behrami and Suter/Lie tied in 6th. That tie has just become a little more complex, as Nina Ortlieb has joined them in 6th; that might be the last change to the top 10? I should know better – Tessa Worley (bib 34) has just gone into 9th – good effort from that start number! No further changes to the top 10, although Alice Merryweather (bib 44) managed to get into 20th.
15 Dec: Val d’Isere, Men’s Slalom: This is apparently a replacement for the slalom scheduled for yesterday, instead of the GS that should have been today [which is now officially cancelled with yesterday's date – hope that’s clear!]; there are some concerns about the snow but apart from that conditions look good. It’s a very turny, technical course; not sure who set it – ah, set by a British coach! Dave Ryding goes number 12 this morning. Right – Alexis Pinturault first away; that looked pretty good? Marco Schwarz is struggling here and he’s 2.04 slower; Daniel Yule a bit more in touch but even he is having snags with this course – into 2nd but +1.19. Ramon Zenhaeusern next, he does look big for a slalom skier but he’s the best of those trying to beat Pinturault so far – into 2nd, +0.72. Michael Matt into 3rd, despite being green at inter 1; Clement Noel is even better at the top – very green at inter 1, but he’s out. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – just green at 1, a little greener at 2, but it’s all gone wrong – a massive error with the line in sight – 6th, +2.82 – I wonder if he’ll even get a second run? Andre Myhrer into 3rd, +0.88; the track is beginning to cut up – Loic Meillard is the latest to go green at inter 1, but then he’s losing time too. Next up is Dave Ryding – fractionally green at 1, and then into the red – he’s 6th, +1.12. First TV break with 15 away – Pinturault leads from Zenhaeusern and Myhrer. Not a bad run – Istok Rodes into 6th; he’s the best of this second group by quite a way. Another TV break – no change to the top 6 since Rodes. The DNFs are starting to mount up; there are 5 now. Simonet out, Zan Kranjec is looking a bit more in touch, but he’s straddled – that’s 3 DNFs in a row as Nef joins them; looks like Kristoffersen might get a 2nd run? Thirty away – no change to the top 10 – Kristoffer Jakobsen (bib 31) has just gone 11th, which is a great effort. Eurosport coverage has stopped, which is a real pity as this event isn’t over quite yet – Luke Winters (USA) into 2nd place, from, bib 40 – astonishing; I would like to see that run, hopefully it will be on again as the build-up to run 2? No one else seems to have whatever Luke had though – a few getting into the twenties, but more DNFs too – up to 16 now. Yohei Koyama one of the better late starters – bib 49, into 22nd! Kristoffersen ended up 27th, so he will get a second run, and on clean snow too – that might be interesting?
Run 2: As expected Henrik Kristoffersen has taken advantage of a nice clear track to take the early lead, ahead of Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Elias Kolega. Short delay while the course is repaired; 20 racers still to come – it seems the snow conditions vary quite a lot across the course. Marco Schwarz into 3rd, but he’s 1.06 off Kristoffersen’s combined time; Albert Popov has lost 1.7 seconds on the run between inter 1 and the finish, but that’s enough to get him into 3rd at present. That’s half way – no one has come close to Kristoffersen so far and the course isn’t getting any better. That’s a better run from Victor Muffat-Jeandet, into 2nd. Now Loic Meillard has 1.48 in hand as he starts; just 0.34 left at inter 2 and he’s 2nd, +0.37! Kristoffer Jakobsen into 2nd, but he might have straddled? Seems he’s OK. Daniel Yule has gone from -1.63 to +0.87 and 6th place! Stefano Gross starts with an advantage of 1.68; he’s still got 0.80 at inter 2 and he takes over first place, but only by 0.01!! Next is Dave Ryding, with just 0.02 in hand – that’s a good start but he’s lost time further down and he’s into 13th. Stefano Gross leads from Kristoffersen and Jakobsen; the course is getting very rutted. Michael Matt next away – he’s lost a bit from inter 2 to the finish but that’s good enough to get him into 3rd place. Four to go – Andre Myhrer has only 0.01 left at inter 2 but he’s got the final section cracked to hang on and get the lead by 0.03. That was a great recovery! Ramon Zenhaeusern has actually gained time from the start to inter 1, but he’s skied out. Luke Winters next – good top section despite a big mistake, but the final section is scrappy and he’s 18th! Just Pinturault to go – he’s gained time to inter 1, kept that to inter 2 and gained a bit more to the finish – what a run, the third fastest on run 2, and on a rutted course – it’s his 21st (?) World Cup win! That really was amazing – he wins by 1.44; a really well deserved victory, and on home snow too. Andre Myhrer in 2nd, and Stefano Gross 3rd. Good recovery by Kristoffersen to salvage 4th, ahead of Matt and Jakobsen. Dave Ryding ended up 17th.
15 Dec: St Moritz, Women’s Parallel Slalom: Looking at the qualifying runs, Petra Vlhova seems to be on form, and good to see Charlie Guest doing quite well; Wendy Holdener seems to be a bit off the pace – can’t see Shiffrin’s name on the list? Apparently she isn’t here – not sure why – focussing on the races later this week, perhaps? This isn’t live on Eurosport (if you want commentary) and clashes with run 2 of the men’s slalom – not very good scheduling FIS. To be honest this isn’t a format I enjoy – might be more fun to actually race it? Looking at the ticker I can see that Petra Vlhova is comfortably through the 1/16 finals (2 runs), as are Lysdahl, Swenn Larsson and Brignone; Wendy Holdener out, as is Sofia Goggia, and Guest is a DNF. The 1/8 final is just 1 run – Vlhova has beaten Lysdahl quite comfortably; Laurence St-Germain (CAN) has just pipped Christina Ackermann – next is Estelle Alphand v Meta Hrovat – the Slovenian has taken it by 0.07. Truppe v Haver-Løseth next – that one is even closer; the Norwegian gets it by 0.02! Now Lena Dürr against Ana Bucik - Bucik by 0.06; Irene Curtoni and Anna Swenn Larsson next – Curtoni is a DNF so the Swede gets that one! The Italians have another chance with Bassino v Gritsch, but the Austrian has just won that one – only Brignone left, against Danioth – and Federica does it quite comfortably!
The Quarter finals are also just 1 run – St-Germain against Vlhova to get things going; no upsets there as Vlhova wins by 0.30, although it looked a lot tighter! Hrovat has beaten Haver-Løseth by just 0.05 (serves her right for beating Guest!); Swenn Larsson has comfortably won against Bucik and much to my surprise Franzi Gritsch has beaten Brignone by a massive 1.41!
On the semis; one run again but with the same 8 as the QFs to sort out the final, the small finals and minor places – this time Haver-Løseth v St-Germain is the first race. The graphics have gone a bit odd – both in green but on the video you can see that the Canadian won it by 0.08 – good blocking technique on the gates! Petra Vlhova continues her progress by beating Meta Hrovat, who got hooked up, by 0.39. Brignone has beaten Bucik (DNF) and Swenn Larsson has beaten Gritsch (DNF) – that looked like a heavy fall?
Small Finals – Bucik v Haver-Løseth, and the Norwegian takes that one, and with it 7th place. Next Brignone v St-Germain; the Italian is a DNF this time, so St-Germain gets 5th place – a World Cup PB. Brignone seems to be OK after her fall. Now, Meta Hrovat against Franzi Gritsch for the podium, or not, and the Austrian has done it again, by 0.12 – that looked very close, all the way.
Big Final – Petra Vlhova versus Anna Swenn Larsson. Race faces well and truly on and this is close – I thought Anna might just get that but Petra Vlhova has taken it on the line by just 2 hundredths! Looks like she’s hurt her hands or forearms doing it – her right hand seems to be taped? So, Vlhova wins, Swenn Larsson gets 2nd and Franzi Gritsch gets the final podium place (her first World Cup podium too) – well done to all of them!
14 Dec: St Moritz, Women’s Super G: This did take place as scheduled! Conditions look good, if a bit windy at times – Ilka Stuhec first away, but next is Wendy Holdener, and she’s much faster! Stephanie Venier was very much better too – she’s into 2nd by just 0.02. Marsaglia into 3rd, and then bib 5 is Lara Gut-Behrami – green all the way through the intermediates and she goes into the lead by 0.30 – Swiss 1 and 2! Not for that long though; Vikki Rebensburg briefly into 2nd, before being dislodged by Kasja Vickhoff Lie. Bib 9 is Federica Brignone and she’s flying – she leads by a massive 0.71! Tippler into 5th and Gisin into 6th – that’s 12 away and Brignone leads from Gut-Behrami and Lie. Bib 13 now, and it’s Mikaela Shiffrin, and the course was asset by one of her coaches! The weather has been varied but she seems to be lucky – nicely green at inter 1, red at 2, back to green at 3and she’s over the line in 2nd; just 0.12 off Brignone’s time! Now, Nicole Schmidhofer is away, and just green at inter 1, red at 2 and 3 though and she’s into 3rd; Swiss off the podium. Sofia Goggia away – apparently she’s never finished this event here! She’s green at 1, red at 2, green again at 3 – she really is right on the edge and she’s lost a pole – she leads by just one one hundredth! What an epic run! Tina Weirather nicely green at inter 1, but she’s missed a gate – first DNF today. The wind is back up again, Nicol Delago into 14th – Corinne Suter a little luckier with the wind and she’s into joint 6th. With 20 away Sofia Goggia leads, ahead of Brignone (+0.01) and Shiffrin (+0.13); then Schmidhofer, Gut-Behrami and Suter/Lie tied in 6th. That tie has just become a little more complex, as Nina Ortlieb has joined them in 6th; that might be the last change to the top 10? I should know better – Tessa Worley (bib 34) has just gone into 9th – good effort from that start number! No further changes to the top 10, although Alice Merryweather (bib 44) managed to get into 20th.
15 Dec: Val d’Isere, Men’s Slalom: This is apparently a replacement for the slalom scheduled for yesterday, instead of the GS that should have been today [which is now officially cancelled with yesterday's date – hope that’s clear!]; there are some concerns about the snow but apart from that conditions look good. It’s a very turny, technical course; not sure who set it – ah, set by a British coach! Dave Ryding goes number 12 this morning. Right – Alexis Pinturault first away; that looked pretty good? Marco Schwarz is struggling here and he’s 2.04 slower; Daniel Yule a bit more in touch but even he is having snags with this course – into 2nd but +1.19. Ramon Zenhaeusern next, he does look big for a slalom skier but he’s the best of those trying to beat Pinturault so far – into 2nd, +0.72. Michael Matt into 3rd, despite being green at inter 1; Clement Noel is even better at the top – very green at inter 1, but he’s out. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – just green at 1, a little greener at 2, but it’s all gone wrong – a massive error with the line in sight – 6th, +2.82 – I wonder if he’ll even get a second run? Andre Myhrer into 3rd, +0.88; the track is beginning to cut up – Loic Meillard is the latest to go green at inter 1, but then he’s losing time too. Next up is Dave Ryding – fractionally green at 1, and then into the red – he’s 6th, +1.12. First TV break with 15 away – Pinturault leads from Zenhaeusern and Myhrer. Not a bad run – Istok Rodes into 6th; he’s the best of this second group by quite a way. Another TV break – no change to the top 6 since Rodes. The DNFs are starting to mount up; there are 5 now. Simonet out, Zan Kranjec is looking a bit more in touch, but he’s straddled – that’s 3 DNFs in a row as Nef joins them; looks like Kristoffersen might get a 2nd run? Thirty away – no change to the top 10 – Kristoffer Jakobsen (bib 31) has just gone 11th, which is a great effort. Eurosport coverage has stopped, which is a real pity as this event isn’t over quite yet – Luke Winters (USA) into 2nd place, from, bib 40 – astonishing; I would like to see that run, hopefully it will be on again as the build-up to run 2? No one else seems to have whatever Luke had though – a few getting into the twenties, but more DNFs too – up to 16 now. Yohei Koyama one of the better late starters – bib 49, into 22nd! Kristoffersen ended up 27th, so he will get a second run, and on clean snow too – that might be interesting?
Run 2: As expected Henrik Kristoffersen has taken advantage of a nice clear track to take the early lead, ahead of Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Elias Kolega. Short delay while the course is repaired; 20 racers still to come – it seems the snow conditions vary quite a lot across the course. Marco Schwarz into 3rd, but he’s 1.06 off Kristoffersen’s combined time; Albert Popov has lost 1.7 seconds on the run between inter 1 and the finish, but that’s enough to get him into 3rd at present. That’s half way – no one has come close to Kristoffersen so far and the course isn’t getting any better. That’s a better run from Victor Muffat-Jeandet, into 2nd. Now Loic Meillard has 1.48 in hand as he starts; just 0.34 left at inter 2 and he’s 2nd, +0.37! Kristoffer Jakobsen into 2nd, but he might have straddled? Seems he’s OK. Daniel Yule has gone from -1.63 to +0.87 and 6th place! Stefano Gross starts with an advantage of 1.68; he’s still got 0.80 at inter 2 and he takes over first place, but only by 0.01!! Next is Dave Ryding, with just 0.02 in hand – that’s a good start but he’s lost time further down and he’s into 13th. Stefano Gross leads from Kristoffersen and Jakobsen; the course is getting very rutted. Michael Matt next away – he’s lost a bit from inter 2 to the finish but that’s good enough to get him into 3rd place. Four to go – Andre Myhrer has only 0.01 left at inter 2 but he’s got the final section cracked to hang on and get the lead by 0.03. That was a great recovery! Ramon Zenhaeusern has actually gained time from the start to inter 1, but he’s skied out. Luke Winters next – good top section despite a big mistake, but the final section is scrappy and he’s 18th! Just Pinturault to go – he’s gained time to inter 1, kept that to inter 2 and gained a bit more to the finish – what a run, the third fastest on run 2, and on a rutted course – it’s his 21st (?) World Cup win! That really was amazing – he wins by 1.44; a really well deserved victory, and on home snow too. Andre Myhrer in 2nd, and Stefano Gross 3rd. Good recovery by Kristoffersen to salvage 4th, ahead of Matt and Jakobsen. Dave Ryding ended up 17th.
15 Dec: St Moritz, Women’s Parallel Slalom: Looking at the qualifying runs, Petra Vlhova seems to be on form, and good to see Charlie Guest doing quite well; Wendy Holdener seems to be a bit off the pace – can’t see Shiffrin’s name on the list? Apparently she isn’t here – not sure why – focussing on the races later this week, perhaps? This isn’t live on Eurosport (if you want commentary) and clashes with run 2 of the men’s slalom – not very good scheduling FIS. To be honest this isn’t a format I enjoy – might be more fun to actually race it? Looking at the ticker I can see that Petra Vlhova is comfortably through the 1/16 finals (2 runs), as are Lysdahl, Swenn Larsson and Brignone; Wendy Holdener out, as is Sofia Goggia, and Guest is a DNF. The 1/8 final is just 1 run – Vlhova has beaten Lysdahl quite comfortably; Laurence St-Germain (CAN) has just pipped Christina Ackermann – next is Estelle Alphand v Meta Hrovat – the Slovenian has taken it by 0.07. Truppe v Haver-Løseth next – that one is even closer; the Norwegian gets it by 0.02! Now Lena Dürr against Ana Bucik - Bucik by 0.06; Irene Curtoni and Anna Swenn Larsson next – Curtoni is a DNF so the Swede gets that one! The Italians have another chance with Bassino v Gritsch, but the Austrian has just won that one – only Brignone left, against Danioth – and Federica does it quite comfortably!
The Quarter finals are also just 1 run – St-Germain against Vlhova to get things going; no upsets there as Vlhova wins by 0.30, although it looked a lot tighter! Hrovat has beaten Haver-Løseth by just 0.05 (serves her right for beating Guest!); Swenn Larsson has comfortably won against Bucik and much to my surprise Franzi Gritsch has beaten Brignone by a massive 1.41!
On the semis; one run again but with the same 8 as the QFs to sort out the final, the small finals and minor places – this time Haver-Løseth v St-Germain is the first race. The graphics have gone a bit odd – both in green but on the video you can see that the Canadian won it by 0.08 – good blocking technique on the gates! Petra Vlhova continues her progress by beating Meta Hrovat, who got hooked up, by 0.39. Brignone has beaten Bucik (DNF) and Swenn Larsson has beaten Gritsch (DNF) – that looked like a heavy fall?
Small Finals – Bucik v Haver-Løseth, and the Norwegian takes that one, and with it 7th place. Next Brignone v St-Germain; the Italian is a DNF this time, so St-Germain gets 5th place – a World Cup PB. Brignone seems to be OK after her fall. Now, Meta Hrovat against Franzi Gritsch for the podium, or not, and the Austrian has done it again, by 0.12 – that looked very close, all the way.
Big Final – Petra Vlhova versus Anna Swenn Larsson. Race faces well and truly on and this is close – I thought Anna might just get that but Petra Vlhova has taken it on the line by just 2 hundredths! Looks like she’s hurt her hands or forearms doing it – her right hand seems to be taped? So, Vlhova wins, Swenn Larsson gets 2nd and Franzi Gritsch gets the final podium place (her first World Cup podium too) – well done to all of them!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Alpine ski - Courchevel - Women's GS - 17 Dec
by Bleausardv2 Tue 17 Dec 2019, 1:56 pm
17 Dec: Courchevel, Women’s Giant Slalom, Run 1: I wonder how well the Parallel slalom competitors will do today after all that effort of Sunday? Mikaela Shiffrin is first away on a course set by a Norwegian coach, and she wasn’t at Sunday’s event – looked good too, but possibly a little lacking in aggression? Now, next away is Vikki Rebensburg, and she’s well ahead at inter 1 and still there at 2; she’s even better at 3 and she leads by a massive 0.82! Tricky conditions here – flat light and an awkward mix of icy and soft snow! Brilliant stuff from Rebensburg. Wendy Holdener also seems to be well in touch; red at 1, green at 2, just red at 3 and she’s into the lead by 0.14 – this is interesting! Tessa Worley on course – quite red at 1, but pulling back time lower down – she’s into 3rd; perhaps Shiffrin should have gone to the parallel event? That’s odd – the timings have changed and are now showing Worley green at inter 1?? This is Federica Brignone’s local race; she is dead level at 2, and then gaining time – she leads now, by 0.24! That puts Shiffrin into 5th, +1.20 – quite an upset! Another Italian on course – Marta Bassino and she’s gone green, red, red and then green again at the finish – leading by just 0.03. Bib 7 is Petra Vlhova, who won on Sunday – how much did that take out of her? Quite red at inter 3 but she’s getting some of that back on the final section – into 3rd, just 0.06 behind. Sara Hector is also going well – she’s into 5th; with 10 away Bassino leads from Brignone and Vlhova – then Holdener and Hector. Shiffrin currently in 10th – very odd? Mina Fuerst Holtmann is nicely green at inter 2, still there at 3 and she takes the lead by 0.10. By contrast Stjernesund is off the pace after a couple errors; at last there is someone slower than Mikaela! Ricarda Haaser is more a downhill specialist, but she’s into 9th; only briefly though, as Meta Hrovat has joined her in that place. The last skier before the first TV break is Alice Robinson, who won the first GS of the tour – she’s nicely in touch to inter 3, lost a little on the final section after a glitch, but still into 7th. Gisin has made an error just before the flat section – she’s annoyed with herself and into 16th. The lower section of the course is now getting rutted, although Lara Gut-Behrami has managed to get into joint 9th with Worley. At least there is one consolation for Shiffrin fans – she’ll have fairly clean snow for run 2 (assuming she gets a second run!) – remember what Kristoffersen did at Val d’Isère last weekend! Now, Alex Tilley on course – she’s been off with a cold recently, but she’s 20th – again clean snow if she gets a second run? That’s 30 away – no change to the top 6 since Holtmann took over the lead; Shiffrin currently in 19th. So, Holtmann leads ahead of Bassino (+0.10) and Brignone (+0.13), then Vlhova (+0.16), Holdener (+0.37) and Hector (+0.47). Lara Gut-Behrami is currently the highest bib number (22) in the top 10. No late changes – Shiffrin still 19th! Well done to Aline Danioth, who is the highest bib number (60) to get a second run.
Run 2: This course set by an American coach – possibly a bit more technical this time? Michelle Gisin the first away on run 2. Stjernesund is significantly quicker; Danioth into 2nd. Ana Bucik now 2nd; Sofia Goggia on track and green pretty much all the way – she leads by 0.53, and that was the fastest on this run so far. Mich Gagnon has gained some time to inter 1, but she’s made a massive error at the top of the steep and that’s about 6 seconds added. Kaya Norbye (NOR) into 3rd; Alex Tilley has gained a little to inter 1 but she’s into the red by 3 and into 4th at present. Marlene Schmotz has been gaining time to inter 2 – lost a little lower but that’s a good run – she leads by 0.60, and that’s a new fastest time for run 2. Now, here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – 0.19 in hand, much the same at inter 1, red at 2 and 3 and losing more time to the finish - just 3rd, and that was only the 4th best time on run 2! Something not right today – unwell, or set up, or just a bad day? The course is starting to get rutted but Tviberg (NOR) has kept in the green all the way to inter 3 – she takes over the lead by just 0.03. The wind is quite variable – fine for some, not so good for others; at the half way point it’s Tviberg, Schmotz and Goggia with Shiffrin 4th. Katharina Truppe has been unlucky with that wind, and she’s into 5th; good lower section by Ricarda Haaser after losing time to inter 2 and she’s into 3rd. Meta Hrovat has done much the same, gaining on the final flat to go 3rd, but she’s not there long as Coralie Frasse Sombet has taken the place away. France again as Tessa Worley is on course – it’s windy again; good run and she’s into 3rd now! Lara G-B into 5th; another TV break. Next to go is Vikki Rebensburg, with 0.62 in hand – good to inter 1 but she’s lost a bit to 2 – then she starts to pull back time and takes over the lead by 0.38. Alice Robinson next – red at 1, only fractionally red at 2 but then she’s lost a little – into 4th. Shiffrin now out of the top 10! Sara Hector well in touch all the way – she’s into 2nd. Wendy Holdener just into the red at 1 and 2, but back green at 3 and she’s taken the lead by just 4 hundredths. Petra Vlhova next, with 0.21 advantage - she’s gaining a little all the way to inter 3 – a tiny error and 2nd, +0.04! Federica Brignone has also gained to inter 2, lost a little to 3 but then she’s got the power on again – she leads by 0.44 (5th best time on run 2). That’s guaranteed a podium for her, and she’s happy with that! Marta Bassino is red at 1 and redder at 2 – it’s drifting away and she’s 6th. Just Mina Fuerst Holtmann to go – 0.13 in hand; she’s pretty much doubled it at inter 1; lost a bit by 3 and she’s missed the win by just 4 hundredths! Well done Federica Brignone; I think this might be her first podium here; certainly her first win on this piste? Great run by Holtmann to get her first World Cup podium, with Wendy Holdener getting the last podium place. Very useful points for Petra Vlhova in 4th, and Vikki Rebensburg in 5th – Marlene Schmotz holds on to best time on run 2, finishing in 9th. Very odd to see Shiffrin down in 17th having gained just 2 places in run 2; best gains on run 2 for Stjernesund (9 places) and Goggia (10).
Run 2: This course set by an American coach – possibly a bit more technical this time? Michelle Gisin the first away on run 2. Stjernesund is significantly quicker; Danioth into 2nd. Ana Bucik now 2nd; Sofia Goggia on track and green pretty much all the way – she leads by 0.53, and that was the fastest on this run so far. Mich Gagnon has gained some time to inter 1, but she’s made a massive error at the top of the steep and that’s about 6 seconds added. Kaya Norbye (NOR) into 3rd; Alex Tilley has gained a little to inter 1 but she’s into the red by 3 and into 4th at present. Marlene Schmotz has been gaining time to inter 2 – lost a little lower but that’s a good run – she leads by 0.60, and that’s a new fastest time for run 2. Now, here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – 0.19 in hand, much the same at inter 1, red at 2 and 3 and losing more time to the finish - just 3rd, and that was only the 4th best time on run 2! Something not right today – unwell, or set up, or just a bad day? The course is starting to get rutted but Tviberg (NOR) has kept in the green all the way to inter 3 – she takes over the lead by just 0.03. The wind is quite variable – fine for some, not so good for others; at the half way point it’s Tviberg, Schmotz and Goggia with Shiffrin 4th. Katharina Truppe has been unlucky with that wind, and she’s into 5th; good lower section by Ricarda Haaser after losing time to inter 2 and she’s into 3rd. Meta Hrovat has done much the same, gaining on the final flat to go 3rd, but she’s not there long as Coralie Frasse Sombet has taken the place away. France again as Tessa Worley is on course – it’s windy again; good run and she’s into 3rd now! Lara G-B into 5th; another TV break. Next to go is Vikki Rebensburg, with 0.62 in hand – good to inter 1 but she’s lost a bit to 2 – then she starts to pull back time and takes over the lead by 0.38. Alice Robinson next – red at 1, only fractionally red at 2 but then she’s lost a little – into 4th. Shiffrin now out of the top 10! Sara Hector well in touch all the way – she’s into 2nd. Wendy Holdener just into the red at 1 and 2, but back green at 3 and she’s taken the lead by just 4 hundredths. Petra Vlhova next, with 0.21 advantage - she’s gaining a little all the way to inter 3 – a tiny error and 2nd, +0.04! Federica Brignone has also gained to inter 2, lost a little to 3 but then she’s got the power on again – she leads by 0.44 (5th best time on run 2). That’s guaranteed a podium for her, and she’s happy with that! Marta Bassino is red at 1 and redder at 2 – it’s drifting away and she’s 6th. Just Mina Fuerst Holtmann to go – 0.13 in hand; she’s pretty much doubled it at inter 1; lost a bit by 3 and she’s missed the win by just 4 hundredths! Well done Federica Brignone; I think this might be her first podium here; certainly her first win on this piste? Great run by Holtmann to get her first World Cup podium, with Wendy Holdener getting the last podium place. Very useful points for Petra Vlhova in 4th, and Vikki Rebensburg in 5th – Marlene Schmotz holds on to best time on run 2, finishing in 9th. Very odd to see Shiffrin down in 17th having gained just 2 places in run 2; best gains on run 2 for Stjernesund (9 places) and Goggia (10).
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Biathlon: Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Sprints
by Bleausardv2 Sat 21 Dec 2019, 9:10 am
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 19 Dec 19: Some good names going early, including Hofer, Samuelsson, Bjøntegaard, Desthieux and Fourcade; JoBø going mid-thirties, but still group 1. Looks a nice day, and very little wind; commentators reckon the entry to the range isn’t too hard, so we should see good shooting?? Seb Samuelsson quickest at the first timing point so far, ahead of Bjøntegaard and Fourcade; Pidruchnyi at S1 and he’s missed 1, as have Seppala and Hofer; Rastorgujevs has missed 2! Samuelsson has also missed 1; Bjøntegaard is the first to clear all 5 at S1. Simon Desthieux also clear and marginally faster; now Martin Fourcade is clear and he’s 2.8 ahead of Desthieux. That was good, but Tarjei Bø has just cleared and he’s even quicker – out 1.7 ahead. Lapshin (KOR) clear and out level with Desthieux; now Benedikt Doll is clear and he’s 2.7 faster than Tarjei. On the lap Martin F is losing time to Bjøntegaard; meanwhile Jacquelin is clear at S1 at 1.3 ahead of Doll! JoBø is away and quickest at 0.7 Km; Hofer is clear at S2 (1,0), and Rastorgujevs has cleared there too (2,0). Erlend Bjøntegaard the first to get 10/10. Desthieux has missed 1 at S2; Martin Fourcade has missed his first and last here – his first shot was away at 9.5 seconds – very risky! Tarjei Bø took his first shot at 13.7 and he’s cleared these 5 as well, 10/10 and fractionally quicker than Bjøntegaard. Nice to see Doll also 10/10 and 12 seconds quicker than Tarjei. JoBø in for S1 some 12 seconds ahead of the field – he’s missed his 5th, but is still out 8th, +9.8. Jacquelin has missed 2 at S2 as well; Lapshin 10/10 but 5th, +26.3. No real surprise that JoBø is gaining time on the lap – even with the 1 miss he’s quicker than Fourcade at 4.8 Km. Tarjei Bø heading for the line, getting a useful tow from Julian Eberhard – he’s briefly into the lead, but Doll is 9.4 quicker. Back at S2 Loginov is 10/10 but 31.5 off the pace. At S1 Quentin Fillon Maillet is clear and 8th, +9.7. JoBø is at S2 and he’s missed his last shot again – out 4th, +17.5 – if anyone can pull that back it’s perhaps Johannes? Christiansen (1,0) clear at S2 but a long pause between shots 3 and 4; at 7.3 Km JoBø hasn’t closed at all against Doll, but he might catch Bjøntegaard? He’s gained at little by 8.1 Km and is past Bjøntegaard, closing on his brother! Johannes Dale is 10/10 and out 6th, +24.8. QFM now at S2 – he’s also 10/10 but quick too – out 2nd, +9.5. JoBø is over the line 3rd, just 0.2 ahead of Bjøntegaard. Not sure if QFM will pip Tarjei – the gap is just 0.7 at 8.1 Km and the track is breaking up a little; he’s over the line 3rd, between the Bø brothers! So, at present it’s Doll, Tarjei and QFM on the podium (all 10/10) then J T Bø (1,1), Bjøntegaard (0,0) and Dale (0,0) – 4 Norwegians in the top 6 at present! Good work by Nikita Porshnev (RUS) – 10/10 and out 13th after S2 despite a problem getting his final round away – over the line 24th (at present). Looking at the top 10, there’s currently 1 German, 1 Austrian, 2 Frenchmen, 2 Italians, and 4 Norwegians! Tracks have got too slow for the later starters to make any impact; no change to the top 10 – top 6 as listed above with Windisch in 7th, ahead of Desthieux, Hofer and Julian Eberhard. Martin Fourcade (0,2) ended up 12th; Johannes Kühn (0,2) the second German in 14th, with Arnd Peiffer (0,1) in 21st. Lapshin quickest on the range, ahead of JoBø and Martin Fourcade; JoBø some 21 seconds quicker around the course than Benedikt Doll, then Eberhard, Kühn, Tarjei and Bjøntegaard.
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 20 Dec 19: Warm conditions with heavy rain but no wind! I suspect the tracks will break up again today, as they did for the men’s race yesterday. Quite a few changes to the German team – I can see Herrmann, Preuß and Hinz are still in; not sure of the rest? The race is on, Lucie Charvátová first away. Quite a short lap, so the early starters will be at S1 quite soon. I’m a little surprised that Hanna Öberg hasn’t put a hat on? At 0.7 Km the early pace has been set by Davidova. At S1 Charvátová is clear and away; Vittozzi has missed her first and that was scrappy as well. Marketa Davidova also clear and out 3.6 ahead of Charvátová; Öberg is in but slower than expected and she’s missed 1 as well. Preuß clear and out 3rd; Julia Simon is +18.4 as she enters the range, but that was a quick shoot. Denise Herrmann in, and all 5 are down – out 2.6 ahead of Davidova; Tandrevold clear and out 5th. Charvátová is at S2 – she’s missed 2 here but Vittozzi is clear this time. Davidova is 10/10 and out with 37.3 in hand. Preuß has missed 2 at S2, Öberg is (1,1), Simon is (0,1) and out 3rd after a problem feeding a round. Herrmann has missed 2 at S2; Doro is clear at S1 while Tiril Eckhoff has missed 1. At S2 Justine Braisaz is 10/10 and leading ahead of Davidova (+3.8) and Mironova (+7.6) – all 10/10. Tandrevold (0,1; +22.9) in 4th, ahead of Herrmann (0,2; +32.4) and Simon (0,1; +38.0). Back at S1 Paulina Fialkova is clear and in touch. On the run to the line Braisaz has gained time on Davidova; Doro at S2 and she’s missed 2 targets! At the finish Justine Braisaz has really been pushing – she leads by 14.3, ahead of Davidova, Mironova, Herrmann, Tandrevold and Simon. That’s going to change though, as Tiril Eckhoff (1,0) has left the range after S2 just 3.6 behind Braisaz; Fialkova has missed her 10 and is just about 30 seconds off after her penalty loop. At 6.5 Km Eckhoff is ahead of Braisaz’s time despite her one loop extra – at the finish she leads by 6.2 seconds; another amazing example of Norwegian ski speed! Oh dear, Vanessa Hinz has missed 2 at S1 – she might be heading for exile in the IBU cup too [especially as she’s now missed 2 more at S2]? Meanwhile Doro (0,2) is over the line, but only in 18th at present; compare that to Haecki, Preuß and Öberg who also did 2 penalty loops and are 10/11/12 respectively – Herrmann (0,2) currently in 5th. Kaisa M is now (1,3) – not a good day! Looking at the finish – no change to the top 6 since Eckhoff took over the lead; Kryuko has got into 7th with Pidhrushna getting 9th at present, just ahead of Fialkova (P). One of the “new” German team is Maren Hammerschmidt, but her return to World Cup hasn’t been a success today – 4 misses at S1 and 2 more at S2. Better performance from Janina Hettich (1,0) who despite being a late starter is over the line, currently 23rd. Conditions are really nasty now – Chloe Chevalier lost a huge amount of time on her last lap, as the snow gets even wetter and more cut up! Given those conditions it’s no surprise that the top 10 hasn’t changed since Pidhrushna went 9th – great win for Tiril Eckhoff, ahead of Braisaz and Davidova; Mironova 4th, ahead of Herrmann and Tandrevold. Preuß in 12th, Öberg 14th, Vittozzi 15th, Wierer 22nd. Beaudry fastest on the range ahead of Blashko (UKR) and Kuklina. No surprise that Eckhoff was fastest around the track, ahead of Herrmann, Davidova, Braisaz, Eder and Haecki. Odd to see some of the names not getting a start in the Pursuit – Dunklee, Hinz, Sanfilippo, Bescond and Gontier among them.
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 20 Dec 19: Warm conditions with heavy rain but no wind! I suspect the tracks will break up again today, as they did for the men’s race yesterday. Quite a few changes to the German team – I can see Herrmann, Preuß and Hinz are still in; not sure of the rest? The race is on, Lucie Charvátová first away. Quite a short lap, so the early starters will be at S1 quite soon. I’m a little surprised that Hanna Öberg hasn’t put a hat on? At 0.7 Km the early pace has been set by Davidova. At S1 Charvátová is clear and away; Vittozzi has missed her first and that was scrappy as well. Marketa Davidova also clear and out 3.6 ahead of Charvátová; Öberg is in but slower than expected and she’s missed 1 as well. Preuß clear and out 3rd; Julia Simon is +18.4 as she enters the range, but that was a quick shoot. Denise Herrmann in, and all 5 are down – out 2.6 ahead of Davidova; Tandrevold clear and out 5th. Charvátová is at S2 – she’s missed 2 here but Vittozzi is clear this time. Davidova is 10/10 and out with 37.3 in hand. Preuß has missed 2 at S2, Öberg is (1,1), Simon is (0,1) and out 3rd after a problem feeding a round. Herrmann has missed 2 at S2; Doro is clear at S1 while Tiril Eckhoff has missed 1. At S2 Justine Braisaz is 10/10 and leading ahead of Davidova (+3.8) and Mironova (+7.6) – all 10/10. Tandrevold (0,1; +22.9) in 4th, ahead of Herrmann (0,2; +32.4) and Simon (0,1; +38.0). Back at S1 Paulina Fialkova is clear and in touch. On the run to the line Braisaz has gained time on Davidova; Doro at S2 and she’s missed 2 targets! At the finish Justine Braisaz has really been pushing – she leads by 14.3, ahead of Davidova, Mironova, Herrmann, Tandrevold and Simon. That’s going to change though, as Tiril Eckhoff (1,0) has left the range after S2 just 3.6 behind Braisaz; Fialkova has missed her 10 and is just about 30 seconds off after her penalty loop. At 6.5 Km Eckhoff is ahead of Braisaz’s time despite her one loop extra – at the finish she leads by 6.2 seconds; another amazing example of Norwegian ski speed! Oh dear, Vanessa Hinz has missed 2 at S1 – she might be heading for exile in the IBU cup too [especially as she’s now missed 2 more at S2]? Meanwhile Doro (0,2) is over the line, but only in 18th at present; compare that to Haecki, Preuß and Öberg who also did 2 penalty loops and are 10/11/12 respectively – Herrmann (0,2) currently in 5th. Kaisa M is now (1,3) – not a good day! Looking at the finish – no change to the top 6 since Eckhoff took over the lead; Kryuko has got into 7th with Pidhrushna getting 9th at present, just ahead of Fialkova (P). One of the “new” German team is Maren Hammerschmidt, but her return to World Cup hasn’t been a success today – 4 misses at S1 and 2 more at S2. Better performance from Janina Hettich (1,0) who despite being a late starter is over the line, currently 23rd. Conditions are really nasty now – Chloe Chevalier lost a huge amount of time on her last lap, as the snow gets even wetter and more cut up! Given those conditions it’s no surprise that the top 10 hasn’t changed since Pidhrushna went 9th – great win for Tiril Eckhoff, ahead of Braisaz and Davidova; Mironova 4th, ahead of Herrmann and Tandrevold. Preuß in 12th, Öberg 14th, Vittozzi 15th, Wierer 22nd. Beaudry fastest on the range ahead of Blashko (UKR) and Kuklina. No surprise that Eckhoff was fastest around the track, ahead of Herrmann, Davidova, Braisaz, Eder and Haecki. Odd to see some of the names not getting a start in the Pursuit – Dunklee, Hinz, Sanfilippo, Bescond and Gontier among them.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon: Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Pursuits
by Bleausardv2 Sun 22 Dec 2019, 10:41 am
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 21 Dec 19: This should be interesting – not sure I’d like to be Benedikt Doll, with both Bø brothers and QFM breathing down my neck on lap 1! Very good numbers of supporters around the track. It’s all looking a bit green around the stadium and in the valley – little or no wind at present; Doll is away! On the lap Doll has lost a little; the next 4 are very close in a chasing group (around 6 seconds back), some 16 seconds ahead of the next two. Doll in for his first prone – he’s clear and out 9.5 ahead of QFM and Tarjei; JoBø has missed 1 (out 4th, but +25.0) and Bjøntegaard 2 – Samuelsson has missed 3! Fourcade clear and out 7th, but +46.5. By 4 Km JoBø has got back to just 10 seconds back; he’s pushing hard! Doll leading in for the second prone – he’s missed his first shot! Both Bøs clear, and so is QFM – Tarjei leads out, 1.6 ahead of QFM with JoBø +2.1 in third. Doll is 4th, +11.1, then Dale, Christiansen (from 13th) and Bjøntegaard – strength in depth from the Norwegians! Fourcade has missed 1 here. Jacquelin is 10/10 and up from 20th to 9th. JoBø leading in for the first standing shoot – QFM has all 15 down and leads out, just ahead of JoBø (1,0,0; +0.2) – Tarjei has missed 1 and out 3rd, +19.0. Doll (0,1,1) in 4th, +36.4; Christiansen and Jacquelin have missed 1 each here; Dale and Bjøntegaard 2 each. Schempp is 15/15 and up from 32 to 10; Loginov also 15/15 but seems to be relatively slow today? Fourcade (0,1,1) now 11th and +1:19.7. JoBø and QFM nicely clear and slowly pulling away from Tarjei, who has a good gap to the chasing group. Final standing shoot for the leading pair – both clear and JoBø leads out by 2.8 seconds; Tarjei has missed his last shot – out 3rd but Christiansen was clear and he’s just 3 seconds behind, Doll in 5th ahead of Jacquelin. Schempp is 20/20 and up from 32 to 8; Arnd Peiffer (0,0,1,0) is 9th, from 21st, Bjøntegaard (2,0,2,1) somehow still 10th! Martin Fourcade (0,1,10) in 7th. On the lap JoBø has pulled out 14 seconds by 11 Km; another 5 by 11.5. Johannes Thingnes Bø takes another win – a very emphatic victory! Quentin Fillon Maillet a comfortable second, with Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen nicking 3rd from Tarjei! Doll in 5th, ahead of Jacquelin and Fourcade. The list of impressive gainers includes Christiansen (13 to 3), Jacquelin (20-6), Peiffer (21-9), Schempp (32-10), Horn (25-11), Trsan (47-25) and Bormolini (60-32). Better news for most of the Germans today! Going the wrong way, the list includes Dale (6-12), Desthieux (8-15), Windisch (7-17), Hofer (9-24), and Stvrtecky (16-42). Lapshin quickest on the range, ahead of Dovzan and Pidruchnyi; JoBø quickest over the course, ahead of Bjøntegaard, Christiansen and Kühn (who had a bad day – 0,0,2,4, 14th to 23rd).
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 21 Dec 19: A bit sunnier now – huge crowds still in attendance but the tracks might be a bit messy after the men’s race? Tiril Eckhoff away, with Braisaz hot on her heels, urged on by the crowds! I see Hanna Öberg is a DNS. Now, 20 targets today – last time Eckhoff shot 20 she hit the lot, but that was the first time! No real gains to the 1 Km timing point; top 12 in the same order as at the start. Tracks seem to be a bit better than expected as they head for the first prone – not a lot of wind – Eckhoff and Braisaz have both missed 1 (although the graphic showed 2 misses for Tiril – very lucky with that split round). Lots of missing going on – Davidova has missed 3, as have Vittozzi and Hauser; Herrmann and Mironova 2 each. Out in order Eckhoff (1 miss), Braisaz (1, +10.3), Simon (0, +27.6), Haecki (0), Paulina Fialkova (0) and Tandrevold (1). Doro clear and up to 12th from 22nd. On this lap Eckhoff is pulling away a little; Haecki up to 3rd. In for S2 – Eckhoff clear this time and out; Braisaz also clear and out +17.2. Julia Simon clear and out 3rd, then Tandrevold, Kryuko and Haecki (0,1). Doro is 10/10 and up to 8th. Herrmann (2,1) down from 5th to 15th while Persson (0,0) is up to 17 from 44! Tandrevold up to 3rd on the lap; Eckhoff in for her first standing shoot with a penalty loop in hand; quick shooting but she’s missed her last one; Braisaz has missed 2, as has Simon; Tandrevold 1 miss, same as Haecki and Wierer. So, after S3 it’s Eckhoff, Tandrevold (+45.4!), Braisaz (+46.2), Simon, Haecki and Wierer. Herrmann clear this time and 7th, ahead of Fialkova and Kryuko. Heading for the final shoot, Eckhoff is well clear of the chasing pair, who are about 15 seconds ahead of Herrmann, Haecki, Wierer, Simon and Fialkova. Tiril clear and leaving the range with a smile! Tandrevold (1,0,1,0) also clear and out +48.0, ahead of Haecki (0,1,10) Wierer (0,0,1,0) and Braisaz (1,0,2,1). Preuß (0,1,0,0) is up to 6th, just ahead of Herrmann (2,1,0,1). Tiril Eckhoff cruises to another well-deserved win, with Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold in second and Lena Haecki getting the final podium, from 11th at the start! Doro in 4th (from 22), ahead of Braisaz and Herrmann with Preuß 7th from 12th at the start. Other serious gainers include Persson (0,0,0,0; 44 to 12), Kuklina (also 20/20; 28-14), Blashko (30-17), Aita Gasparin (33-18). Kaisa M (0,1,1,0; 56-19), Vita Semerenko (20/20; 50-21), Dzhima (38-23), and Bendika (45-27). The “wrong way“ list includes Mironova (4-20), Davidova (3-28), Hauser (13-30), Elisa Gasparin (17-47), Zuk (16-49), Oja (27-51) and Charvátová (21-55). Julia Simon quickest on the range, ahead of Haecki and Wierer; Kaisa M fastest around the track, ahead of Herrmann, Tandrevold, Eckhoff (who slowed on the last lap), Eder and Braisaz. The Norwegian onslaught continues!
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 21 Dec 19: A bit sunnier now – huge crowds still in attendance but the tracks might be a bit messy after the men’s race? Tiril Eckhoff away, with Braisaz hot on her heels, urged on by the crowds! I see Hanna Öberg is a DNS. Now, 20 targets today – last time Eckhoff shot 20 she hit the lot, but that was the first time! No real gains to the 1 Km timing point; top 12 in the same order as at the start. Tracks seem to be a bit better than expected as they head for the first prone – not a lot of wind – Eckhoff and Braisaz have both missed 1 (although the graphic showed 2 misses for Tiril – very lucky with that split round). Lots of missing going on – Davidova has missed 3, as have Vittozzi and Hauser; Herrmann and Mironova 2 each. Out in order Eckhoff (1 miss), Braisaz (1, +10.3), Simon (0, +27.6), Haecki (0), Paulina Fialkova (0) and Tandrevold (1). Doro clear and up to 12th from 22nd. On this lap Eckhoff is pulling away a little; Haecki up to 3rd. In for S2 – Eckhoff clear this time and out; Braisaz also clear and out +17.2. Julia Simon clear and out 3rd, then Tandrevold, Kryuko and Haecki (0,1). Doro is 10/10 and up to 8th. Herrmann (2,1) down from 5th to 15th while Persson (0,0) is up to 17 from 44! Tandrevold up to 3rd on the lap; Eckhoff in for her first standing shoot with a penalty loop in hand; quick shooting but she’s missed her last one; Braisaz has missed 2, as has Simon; Tandrevold 1 miss, same as Haecki and Wierer. So, after S3 it’s Eckhoff, Tandrevold (+45.4!), Braisaz (+46.2), Simon, Haecki and Wierer. Herrmann clear this time and 7th, ahead of Fialkova and Kryuko. Heading for the final shoot, Eckhoff is well clear of the chasing pair, who are about 15 seconds ahead of Herrmann, Haecki, Wierer, Simon and Fialkova. Tiril clear and leaving the range with a smile! Tandrevold (1,0,1,0) also clear and out +48.0, ahead of Haecki (0,1,10) Wierer (0,0,1,0) and Braisaz (1,0,2,1). Preuß (0,1,0,0) is up to 6th, just ahead of Herrmann (2,1,0,1). Tiril Eckhoff cruises to another well-deserved win, with Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold in second and Lena Haecki getting the final podium, from 11th at the start! Doro in 4th (from 22), ahead of Braisaz and Herrmann with Preuß 7th from 12th at the start. Other serious gainers include Persson (0,0,0,0; 44 to 12), Kuklina (also 20/20; 28-14), Blashko (30-17), Aita Gasparin (33-18). Kaisa M (0,1,1,0; 56-19), Vita Semerenko (20/20; 50-21), Dzhima (38-23), and Bendika (45-27). The “wrong way“ list includes Mironova (4-20), Davidova (3-28), Hauser (13-30), Elisa Gasparin (17-47), Zuk (16-49), Oja (27-51) and Charvátová (21-55). Julia Simon quickest on the range, ahead of Haecki and Wierer; Kaisa M fastest around the track, ahead of Herrmann, Tandrevold, Eckhoff (who slowed on the last lap), Eder and Braisaz. The Norwegian onslaught continues!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Alpine - Val Gardena (Gröden), Val d’Isère and Alta Badia
by Bleausardv2 Sun 22 Dec 2019, 12:55 pm
20 Dec: Val Gardena (Gröden), Men’s Super G: Missed the start of this and joined to find it was interrupted by fog, sadly with only 20 skiers away. At present Vincent Kriechmayr (bib 7, and tipped by Finlay) leads, from Kjetil Jansrud (15; +0.05) and Thomas Dressen (18; +0.22); then Mauro Caviezel, Dominik Paris and Hannes Reichelt – no DNFs at present. It does look as though this race might not be completed – there has now been a 30 minute delay, and the decision has been put off again. Much to the surprise of the commentary team there is a forerunner at the start – seems the race is back on; Christophe Krenn in the gate! Oops, the fog is back – race interrupted again; next decision in 10 minutes; now it’s another 15 minutes – that’s come and gone and the race is still interrupted. They have eventually got it running again, but all the delays can’t have helped, and the wind has got up a little too – Krenn eventually on course and 18th. The best of the later starters is Steve Nyman (bib 29) in 13th; 3 DNFs so far. Good try by Gino Caviezel (bib 42) into 14th; now there’s yet another interruption but they have got the 30 away, and then some so the result will stand whatever happens. That’s it – bib numbers 49 and above will not start but the FIS team did get the race “completed” as far as the rules go; no changes to the top 10; Vincent Kriechmayr takes a well-deserved win, from Kjetil Jansrud (+0.05) with Thomas Dressen (+0.22) getting the final podium place; then Mauro Caviezel, Dominik Paris and Hannes Reichelt – tricky day for many!
21 Dec – Val Gardena and Val d’Isère: Not a good start to the day – the scheduled men’s downhill at Val Gardena has been cancelled (the FB page says “Due to the snowfall, the warm temperatures and the forecast, there is no chance to have a DH race today!”), and the women’s downhill at Val d’Isère has been rescheduled due to overnight snowfall, delaying the start by 2 hours – not always a good sign! Indeed, not a good sign - that race is also cancelled; hopefully if it stops snowing the Alpine Combined/Super G scheduled for tomorrow might still be on? The men will be in Alta Badia - let’s hope conditions are better there?
22 Dec: Alta Badia – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1: Got my times mixed up and joined this a bit late – very foggy again but apparently within limits. Alexis Pinturault was first away, and his time was marginally better than 2nd man on course, Henrik Kristoffersen. Bib 3 was Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen and he took the lead by 0.20. Ted Ligety the first DNF of the day – I doubt he’ll be the last in these conditions? That was pretty much how the top 3 stayed until Marco Odermatt (bib 9) went into 2nd, just 0.07 behind the Norwegian leader. Marco Schwarz managed to get into 4th, just ahead of Kristoffersen. With 20 away the order is LKN-H, Odermatt, Pinturault, Schwarz, Kristoffersen and Kranjec. Sounds as though the women’s races at Val d’Isère have all been cancelled; they had hoped to reschedule yesterday’s downhill instead of the planned Alpine Combined (Super G) but the FIS site says the lot has been cancelled due to continued heavy snowfall. Back at Alta Badia Filip Zubcic (bib 22) has got into joint 8th with Luca de Aliprandini. The fog seems to be thickening a bit, and it’s snowing a bit more heavily, just in time to take out Erik Read – luckily he seems to be OK. The TV breaks are being ignored as they try to get run 1 completed. The track does seem to be getting very cut up and bumpy. However – here come some of the speed specialists, trying to get points for the overall – Matthias Mayer is a DNF, but bib 32 is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and he’s flying – some superb recoveries on the way and he’s into 5th – great effort; lucky he’s so strong!! That pretty much ended the Eurosport coverage – apparently the forecast is that conditions will be worse for run2!!
Run 2: Despite the forecast, conditions are a lot better – reasonable visibility at present and it isn’t snowing! Similar course to run 1, this time set by a Norwegian coach, as they can’t get too far off the prepared surface – lots of chemicals in early on to try to freeze it, and fresh snow still around the boundaries. Today will be Manfred Mölgg’s 304th World Cup start! With 5 away Lucas Braathen (NOR) leads from Alex Schmidt (GER). The light is getting flatter again; Thibaut Favrot (FRA) into 2nd – great start but lost time on the final section. Next away is Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) and he’s going well – he’s actually gained time on the lower section and he leads by 0.61. The nasty little roller lower on the course is causing problems – very easy to lose time there. Gino Caviezel is all over the place – great recoveries but he’s losing time, and a pole – amazed he managed 5th! Just Mathieu Faivre to go before the half way TV break – he’s already into the red by inter 1, and just 9th. At present it’s Sarrazin, Braathen and Favrot on the potential podium, with the 15 fastest from run 1 to go. Tommy Ford had 0.56 in hand but it’s all gone by inter 1 – risky stuff and a few errors drop him to 8th. Rasmus Windingstad into 2nd, but he lost 1.2 seconds on that run. Loic Meillard into 4th; Luca de Aliprandini had a good run until that blind roller – that dropped him to 7th. Filip Zubcic into 4th; he had to make an extra turn as some official wandered across the track and not surprisingly he’s fairly annoyed – lucky most of us can’t speak Croatian I suspect! Now, Zan Kranjec has 1.03 in hand; down to 0.57 at inter 1, but still 0.48 at 2 – he’s into 2nd, just 0.08 off the lead! Now, Henrik Kristoffersen next to go, 1.08 in hand – he’s still got 0.81 at inter 2, and he takes the lead by 0.31 – good run! He’s followed by Kilde, who had a storming run earlier – he’s losing a bit to inter 1 after another epic recovery; into 4th and that’s a good result for a speed specialist! He looks happy with that – useful points for the overall too! Marco Schwarz into 5th; Alexis Pinturault next – good upper section, but a few errors have cost him time he can only manage 7th. Kristoffersen is happy with that! More errors from Marco Odermatt – he has recovered well and the final section was better and got some time back – into 5th. Looks as though he might have injured a knee? Just Leif K N-H to go and he’s gained a little to inter 1; too many errors lower down though and he’s into 11th! Henrik Kristoffersen takes the win, ahead of Cyprien Sarrazin (who still has the best time on run 2) and Zan Kranjec. Great to see Kilde in 4th, ahead of Odermatt and Schwarz. Glad they got this race finished before the forecast storm arrived! Parallel GS for the men tomorrow??
23 Dec: Alta Badia – Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom: There seems to be a strong Norwegian contingent (7) among those who have qualified for the “1/16” final – including one called McGrath! Sadly, having got ready to watch this, real life intruded and I missed it! In summary – the 1/16 section saw a few upsets, including Alexis Pinturault going out in the first round! Michael Matt was beaten by Ryan C-S, Matts Olsson was a DNF on run 2 and Tommy Ford also went out in round 1, as did McGrath! In the 1/8th round (just one run from here on) Windingstad beat fellow Norwegian Kilde, Braathen beat Trikhichev, Leitinger beat Radamus, Kristoffersen v Faivre ended with a French DNF, Murisier beat Favrot, Leif K N-H beat Raschner (AUT), Rönngren (SWE) beat Meillard and Luitz took out Ryan C-S; some new names coming through against better known competitors! In that round all but one winner was on the red course! In the QF Windingstad beat Braathen by just 0.07; Leitinger beat Kristoffersen by a rather impressive 0.78; Leif KNH beat Murisier by 0.14 – all winners on the red course, while Luitz was the only winner on the blue course, bearing Rönngren by just 0.01!
In the semis Braathen beat Kristoffersen, Leitinger was a DNF against Windingstad, Murisier was a DNF versus Rönngren and , once again, Luitz was the only winner on the blue course against Leif KNH. In the small finals Kristoffersen beat Murisier; Braathen beat Rönngren; and Leitinger comfortably beat Leif KNH. That left the big final – Stefan Luitz versus Rasmus Windingstad – a fairly comfortable win for the Norwegian, but a great effort by Luitz to get 2nd. Leitinger ended up 3rd, ahead of Leif KNH, Lucas Braathen and Mattias Rönngren. Nice to see Kilde here, and 13th overall!
21 Dec – Val Gardena and Val d’Isère: Not a good start to the day – the scheduled men’s downhill at Val Gardena has been cancelled (the FB page says “Due to the snowfall, the warm temperatures and the forecast, there is no chance to have a DH race today!”), and the women’s downhill at Val d’Isère has been rescheduled due to overnight snowfall, delaying the start by 2 hours – not always a good sign! Indeed, not a good sign - that race is also cancelled; hopefully if it stops snowing the Alpine Combined/Super G scheduled for tomorrow might still be on? The men will be in Alta Badia - let’s hope conditions are better there?
22 Dec: Alta Badia – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1: Got my times mixed up and joined this a bit late – very foggy again but apparently within limits. Alexis Pinturault was first away, and his time was marginally better than 2nd man on course, Henrik Kristoffersen. Bib 3 was Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen and he took the lead by 0.20. Ted Ligety the first DNF of the day – I doubt he’ll be the last in these conditions? That was pretty much how the top 3 stayed until Marco Odermatt (bib 9) went into 2nd, just 0.07 behind the Norwegian leader. Marco Schwarz managed to get into 4th, just ahead of Kristoffersen. With 20 away the order is LKN-H, Odermatt, Pinturault, Schwarz, Kristoffersen and Kranjec. Sounds as though the women’s races at Val d’Isère have all been cancelled; they had hoped to reschedule yesterday’s downhill instead of the planned Alpine Combined (Super G) but the FIS site says the lot has been cancelled due to continued heavy snowfall. Back at Alta Badia Filip Zubcic (bib 22) has got into joint 8th with Luca de Aliprandini. The fog seems to be thickening a bit, and it’s snowing a bit more heavily, just in time to take out Erik Read – luckily he seems to be OK. The TV breaks are being ignored as they try to get run 1 completed. The track does seem to be getting very cut up and bumpy. However – here come some of the speed specialists, trying to get points for the overall – Matthias Mayer is a DNF, but bib 32 is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and he’s flying – some superb recoveries on the way and he’s into 5th – great effort; lucky he’s so strong!! That pretty much ended the Eurosport coverage – apparently the forecast is that conditions will be worse for run2!!
Run 2: Despite the forecast, conditions are a lot better – reasonable visibility at present and it isn’t snowing! Similar course to run 1, this time set by a Norwegian coach, as they can’t get too far off the prepared surface – lots of chemicals in early on to try to freeze it, and fresh snow still around the boundaries. Today will be Manfred Mölgg’s 304th World Cup start! With 5 away Lucas Braathen (NOR) leads from Alex Schmidt (GER). The light is getting flatter again; Thibaut Favrot (FRA) into 2nd – great start but lost time on the final section. Next away is Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) and he’s going well – he’s actually gained time on the lower section and he leads by 0.61. The nasty little roller lower on the course is causing problems – very easy to lose time there. Gino Caviezel is all over the place – great recoveries but he’s losing time, and a pole – amazed he managed 5th! Just Mathieu Faivre to go before the half way TV break – he’s already into the red by inter 1, and just 9th. At present it’s Sarrazin, Braathen and Favrot on the potential podium, with the 15 fastest from run 1 to go. Tommy Ford had 0.56 in hand but it’s all gone by inter 1 – risky stuff and a few errors drop him to 8th. Rasmus Windingstad into 2nd, but he lost 1.2 seconds on that run. Loic Meillard into 4th; Luca de Aliprandini had a good run until that blind roller – that dropped him to 7th. Filip Zubcic into 4th; he had to make an extra turn as some official wandered across the track and not surprisingly he’s fairly annoyed – lucky most of us can’t speak Croatian I suspect! Now, Zan Kranjec has 1.03 in hand; down to 0.57 at inter 1, but still 0.48 at 2 – he’s into 2nd, just 0.08 off the lead! Now, Henrik Kristoffersen next to go, 1.08 in hand – he’s still got 0.81 at inter 2, and he takes the lead by 0.31 – good run! He’s followed by Kilde, who had a storming run earlier – he’s losing a bit to inter 1 after another epic recovery; into 4th and that’s a good result for a speed specialist! He looks happy with that – useful points for the overall too! Marco Schwarz into 5th; Alexis Pinturault next – good upper section, but a few errors have cost him time he can only manage 7th. Kristoffersen is happy with that! More errors from Marco Odermatt – he has recovered well and the final section was better and got some time back – into 5th. Looks as though he might have injured a knee? Just Leif K N-H to go and he’s gained a little to inter 1; too many errors lower down though and he’s into 11th! Henrik Kristoffersen takes the win, ahead of Cyprien Sarrazin (who still has the best time on run 2) and Zan Kranjec. Great to see Kilde in 4th, ahead of Odermatt and Schwarz. Glad they got this race finished before the forecast storm arrived! Parallel GS for the men tomorrow??
23 Dec: Alta Badia – Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom: There seems to be a strong Norwegian contingent (7) among those who have qualified for the “1/16” final – including one called McGrath! Sadly, having got ready to watch this, real life intruded and I missed it! In summary – the 1/16 section saw a few upsets, including Alexis Pinturault going out in the first round! Michael Matt was beaten by Ryan C-S, Matts Olsson was a DNF on run 2 and Tommy Ford also went out in round 1, as did McGrath! In the 1/8th round (just one run from here on) Windingstad beat fellow Norwegian Kilde, Braathen beat Trikhichev, Leitinger beat Radamus, Kristoffersen v Faivre ended with a French DNF, Murisier beat Favrot, Leif K N-H beat Raschner (AUT), Rönngren (SWE) beat Meillard and Luitz took out Ryan C-S; some new names coming through against better known competitors! In that round all but one winner was on the red course! In the QF Windingstad beat Braathen by just 0.07; Leitinger beat Kristoffersen by a rather impressive 0.78; Leif KNH beat Murisier by 0.14 – all winners on the red course, while Luitz was the only winner on the blue course, bearing Rönngren by just 0.01!
In the semis Braathen beat Kristoffersen, Leitinger was a DNF against Windingstad, Murisier was a DNF versus Rönngren and , once again, Luitz was the only winner on the blue course against Leif KNH. In the small finals Kristoffersen beat Murisier; Braathen beat Rönngren; and Leitinger comfortably beat Leif KNH. That left the big final – Stefan Luitz versus Rasmus Windingstad – a fairly comfortable win for the Norwegian, but a great effort by Luitz to get 2nd. Leitinger ended up 3rd, ahead of Leif KNH, Lucas Braathen and Mattias Rönngren. Nice to see Kilde here, and 13th overall!
Last edited by Bleausardv2 on Tue 24 Dec 2019, 10:09 am; edited 1 time in total
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Le Grand Bornand - Mass Starts
by Bleausardv2 Sun 22 Dec 2019, 4:33 pm
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 22 Dec 19: So, the third race in 4 days for the men, it’s raining again! The Bøs leading on the lap into S1 – JoBø clear and away; I seem to have lost the IBU data feed for S1? On the lap it’s JoBø, ahead of Tarjei and QFM, with Johannes already having half a penalty loop in hand – he’s 14.1 ahead at 4.5 Km. In for S2 and the data feed is still not working? JoBø in for S2 – all 5 down and he’s out clear; Jacquelin clear and out 2nd (+18.1), QFM has missed 1, Tarjei clear but a little slow – out 3rd, ahead of QFM and Martin Fourcade. At 7 Km JoBø is 22.6 ahead of Jacquelin, with Tarjei still 3rd, +31.3; then QFM, Desthieux, Fourcade and Dale. The gap is 6 seconds more at 7.5 Km; over 1 penalty loop. It does look messy there – overcast and wet; still no joy with the IBU data feed. Heading for the first standing shoot – JoBø is fast but he missed number 3; Jacquelin has missed his 5th, Tarjei clear! Out Johannes, Tarjei (+24.4), Jacquelin, Fourcade (+1:00.3), QFM and Desthieux. Iliev has missed 4 here; the chasing group, if we can call it that given they are quite spread out, are losing even more time to Johannes on the lap. Looks like the IBU feed has stuck at 1.5 Km – not useful as we are now at 10.5 Km – it seems the commentary team don’t have the stats either! JoBø is cruising (relatively) into the stadium for S4 to get his pulse down – the data is back! JoBø is clear again here (0,0,1,0), very nice shooting and he’s off on the final lap! Tarjei in for his last shoot – he’s missed his 4th; Jacquelin is shooting fast and he’s got all 5 down. Jacquelin (0,0,1,0) out 2nd, just over 10 seconds ahead of Tarjei (0,0,0,1). QFM (0,1,1,0) out 4th, fractionally ahead of Fourcade (0,1,0,0) – Peiffer (1,1,0,0) up to 6th but almost a minute behind Fourcade, just ahead of Dale (0,0,2,0) and Eder (0,0,1,0). At 13 Km Jacquelin still holding off Tarjei, who looks safe in 3rd ahead of Fourcade and QFM. Dale closing on Peiffer and past him by 13.5 Km; Eder might also get the German? JoBø cruises across the finish to take yet another win; Emelien Jacquelin gets second, ahead of Tarjei. Fillon Maillet back past Martin Fourcade to take 4th. Dale gets 6th, ahead of Peiffer and Eder. Three Norwegians in the top 6! Jacquelin fastest on the range, ahead of Lapshin and JoBø; despite his final lap stroll JoBø was quickest on the tracks, ahead of QFM, Tarjei, Desthieux, Jacquelin and Fourcade. No real doubt who the world number 1 is!
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 22 Dec 19: Well, I hope the data feed works this time, and the track holds up! Nice to hear that Amanda Lightfoot has qualified for the World Cup series early next year. The weather doesn’t look any better – still raining hard, as it has been since the men’s race, but no wind. No Hanna Öberg today – still unwell apparently. Commentary team thought Eckhoff might try to push early to stress the others, but they are all still pretty close at the early timing points – just 6.7 between the top 10 at 1.5 Km. Braisaz leading in for the first prone – some good shooting here; Julia Simon leads out, ahead of Eckhoff (+0.4), Braisaz, Paulina Fialkova, Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Brorsson (+15.9) – all clear. Herrmann, Wierer and Tandrevold have all missed 1, as have Hauser and Davidova among others – Haecki has missed 3. Tiril Eckhoff has opened up a gap to the next timing point – at 4 Km she’s 9 seconds ahead of Mäkäräinen, then Braisaz, Fialkova, Simon and Herrmann (+38.8; that was 28.9 at the range!). The general feeling is that the wet snow will favour the lighter skiers? In for S2 – Tiril has missed 1, Braisaz 1, Simon 2 BUT Mäkäräinen is clear and leads out! Eckhoff in 2nd (1 miss, +2.8) then Fialkova (1; +24.1), Wierer (0, +24.7), Yurlova and Herrmann (clear this time, +28.3). Kaisa and Tiril have a good gap – over 36 seconds at the 6 Km mark! That gap is 43.5 at 6.5 Km – pretty much 2 penalty loops, that’s some pace! In for S3, the first standing shoot – Tiril (0,1,0) clear here and away; Kaisa has missed 2. Braisaz has missed 2 already, now it’s 4! So, out in order Eckhoff (0,1,0), Mäkäräinen (0,0,2; + 1:07.8), Herrmann (1,0,1), Wierer (1,0,1), Persson (1,0,0) and Yurlova (0,0,1; +1:14.2). Mironova has missed 6 so far (2,2,2). Eckhoff is still pulling away – 1:14.9 at 9 Km! Eckhoff in for her final shoot – she could miss 3 and still win; she’s missed her 4th but that’s the only 1 and she’s off. Kaisa in and she’s missed her first and 1 more; Herrmann has also missed 2. Wierer (1,0,1,0) clear and out 2nd, +1:20.5 just ahead of Persson (1,0,0,0; +1:21.1), then Bescond (0,1,0,0), Preuß (0,0,1,1) and Yurlova (0,0,1,1; +1:45.5). No real doubt about the winner but the rest of the podium is up for grabs. Kaisa left the range 7th but she’s 4th at 11 Km! At 11.5 Km it’s Eckhoff, Doro, Persson (very close – 0.9!), Kaisa, Bescond and Preuß. Tiril cruises gently towards her 3rd win here; there is going to be a sprint for 2nd and 3rd – a stumble from Persson and Doro gets 2nd, just fractionally clear of Persson! Kaisa has got from 7th at S4 up to 4th (gaining almost 20 seconds on Persson!), and Denise Herrmann has gone for 9th at S4 to 5th, ahead of Yurlova, Bescond and Preuß. Tandrevold (1,0,1,2) down in 12th, Fialkova (0,1,2,1) in 14th and Simon (0,2,1,2) is 17th. Poor Braisaz (0,1,4,2) in 20th, and Davidova (1,1,2,2) in 22nd. Julia Simon fastest on the range ahead of Wierer and Preuß; Tiril fastest on course despite her final lap, ahead of Kaisa, Mari Eder and Herrmann. I think JoBø and Tiril need to buy lots of drinks for their wax/ski technicians
Annency – Le Grand Bornand, Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 22 Dec 19: Well, I hope the data feed works this time, and the track holds up! Nice to hear that Amanda Lightfoot has qualified for the World Cup series early next year. The weather doesn’t look any better – still raining hard, as it has been since the men’s race, but no wind. No Hanna Öberg today – still unwell apparently. Commentary team thought Eckhoff might try to push early to stress the others, but they are all still pretty close at the early timing points – just 6.7 between the top 10 at 1.5 Km. Braisaz leading in for the first prone – some good shooting here; Julia Simon leads out, ahead of Eckhoff (+0.4), Braisaz, Paulina Fialkova, Kaisa Mäkäräinen and Brorsson (+15.9) – all clear. Herrmann, Wierer and Tandrevold have all missed 1, as have Hauser and Davidova among others – Haecki has missed 3. Tiril Eckhoff has opened up a gap to the next timing point – at 4 Km she’s 9 seconds ahead of Mäkäräinen, then Braisaz, Fialkova, Simon and Herrmann (+38.8; that was 28.9 at the range!). The general feeling is that the wet snow will favour the lighter skiers? In for S2 – Tiril has missed 1, Braisaz 1, Simon 2 BUT Mäkäräinen is clear and leads out! Eckhoff in 2nd (1 miss, +2.8) then Fialkova (1; +24.1), Wierer (0, +24.7), Yurlova and Herrmann (clear this time, +28.3). Kaisa and Tiril have a good gap – over 36 seconds at the 6 Km mark! That gap is 43.5 at 6.5 Km – pretty much 2 penalty loops, that’s some pace! In for S3, the first standing shoot – Tiril (0,1,0) clear here and away; Kaisa has missed 2. Braisaz has missed 2 already, now it’s 4! So, out in order Eckhoff (0,1,0), Mäkäräinen (0,0,2; + 1:07.8), Herrmann (1,0,1), Wierer (1,0,1), Persson (1,0,0) and Yurlova (0,0,1; +1:14.2). Mironova has missed 6 so far (2,2,2). Eckhoff is still pulling away – 1:14.9 at 9 Km! Eckhoff in for her final shoot – she could miss 3 and still win; she’s missed her 4th but that’s the only 1 and she’s off. Kaisa in and she’s missed her first and 1 more; Herrmann has also missed 2. Wierer (1,0,1,0) clear and out 2nd, +1:20.5 just ahead of Persson (1,0,0,0; +1:21.1), then Bescond (0,1,0,0), Preuß (0,0,1,1) and Yurlova (0,0,1,1; +1:45.5). No real doubt about the winner but the rest of the podium is up for grabs. Kaisa left the range 7th but she’s 4th at 11 Km! At 11.5 Km it’s Eckhoff, Doro, Persson (very close – 0.9!), Kaisa, Bescond and Preuß. Tiril cruises gently towards her 3rd win here; there is going to be a sprint for 2nd and 3rd – a stumble from Persson and Doro gets 2nd, just fractionally clear of Persson! Kaisa has got from 7th at S4 up to 4th (gaining almost 20 seconds on Persson!), and Denise Herrmann has gone for 9th at S4 to 5th, ahead of Yurlova, Bescond and Preuß. Tandrevold (1,0,1,2) down in 12th, Fialkova (0,1,2,1) in 14th and Simon (0,2,1,2) is 17th. Poor Braisaz (0,1,4,2) in 20th, and Davidova (1,1,2,2) in 22nd. Julia Simon fastest on the range ahead of Wierer and Preuß; Tiril fastest on course despite her final lap, ahead of Kaisa, Mari Eder and Herrmann. I think JoBø and Tiril need to buy lots of drinks for their wax/ski technicians
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Alpine Skiing - Bormio and Lienz
by Bleausardv2 Sun 29 Dec 2019, 2:15 pm
27 Dec: Bormio, Men’s Downhill: This is a slightly shorter version of the full course – originally scheduled as a training run but converted to a race to replace the cancelled downhill from Val Gardena. Joined a little late; Max Franz was first away, but bib 2 was Hannes Reichelt, who took over the lead. Fifth out of the gate was Matthias Mayer, and he was quicker still – over a second ahead of Reichelt! Kilde into 2nd, but still half a second back. Mayer looked hard to beat, but as I joined Dominik Paris was on course – he took a line that the commentary team thought was a bit unusual, but it certainly worked – he leads by 0.42! Travis Ganong into 4th, but +1.48; Dressen into 5th! Bib 15 was Beat Feuz; in touch all the way and gaining a bit at the finish but he can’t match Paris and goes 2nd, just 0.03 ahead of Mayer! Fifteen away; Paris leads from Feuz and Mayer, then Kilde, Ganong and Dressen. Just finished writing when Matthieu Bailet went into 5th! Impressive recovery from Johan Clarey - lucky he’s so strong – into 8th. The course is starting to get a bit rutted now; bib 21 is Ryan C-S, and he’s into 9th. That’s 30 away – no change to the top 10 since Ryan C-S. Best of the later starters at present is Nils Allegre (FRA) who was bib 30, and went into 14th; Mattia Casse (ITA, bib 34) has just made that outdated as he’s now 14th! It isn’t all over yet though – Max Muzaton (FRA) is flying – good run and he’s into 5th place, +1.13; I think it’s fair to say he’s happy with that! Brice Roger (FRA) was fastest in practice, but he’s bib 39 so doesn’t have the best track conditions – he’s into 7th! Great work from Roger, and even more so from Muzaton, getting into the top 10 from such high start numbers. It pretty much finished like that, although Urs Kryenbühl (SUI, bib 43) deserves a mention for getting into 13th place and Nicolas Raffort (FRA, bib 45) did well to get 17th. Great day for Dominik Paris, taking another win here, ahead of Beat Feuz and Matthias Mayer – Kilde 4th ahead of Muzaton and Bailet.
28 Dec: Bormio, Men’s Downhill (Stelvio): This will be on the full length course and it’s supposed to be harder, faster snow – it’s going to be bumpy and a real test of strength and stamina! A considerable variation in light too – some parts in sun, some in shadow. This will apparently be the downhill run for the 2026 Winter Olympics! Max Franz first away and he’s skied out – with the “extra” height today you come into the early turns rather faster, and that seems to be what caught him out? Steve Nyman next away; that is a long course, but he’s down safely. Another American next – Bryce Bennett, but he’s a bit off the pace; +1.37 at the finish. Matthieu Bailet next, and he was 6th yesterday – red at inter 2 but after 3 he’s in the green and gaining time – a bit wild at times but it’s working – he leads by 0.62! Ben Thomsen on course – he’s green at inter 2 – lost a bit to inter 3 but then gaining again; lost a little to the finish (there’s a gusty wind blowing across the piste) but just enough left to lead by 0.08. Vincent Kriechmayr has kept both skis on today – he’s green at inter 3, and he’s just about kept there – into the lead by 0.11. That crosswind is certainly a factor on the lower sections – Josef Ferstl into 5th, and now it’s Dominik Paris, yesterday’s winner. He’s green at the first three intermediates – over a second ahead at inter 4 and he leads – 1.61 is a truly massive advantage! What a run – that’s a message to the rest! Sejersted into 5th; Johan Clarey is more in touch – red all the way but even though he’s over a second slower that is good enough for 2nd, +1.09. Otmar Striedinger also looking good on the upper sections, but very low on the line between 3 and 4; that drops him to 7th. Bib 13 is Beat Feuz – fractionally red at inter 1, just green at 2, just red at 3 (+0.02), then +0.27 at inter 4, he’s pulled back a bit at 5 and into 2nd, +0.26; pretty good as he’s skiing with a broken hand. I hate to think what Nick’s blood pressure was like on that final section! Hannes Reichelt next – he’s down and into the nets; he is moving but he’s tangled in 2 layers of netting – race interrupted. He’s out of the nets, but I have a nasty feeling there might be a knee injury as Reichelt is sitting down again. He is waiting for a helicopter, so sadly all is not well. Race back on now, and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is on track – very risky line but he’s nicely in touch – lost a bit between 3 and 4 and he’s into 3rd, +0.73. Great work after such a wait. Adrien Theaux into 5th; that’s 3 French in the top 10. Next in the start gate is Matthias Mayer – only just red at inter 1 and 2 – by inter 3 he’s 0.33 green; it’s going the wrong way now, +0.52 at inter 4 and he’s into 4th. Bib 19 is Kjetil Jansrud – he’s really not going as he used to and the time is drifting away – just 14th! That’s 20 away – Paris leads from Feuz and Kilde, then Mayer, Clarey and Theaux. Brice Roger well in touch on the upper section but he’s fallen – his suit has inflated and luckily he kept his skis from catching – he’s up and seems OK. This might not be over – Urs Kryenbühl (SUI) is not only in touch – he’s green at inter 3, and still there at 4 and 5 – he’s into 2nd, just 0.08 behind – ironically he’s pushed Beat Feuz down a place; 60 points instead of 80! I think that means the Downhill red bib goes to Paris? Ryan Cochran-Siegle into 9th; not for long perhaps as Niels Hintermann (SUI) is showing that the Swiss have this course sorted – in touch all the way and he’s into 6th! That’s 3 Swiss in the top 6; a massive PB for Hintermann too! Max Muzaton isn’t lucky with the conditions today – quite windy on his run. But he’s into 9th; good to see a good sprinkling of later starters in the top 10. The wind really is getting up – Davide Cazzaniga into the nets but seems OK; Felix Monsen yellow flagged in his run – he will be allowed another go, but the wind is really strong on the upper sections of the course now – referees all over the place with radios! The race is back on after another interruption - nice to see Monsen get into 15th, at present, after his aborted run. That’s where he ended up – the highest bib number in the top 20! Great double for Dominik Paris, a massive PB for Urs Kryenbühl and the final podium place to Beat Feuz. Kilde in 4th ahead of Mayer and Hintermann.
28 Dec: Lienz, Women’s Giant Slalom: Run 1 – Again, a bit late for this one, but it’s run 1 so I can catch up! Marta Bassino first away, and with a good time. Wendy Holdener off the pace a little, but Petra Vlhova briefly into 2nd. Bib 4 however was Mikaela Shiffrin and she took the lead by an impressive 0.61. Tessa Worley into 3rd, only to see next away Federica Brignone take that place away. That’s how the top 3 stayed – Frasse Sombet into 6th – so the top 6 are Shiffrin, Bassino, Brignone (+0.74), Worley (+1.33), Vlhova (+1.37) and Frasse Sombet (+1.42). Good effort by Clara Direz (bib 27) to get into 8th and nice to see Estelle Alphand (bib 29) in 12th! Alex Tilley currently in 24th – hopefully she might get a 2nd run? That’s run 1 over – no late changes to the top 10 – Alex Tilley ended up 26th, so she gets a second run.
Run 2: This one set by a French course; not sure who is doing the commentary but the pronunciation is a bit odd! Race on – this looks to be a demanding course, and again quite physical. Fifth away is Alex Tilley – so far it seems possible to gain speed on the top section, but easy to lose it again lower down – Alex red all the way and into 4th; she’ll be disappointed with that. At present Tviberg leads from Stjernesund and Schmotz. Sofia Goggia next and she’s building all the way to inter 3 – 0.91 ahead there, but a small error has cut her speed and she’s into 2nd. Once again a reasonable advantage at inter 3 has all vanished – Franziska Gritsch into joint 3rd. Ten away and Tviberg still leads, from Goggia and Gritsch/Stjernesund. Michelle Gisin was 0.57 in the green at inter 3, but once again it’s all gone away after that – she’s 5th, +0.09! Vikki Rebensburg was 1.09 ahead at inter 1 but she’s losing time – still 0.61 ahead at 3, and she just takes the lead by 0.07! That final section really is a great place to lose time! At last – someone who gains on the last section – Alice Robinson has gone from -0.31 at inter 2 to -0.66 at 3 and she leads by 0.84 – great run, although Tviberg still has the best time on run 2. Half way through – Robinson leads from Rebensburg and Tviberg. Eva-Maria Brem into joint 4th with Goggia; Mina Fuerst Holtmann has also managed to stay green to inter 3 and she’s also gained time on the final section – Norway back in the lead by 0.47, and Holtmann is fastest on run 2! Meta Hrovat into 3rd; Estelle Alphand has joined her in that place, only for them to lose it to Sara Hector! Wendy Holdener is the last before the final TV break – she’s lost half her advantage by inter 1 and is red by inter 3 – a couple great recoveries, but she too has lost time lower down and it’s just 7th. Clara Direz has gained from 1 to 2, but then lost a bit lower down – a good run and she’s into 2nd by just 0.04. Katharina Liensberger has gained to inter 2, kept it to 3, and hasn’t lost too much on the final sections – she takes over the lead by 0.25. She’s happy and so are the crowd. Frasse Sombet into 8th; Petra Vlhova next to go – her advantage is gone by inter 1 and she’s +0.55 at inter 3 – good final section though to pull back time and go 2nd, +0.11. Now, Tessa Worley – gained a little to inter 1 but red by 2 and into 5th. Now, Federica Brignone has 0.82 in hand at the start; down to -0.42 at inter 2 and fractionally red at 3 – just 1 turn not quite right and she’s over the line 2nd, +0.08. Marta Bassino is keeping her advantage at the top but she’s losing time between 2 and 3 – great final section to gain it back and she leads, by 0.46. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to go – 0.61 green at the start; that’s down to 0.33 at 2 but then it’s afterburner time – she’s 1.36 ahead at 3 and the same amount in front at the finish – no surprise that she has the fastest time on run 2! Well done to her, and her Mum, back on the coaching team. What an end to the race – Shiffrin back on form to take win 63 in World Cup events. Marta Bassino in 2nd, and Katharina Liensberger 3rd (amazingly that is apparently Austria’s first podium in 30 events?). Brignone in 4th, ahead of Vlhova and Holtmann. Good work by Clara Direz to get 7th from bib 27.
29 Dec: Lienz (Schlossberg), Women’s Slalom – Run 1: Looks nice there, some sun – course set by a Norwegian coach! We have the technically interesting commentator with the odd pronunciation again. Katarina Truppe first away; top section a bit awkward but the rest looked good. Petra Vlhova is much faster – 0.50 ahead by inter 1 and gaining all the way – she leads by 1.17! Mikaela Shiffrin is bib 3 – slightly red at inter 1 but pulling back time - +0.01 at inter 3 but she’s still gaining – she leads by 0.26 at the line! Wendy Holdener into 3rd, +1.12; Katharina Liensberger is more in touch – she’s lost a bit of time from the final intermediate to the line, but still good enough for third, +0.76. Nina Haver-Løseth next and she’s fractionally green at 1 and 2 – again she lost time on the final section, where Shiffrin was so fast, and she goes 3rd, +0.70. Swenn Larsson is the first DNF today; with 10 away Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Haver-Løseth, then Liensberger and St-Germain – Lena Dürr (bib 11) into 6th. That last section is really sorting them out – very easy to lose a lot of time there! That’s sad – Melanie Meillard in her first race since injury is a DNF, but at least she’s back. That’s 22 away; another TV break - no changes to the top 6 since Dürr. First away after the break is Estelle Alphand and she’s just green at inter 1; still in touch at inter 3 but then she lost time on the tricky section – into 13th. The track is certainly getting rutted; Charlie Guest to come fairly soon, with Alex Tilley bib 48. Nice to see Federica Brignone get into 14th – best of the later starters at present. Charlie Guest is into 29th – not optimistic about a second run for her today. Schmotz into joint 19th; no late changes to the top 10, and that’s run 1 over. Charlie Guest has finished 46th; Alex Tilley a DNF.
Run 2: Looks a tricky course, mostly in the shadow. Fourth away is Chiara Mair (AUT) and that was a good, aggressive run – she leads by 0.62. Marina Wallner into 2nd; Kristin Lysdahl has lost a lot on the lower section but had enough in hand to take the lead. Erin Mielzynski was red at 2 and 3 but she’s skied a very neat final section to gain a huge amount and take the win. A great effort after a break for injury repair! She’s not there for long though as Marlene Schmotz goes 0.21 faster, and she , in turn, is deposed by Meta Hrovat (0.09 faster). Min Fuerst Holtmann is the last before the TV break – red at 1 and 2 but green at 3 and she leads by 0.16. Half way and Holtmann leads from Hrovat and Schmotz – best time on run 2 is still Mair’s. What a pity – Estelle Alphand nicely in the green to inter 2 but it’s all gone wrong and she’s a DNF. Good run from Aline Danioth – she lost a bit on the final section but the rest was enough to give her the lead. Just before the next TV break Christina Ackermann is on course – she’s skied the lower section really well to take the lead by 0.56! That’s the new best time on run 2 as well. Sadly not good enough to hold off Michelle Gisin who takes the lead with a new best time for run 2. Wendy Holdener is gaining time as she heads down the course – 0.09 at the start to 0.40 at inter 3; she leads by 0.15. Lena Dürr into 4th; Katharina Liensberger is into 3rd. Referees seem to be looking at Holdener’s run in slow motion – was that a straddle? Possibly not as she’s still shown as leading. Nina Haver-Løseth has had a bit of a nightmare – into 18th, just as the note comes up saying Holdener has been disqualified for a straddle - pity. Petra Vlhova on track – 0.95 in hand and she’s gaining a bit too – she leads by a massive 1.11; best time on run 2 as well. Just Shiffrin to come – 0.26 advantage at the start hut – lost a little to inter 1 but gaining again to 2 and 3 – what a run; she wins by 0.61! That really was a superb run – Mikaela Shiffrin wins; Petra Vlhova is wearing her “what more do I have to do” face! So, Shiffrin wins, Vlhova in 2nd and Michelle Gisin gets a rather unexpected third – she looks surprised!
29 Dec: Bormio, Men’s Alpine Combined (Super G): Over to Bormio, and the welcome commentary of Nick and Ed; no Beat Feuz today apparently as he’s resting before the next speed races! It’s icy here, and snow conditions have changed a lot since the training day – Luca Aerni first away on the Super G course and it seems his binding has released of its own accord – DNF! Felix Monsen next and he’s a DNF too after a fall – seems to be OK. Sad news about Hannes Reichelt, after his fall yesterday – knee and bone snags and his season is over. Back on the AC, Vincent Kriechmayr is on course – which was set by an Austrian coach; he’s safely down, despite near miss. Sandro Simonet (SUI) next and he has missed a gate on the tricky lower section – 3 DNFs out of 4 starters! Romed Baumann has got to the line, +0.92 though. Visibility getting a bit worse near the finish; Dominik Paris on course now, trying for the triple this weekend – green all the way, and he leads by 0.32. I wonder how good his slalom skiing is? Bib 7 is Alexis Pinturault, possibly not quite fully fit after a muscle injury; a bit red at 1, more so at 2 but he’s over the line in 3rd, +0.94. Daniel Danklmaier (AUT) also in touch and he’s taken over 3rd place. Kjetil Jansrud on course – he isn’t on his usual form this year and apparently having kit issues; he’s off the pace and into 7th, +1.69. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde away bib 14 – he’s green at inter 1, greener at 2 – 0.39 ahead at 3 – he’s losing a bit but just nicks the lead by 0.03! That’s a good run from Martin Cater (SLO) after his fall yesterday – he’s in touch and into 4th place, +0.82! Loic Meillard is also going well – in touch, but 1.02 behind at inter 3 – lovely skiing on the final section though to pull back time and go 4th, +0.77. He’ll be pleased with that especially with his slalom skills. Twenty away; Kilde leads from Paris and Kriechmayr – Meillard 4th ahead of Cater and Danklmaier. First down the course after the TV break is Nils Allegre (FRA); he is also in touch and has managed to gain time on the final section, which is quite an achievement – he goes into 4th, +0.50. Jared Goldberg out at the same place as Monsen; hopefully just bruises and he’s up and back on his skis. Niels Hintermann into 9th; Gino Caviezel doing even better – nicely in touch and holding up on the final section – he goes into 5th, +0.63. Matthias Mayer is bib 31, and he too is going well – he’s into 6th, which is impressive on this course which is starting to get even bumpier! Guglielmo Bosca (ITA) into 10th; that was a very heavy fall for Christopher Neumayer – his skis didn’t release and he seems to be holding his knee; race interrupted. He’s sitting up now, and the medics are on the scene; coverage has ended so no more info at present. Only one late change – another good run from Urs Kryenbühl to get into 5th, from start number 47! Very impressive – he’s having a good weekend.
Run 2 – Slalom: New rules for this format – the fastest skier from run 1 goes first, and then the rest go in order from fastest to slowest. This rewards the speed skiers and should, hopefully, make the Combined a bit more even? Course set by a Swiss coach – looks a fair challenge. So Kilde first away on a nice clean track; Paris next and he’s nicely green at inter 1, but then there is a massive error – no treble today! Vincent Kriechmayr next and he’s over 3 seconds off Kilde’s time. Allegre into 2nd; looks like Kilde’s time for run 2 was pretty good – Gino Caviezel goes 3rd. There are already some ruts on the course; Mayer has skied out! Loic Meillard next and his slalom skills are good – he is gaining time and is very quick on the final section; not quite enough though – he goes 2nd by 0.05! Martin Cater the next DNF, after a straddle; now – Alexis Pinturault could be a favourite to take this, if he is fully fit – 0.97 behind at the start, but he’s green at inter 2 – Pinturault into the lead by 0.51. Risky stuff but worth it. Ryan C-S into 4th; he’s lost that place to Riccardo Tonetti! Kjetil Jansrud is taking his 2nd run – into 8th; nice to see. TV break time – Pinturault leads from Kilde and Meillard, then Tonetti, Ryan C-S and Allegre. Justin Murisier into 8th; Pavel Trikhichev has taken 7th. No late upsets, so Alexis Pinturault takes a very useful win despite the concerns over his fitness; great points for Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, with Loic Meillard getting the final podium place.
28 Dec: Bormio, Men’s Downhill (Stelvio): This will be on the full length course and it’s supposed to be harder, faster snow – it’s going to be bumpy and a real test of strength and stamina! A considerable variation in light too – some parts in sun, some in shadow. This will apparently be the downhill run for the 2026 Winter Olympics! Max Franz first away and he’s skied out – with the “extra” height today you come into the early turns rather faster, and that seems to be what caught him out? Steve Nyman next away; that is a long course, but he’s down safely. Another American next – Bryce Bennett, but he’s a bit off the pace; +1.37 at the finish. Matthieu Bailet next, and he was 6th yesterday – red at inter 2 but after 3 he’s in the green and gaining time – a bit wild at times but it’s working – he leads by 0.62! Ben Thomsen on course – he’s green at inter 2 – lost a bit to inter 3 but then gaining again; lost a little to the finish (there’s a gusty wind blowing across the piste) but just enough left to lead by 0.08. Vincent Kriechmayr has kept both skis on today – he’s green at inter 3, and he’s just about kept there – into the lead by 0.11. That crosswind is certainly a factor on the lower sections – Josef Ferstl into 5th, and now it’s Dominik Paris, yesterday’s winner. He’s green at the first three intermediates – over a second ahead at inter 4 and he leads – 1.61 is a truly massive advantage! What a run – that’s a message to the rest! Sejersted into 5th; Johan Clarey is more in touch – red all the way but even though he’s over a second slower that is good enough for 2nd, +1.09. Otmar Striedinger also looking good on the upper sections, but very low on the line between 3 and 4; that drops him to 7th. Bib 13 is Beat Feuz – fractionally red at inter 1, just green at 2, just red at 3 (+0.02), then +0.27 at inter 4, he’s pulled back a bit at 5 and into 2nd, +0.26; pretty good as he’s skiing with a broken hand. I hate to think what Nick’s blood pressure was like on that final section! Hannes Reichelt next – he’s down and into the nets; he is moving but he’s tangled in 2 layers of netting – race interrupted. He’s out of the nets, but I have a nasty feeling there might be a knee injury as Reichelt is sitting down again. He is waiting for a helicopter, so sadly all is not well. Race back on now, and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is on track – very risky line but he’s nicely in touch – lost a bit between 3 and 4 and he’s into 3rd, +0.73. Great work after such a wait. Adrien Theaux into 5th; that’s 3 French in the top 10. Next in the start gate is Matthias Mayer – only just red at inter 1 and 2 – by inter 3 he’s 0.33 green; it’s going the wrong way now, +0.52 at inter 4 and he’s into 4th. Bib 19 is Kjetil Jansrud – he’s really not going as he used to and the time is drifting away – just 14th! That’s 20 away – Paris leads from Feuz and Kilde, then Mayer, Clarey and Theaux. Brice Roger well in touch on the upper section but he’s fallen – his suit has inflated and luckily he kept his skis from catching – he’s up and seems OK. This might not be over – Urs Kryenbühl (SUI) is not only in touch – he’s green at inter 3, and still there at 4 and 5 – he’s into 2nd, just 0.08 behind – ironically he’s pushed Beat Feuz down a place; 60 points instead of 80! I think that means the Downhill red bib goes to Paris? Ryan Cochran-Siegle into 9th; not for long perhaps as Niels Hintermann (SUI) is showing that the Swiss have this course sorted – in touch all the way and he’s into 6th! That’s 3 Swiss in the top 6; a massive PB for Hintermann too! Max Muzaton isn’t lucky with the conditions today – quite windy on his run. But he’s into 9th; good to see a good sprinkling of later starters in the top 10. The wind really is getting up – Davide Cazzaniga into the nets but seems OK; Felix Monsen yellow flagged in his run – he will be allowed another go, but the wind is really strong on the upper sections of the course now – referees all over the place with radios! The race is back on after another interruption - nice to see Monsen get into 15th, at present, after his aborted run. That’s where he ended up – the highest bib number in the top 20! Great double for Dominik Paris, a massive PB for Urs Kryenbühl and the final podium place to Beat Feuz. Kilde in 4th ahead of Mayer and Hintermann.
28 Dec: Lienz, Women’s Giant Slalom: Run 1 – Again, a bit late for this one, but it’s run 1 so I can catch up! Marta Bassino first away, and with a good time. Wendy Holdener off the pace a little, but Petra Vlhova briefly into 2nd. Bib 4 however was Mikaela Shiffrin and she took the lead by an impressive 0.61. Tessa Worley into 3rd, only to see next away Federica Brignone take that place away. That’s how the top 3 stayed – Frasse Sombet into 6th – so the top 6 are Shiffrin, Bassino, Brignone (+0.74), Worley (+1.33), Vlhova (+1.37) and Frasse Sombet (+1.42). Good effort by Clara Direz (bib 27) to get into 8th and nice to see Estelle Alphand (bib 29) in 12th! Alex Tilley currently in 24th – hopefully she might get a 2nd run? That’s run 1 over – no late changes to the top 10 – Alex Tilley ended up 26th, so she gets a second run.
Run 2: This one set by a French course; not sure who is doing the commentary but the pronunciation is a bit odd! Race on – this looks to be a demanding course, and again quite physical. Fifth away is Alex Tilley – so far it seems possible to gain speed on the top section, but easy to lose it again lower down – Alex red all the way and into 4th; she’ll be disappointed with that. At present Tviberg leads from Stjernesund and Schmotz. Sofia Goggia next and she’s building all the way to inter 3 – 0.91 ahead there, but a small error has cut her speed and she’s into 2nd. Once again a reasonable advantage at inter 3 has all vanished – Franziska Gritsch into joint 3rd. Ten away and Tviberg still leads, from Goggia and Gritsch/Stjernesund. Michelle Gisin was 0.57 in the green at inter 3, but once again it’s all gone away after that – she’s 5th, +0.09! Vikki Rebensburg was 1.09 ahead at inter 1 but she’s losing time – still 0.61 ahead at 3, and she just takes the lead by 0.07! That final section really is a great place to lose time! At last – someone who gains on the last section – Alice Robinson has gone from -0.31 at inter 2 to -0.66 at 3 and she leads by 0.84 – great run, although Tviberg still has the best time on run 2. Half way through – Robinson leads from Rebensburg and Tviberg. Eva-Maria Brem into joint 4th with Goggia; Mina Fuerst Holtmann has also managed to stay green to inter 3 and she’s also gained time on the final section – Norway back in the lead by 0.47, and Holtmann is fastest on run 2! Meta Hrovat into 3rd; Estelle Alphand has joined her in that place, only for them to lose it to Sara Hector! Wendy Holdener is the last before the final TV break – she’s lost half her advantage by inter 1 and is red by inter 3 – a couple great recoveries, but she too has lost time lower down and it’s just 7th. Clara Direz has gained from 1 to 2, but then lost a bit lower down – a good run and she’s into 2nd by just 0.04. Katharina Liensberger has gained to inter 2, kept it to 3, and hasn’t lost too much on the final sections – she takes over the lead by 0.25. She’s happy and so are the crowd. Frasse Sombet into 8th; Petra Vlhova next to go – her advantage is gone by inter 1 and she’s +0.55 at inter 3 – good final section though to pull back time and go 2nd, +0.11. Now, Tessa Worley – gained a little to inter 1 but red by 2 and into 5th. Now, Federica Brignone has 0.82 in hand at the start; down to -0.42 at inter 2 and fractionally red at 3 – just 1 turn not quite right and she’s over the line 2nd, +0.08. Marta Bassino is keeping her advantage at the top but she’s losing time between 2 and 3 – great final section to gain it back and she leads, by 0.46. Just Mikaela Shiffrin to go – 0.61 green at the start; that’s down to 0.33 at 2 but then it’s afterburner time – she’s 1.36 ahead at 3 and the same amount in front at the finish – no surprise that she has the fastest time on run 2! Well done to her, and her Mum, back on the coaching team. What an end to the race – Shiffrin back on form to take win 63 in World Cup events. Marta Bassino in 2nd, and Katharina Liensberger 3rd (amazingly that is apparently Austria’s first podium in 30 events?). Brignone in 4th, ahead of Vlhova and Holtmann. Good work by Clara Direz to get 7th from bib 27.
29 Dec: Lienz (Schlossberg), Women’s Slalom – Run 1: Looks nice there, some sun – course set by a Norwegian coach! We have the technically interesting commentator with the odd pronunciation again. Katarina Truppe first away; top section a bit awkward but the rest looked good. Petra Vlhova is much faster – 0.50 ahead by inter 1 and gaining all the way – she leads by 1.17! Mikaela Shiffrin is bib 3 – slightly red at inter 1 but pulling back time - +0.01 at inter 3 but she’s still gaining – she leads by 0.26 at the line! Wendy Holdener into 3rd, +1.12; Katharina Liensberger is more in touch – she’s lost a bit of time from the final intermediate to the line, but still good enough for third, +0.76. Nina Haver-Løseth next and she’s fractionally green at 1 and 2 – again she lost time on the final section, where Shiffrin was so fast, and she goes 3rd, +0.70. Swenn Larsson is the first DNF today; with 10 away Shiffrin leads from Vlhova and Haver-Løseth, then Liensberger and St-Germain – Lena Dürr (bib 11) into 6th. That last section is really sorting them out – very easy to lose a lot of time there! That’s sad – Melanie Meillard in her first race since injury is a DNF, but at least she’s back. That’s 22 away; another TV break - no changes to the top 6 since Dürr. First away after the break is Estelle Alphand and she’s just green at inter 1; still in touch at inter 3 but then she lost time on the tricky section – into 13th. The track is certainly getting rutted; Charlie Guest to come fairly soon, with Alex Tilley bib 48. Nice to see Federica Brignone get into 14th – best of the later starters at present. Charlie Guest is into 29th – not optimistic about a second run for her today. Schmotz into joint 19th; no late changes to the top 10, and that’s run 1 over. Charlie Guest has finished 46th; Alex Tilley a DNF.
Run 2: Looks a tricky course, mostly in the shadow. Fourth away is Chiara Mair (AUT) and that was a good, aggressive run – she leads by 0.62. Marina Wallner into 2nd; Kristin Lysdahl has lost a lot on the lower section but had enough in hand to take the lead. Erin Mielzynski was red at 2 and 3 but she’s skied a very neat final section to gain a huge amount and take the win. A great effort after a break for injury repair! She’s not there for long though as Marlene Schmotz goes 0.21 faster, and she , in turn, is deposed by Meta Hrovat (0.09 faster). Min Fuerst Holtmann is the last before the TV break – red at 1 and 2 but green at 3 and she leads by 0.16. Half way and Holtmann leads from Hrovat and Schmotz – best time on run 2 is still Mair’s. What a pity – Estelle Alphand nicely in the green to inter 2 but it’s all gone wrong and she’s a DNF. Good run from Aline Danioth – she lost a bit on the final section but the rest was enough to give her the lead. Just before the next TV break Christina Ackermann is on course – she’s skied the lower section really well to take the lead by 0.56! That’s the new best time on run 2 as well. Sadly not good enough to hold off Michelle Gisin who takes the lead with a new best time for run 2. Wendy Holdener is gaining time as she heads down the course – 0.09 at the start to 0.40 at inter 3; she leads by 0.15. Lena Dürr into 4th; Katharina Liensberger is into 3rd. Referees seem to be looking at Holdener’s run in slow motion – was that a straddle? Possibly not as she’s still shown as leading. Nina Haver-Løseth has had a bit of a nightmare – into 18th, just as the note comes up saying Holdener has been disqualified for a straddle - pity. Petra Vlhova on track – 0.95 in hand and she’s gaining a bit too – she leads by a massive 1.11; best time on run 2 as well. Just Shiffrin to come – 0.26 advantage at the start hut – lost a little to inter 1 but gaining again to 2 and 3 – what a run; she wins by 0.61! That really was a superb run – Mikaela Shiffrin wins; Petra Vlhova is wearing her “what more do I have to do” face! So, Shiffrin wins, Vlhova in 2nd and Michelle Gisin gets a rather unexpected third – she looks surprised!
29 Dec: Bormio, Men’s Alpine Combined (Super G): Over to Bormio, and the welcome commentary of Nick and Ed; no Beat Feuz today apparently as he’s resting before the next speed races! It’s icy here, and snow conditions have changed a lot since the training day – Luca Aerni first away on the Super G course and it seems his binding has released of its own accord – DNF! Felix Monsen next and he’s a DNF too after a fall – seems to be OK. Sad news about Hannes Reichelt, after his fall yesterday – knee and bone snags and his season is over. Back on the AC, Vincent Kriechmayr is on course – which was set by an Austrian coach; he’s safely down, despite near miss. Sandro Simonet (SUI) next and he has missed a gate on the tricky lower section – 3 DNFs out of 4 starters! Romed Baumann has got to the line, +0.92 though. Visibility getting a bit worse near the finish; Dominik Paris on course now, trying for the triple this weekend – green all the way, and he leads by 0.32. I wonder how good his slalom skiing is? Bib 7 is Alexis Pinturault, possibly not quite fully fit after a muscle injury; a bit red at 1, more so at 2 but he’s over the line in 3rd, +0.94. Daniel Danklmaier (AUT) also in touch and he’s taken over 3rd place. Kjetil Jansrud on course – he isn’t on his usual form this year and apparently having kit issues; he’s off the pace and into 7th, +1.69. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde away bib 14 – he’s green at inter 1, greener at 2 – 0.39 ahead at 3 – he’s losing a bit but just nicks the lead by 0.03! That’s a good run from Martin Cater (SLO) after his fall yesterday – he’s in touch and into 4th place, +0.82! Loic Meillard is also going well – in touch, but 1.02 behind at inter 3 – lovely skiing on the final section though to pull back time and go 4th, +0.77. He’ll be pleased with that especially with his slalom skills. Twenty away; Kilde leads from Paris and Kriechmayr – Meillard 4th ahead of Cater and Danklmaier. First down the course after the TV break is Nils Allegre (FRA); he is also in touch and has managed to gain time on the final section, which is quite an achievement – he goes into 4th, +0.50. Jared Goldberg out at the same place as Monsen; hopefully just bruises and he’s up and back on his skis. Niels Hintermann into 9th; Gino Caviezel doing even better – nicely in touch and holding up on the final section – he goes into 5th, +0.63. Matthias Mayer is bib 31, and he too is going well – he’s into 6th, which is impressive on this course which is starting to get even bumpier! Guglielmo Bosca (ITA) into 10th; that was a very heavy fall for Christopher Neumayer – his skis didn’t release and he seems to be holding his knee; race interrupted. He’s sitting up now, and the medics are on the scene; coverage has ended so no more info at present. Only one late change – another good run from Urs Kryenbühl to get into 5th, from start number 47! Very impressive – he’s having a good weekend.
Run 2 – Slalom: New rules for this format – the fastest skier from run 1 goes first, and then the rest go in order from fastest to slowest. This rewards the speed skiers and should, hopefully, make the Combined a bit more even? Course set by a Swiss coach – looks a fair challenge. So Kilde first away on a nice clean track; Paris next and he’s nicely green at inter 1, but then there is a massive error – no treble today! Vincent Kriechmayr next and he’s over 3 seconds off Kilde’s time. Allegre into 2nd; looks like Kilde’s time for run 2 was pretty good – Gino Caviezel goes 3rd. There are already some ruts on the course; Mayer has skied out! Loic Meillard next and his slalom skills are good – he is gaining time and is very quick on the final section; not quite enough though – he goes 2nd by 0.05! Martin Cater the next DNF, after a straddle; now – Alexis Pinturault could be a favourite to take this, if he is fully fit – 0.97 behind at the start, but he’s green at inter 2 – Pinturault into the lead by 0.51. Risky stuff but worth it. Ryan C-S into 4th; he’s lost that place to Riccardo Tonetti! Kjetil Jansrud is taking his 2nd run – into 8th; nice to see. TV break time – Pinturault leads from Kilde and Meillard, then Tonetti, Ryan C-S and Allegre. Justin Murisier into 8th; Pavel Trikhichev has taken 7th. No late upsets, so Alexis Pinturault takes a very useful win despite the concerns over his fitness; great points for Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, with Loic Meillard getting the final podium place.
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Alpine - Zagreb - Snow Queen trophies
by Bleausardv2 Sun 05 Jan 2020, 5:36 pm
4 Jan 20: Zagreb, Women’s Slalom [Snow Queen Trophy], Run 1: Tour de Ski over-running a bit! Naturally Eurosport have to squeeze in a loaf of adverts so I missed Petra Vlhova’s run actually live – luckily they have started with that run when the coverage eventually starts – it’s pretty much perfect conditions and Vlhova’s run looked good. Michelle Gisin is 2.45 slower; Katharina Liensberger 1.99 slower! Wendy Holdener looked to be more in touch to inter 3 but then she lost a little more – into 2nd but +1.81; Anna Swenn Larsson is also off the pace – 4th, +2.00. It’s quite warm but the icy track [mainly artificial snow] seems to have been very well prepared; Katharina Truppe into 5th. Next away is Mikaela Shiffrin – even she is struggling here, with an early error, +0.80 at inter 2! She’s held that to inter 3 after a great recovery; she had a bad fall in training earlier, which probably hasn’t helped, and ends up 2nd, +1.16 after that one error. Ten away – Vlhova leads from Shiffrin and Holdener, then Liensberger, Swenn Larsson and Truppe (+2.06). First TV break and no change to the top 6. Katharina Huber the first DNF today – poor Austria aren’t having a good day. Best of the later starters so far is Emelie Wikström, bib 20 and into 9th, but +2.36. No one looks like getting within a second of Petra Vlhova at present! Nasty little fall for Marlene Schmotz; no updates but hopefully she’s OK - the top of the track is getting a bit trickier! That’s the coverage/commentary over for run 1. Oh dear – Charlie Guest into 27th, with a lot of later starters to come; sadly now already 31st, so no second run; no luck for Alex Tilley either. No late changes to the top 10.
Run 2: Highest bib numbers on run 2 are 59, Michaela Dygruber (AUT) in 30th and 53, Franziska Gritsch ((AUT) in 27th. Anyway – floodlights on, it’s getting colder and there’s a “dent” in the course (where the road crosses the hill when there isn’t a piste here), just to make things more interesting! This is quite a tight course, set by a German coach, and it’s the longest slalom on the Women’s Tour. . Five away, Martina Peterlini (ITA) leads. She’s eventually lost that spot to Laurence St-Germain (CAN), but Peterlini has already gained 5 places and still has the fastest time so far on run 2. Amelia Smart (CAN) into 3rd; what a lovely sunset! A couple of the top turns are causing problems, and the final section is tricky too – some great recoveries! That’s the halfway point – Laurence St-Germain still leads, from Martina Peterlini (who has now gained 12 places!) and Amelia Smart. Chiara Mair (AUT) is 0.72 ahead as she starts; still just green at inter 3, but she’s lost quite a bit – into 3rd. Irene Curtoni has 0.93 in hand, but that’s down to just 0.10 at inter 3 – into 2nd! Now Aline Danioth (SUI) has a full second advantage – she’s actually gained a bit to inter 2 and that’s a great run – she leads by 0.82. That was impressive – 3rd fastest on run 2. Michelle Gisin into 3rd; Emelie Wikström had a few errors but she’s done enough to go 2nd. Nina Haver-Løseth next and she’s gained a little to inter 1; she’s kept it going too and she leads by a very impressive 0.75 – best time on run 2 as well! The Norwegians are going well – Kristin Lysdahl into 3rd; good run from Katharina Truppe too – red all the way from inter 1 but into second. Anna Swenn Larsson has gained a bit from inter 1 to 2, a little more to 3 and she takes over the lead by 0.17. Now Katharina Liensberger has just one hundredth in hand as she starts – gained a little to inter 1 but then slightly red at 2 and 3 – great final section to pull that back and take over the lead by 0.13. Great effort to gain time on that nasty final section, and that’s’ the best time on run 2 so far – 3 to go. Wendy Holdener has gained from 1 to 2, lost a bit to 3 and she can’t match Liensberger – into 2nd. Now, here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s gained a tiny bit to inter 1 (0.85 green) and a massive amount to 2 (-1.77) – she leads by a truly awesome 2.18! Well, that’s a real challenge for Petra Vlhova – 1.16 in hand at the start and she’s flying too – that was a brilliant run too and she gained a bit to win by 1.31! fastest time on run 2 for Vlhova gets her the win, from Shiffrin (2nd fastest on run 2) with Liensberger in 3rd. Holdener in 4th, ahead of Swenn Larsson and Haver-Løseth. Martina Peterlini ended up 14th, after gaining 15 places - best improvement today; St-Germain was 11th, after gaining 12 places! What a race – well done to Petra Vlhova, and a great comeback by Mikaela Shiffrin too – she has increased her lead in the overall today (826 to Vlhova’s 513, although Petra gained a place today moving up to 2nd)! In the slalom standings Shiffrin leads with 380 points to Vlhova’s 260 with Liensberger 3rd on 186.
5 Jan: Zagreb, Men’s Slalom, Run 1: Odd to have a Snow Queen trophy for the men, perhaps - maybe someone has already trademarked "Snow King"? Looks a nice day again, sunshine on the surrounding, very green, hills. First away is Ramon Zenhaeusern – safely down; next is Alexis Pinturault – there’s a surprise, massive error on the compression that caught out several of the women yesterday; lucky to still be upright but he’s 1.12 behind at the finish! Henrik Kristoffersen next - almost the same error as Pinturault and he’s into 3rd, +1.50! That “dent” where the road crosses is causing problems again! Michael Matt is much more in touch – he too had problems on the “road” but he hasn’t lost anything like as much time – 2nd, +0.07. Looks like Pinturault has been disqualified? Yes, he has – no points today! Clement Noel into 3rd, despite also having a similar problem! Daniel Yule has had a similar run too – into 4th! Manu Feller is back from injury – just a slight snag for him, and he’s into 4th. Not for too long though as Manfred Mölgg has taken over that place. Ten away – Zenhaeusern leads from Matt, and Noel then Mölgg, Feller and Muffat-Jeandet. Stefano Gross has also had a snag on that road section compression and he hasn’t managed to recover – DNF. Loic Meillard almost lost it too, and he’s out of the top 10. Andre Myhrer arguably the best over that compression but losing time further down – into 5th, +0.36. It looks like they have reinstated Pinturault?? Dave Ryding next – bit ragged in the compression and he lost a bit on the final section too – into 12th. Local hero Istok Rodes into 11th; Kolega out and so is Jakobsen! Pinturault is now shown as 8th, so no DQ after all! Alex Vinatzer [bib 26] fairly smooth over the compression and into 7th. Zan Kranjec into 8th, good for him! At this point my internet tripped out! Luckily soon back as Linus Strasser (bib 31) has managed to stay green all the way to inter 3 – he’s into 3rd, +0.18! A few later starters came close to the top 10, the best being Fabio Gstrein (AUT, bib 53 )who got into 11th! Pinturault shown as 14th, but with a red flashing DQP by his name! Dave Ryding ended run 1 in 24th, Henrik Kristoffersen in 21st so both will get a second run, and should be able to take advantage of the cleaner track, as they’ll be in the first 10 away?
Run 2: Well, Pinturault is on the start list, so presumably the appeal against his DQ was successful! Back under the floodlights, and presumably it is getting colder again? This course set by a French coach. Timon Haugen first away and safely down; Giuliano Razzoli off that pace and into 2nd until Luke Winters that place away. Tommaso Sala good on the upper section but lost a little towards the finish to go 2nd. Erik Read is keeping in the green and he takes over the lead by 0.10, but next away is Seb Foss-Solevaag and he’s gained time on the lower section to take over the lead. Next out of the gate is Dave Ryding – slightly red at inter 1 but green at 2 and 3 – into 2nd. It seems to be getting a little windier; Marco Schwarz into the lead, but next to go will be Henrik Kristoffersen – slightly red at 1 and 2 and +0.32 at inter 3 – he’s into 4th, which is something of a surprise. He isn’t happy with that run, and seems not to know why it wasn’t better – set-up snags? Next away is Armand Marchant (BEL) – a great lower section to gain time and he leads by 0.53 – terrific effort! Half way now – Marchant still leads from Schwarz and Foss-Solevaag, then Grange, Ryding and Kristoffersen. Alexis Pinturault on course , but he’s red by inter 2 and it’s getting a bit redder – he’s into 2nd! Lucas Braathen next and he’s gaining time on this course all the way to inter 3 – he’s lost a bit on the steep final pitch though and he’s 2nd. Now, Fabio Gstrein is in the start hut – green to inter 2 but maybe he’s being a bit cautious after doing so well to qualify – into 9th? Simon Maurberger (ITA) into 4th and that’s another TV break – Marchant still leading (he’s gained 11 places so far), from Braathen and Pinturault. Alex Vinatzer gets the final group started, and that’s a good run – not quite as fast on run 2 as Marchant but good enough to take the lead. Manu Feller has gained a bit to inter 1, but he’s into the red at 2 after getting a bit wild (even by his standards) – 7th at the finish. Now, it’s Andre Myhrer and he’s staying green to inter 3 – losing the tempo a little on the final steep pitch – into 2nd. Manfred Mölgg has lost a bit between 1 and 2, steadied and then the steep pitch, which is now getting rutted, has cost him time as well – 5th. Clement Noel pretty steady all the way to 3; he too has lost a little lower down but he had enough in hand to take over the lead by 0.29. Three to go – Linus Strasser on course and green at 1 and 2, but +0.31 at 3; into 6th. Michael Matt will be gutted – a potential good result but he’s in trouble and the errors are building up – DNF. Ramon Zenhaeusern on track and his advantage is slowly being eroded – just 0.03 left at inter 3 and it’s gone – he goes 2nd by 0.07! So, a good day for the youngsters – Clement Noel wins, ahead of Ramon Zenhaeusern with Alex Vinatzer taking 3rd. Andre Myhrer in 4th ahead of Armand Marchant (15 places gained, still fastest on run 2) and Lucas Braathen. Pinturault in 9th, Ryding 18th and Kristoffersen in joint 19th.
Run 2: Highest bib numbers on run 2 are 59, Michaela Dygruber (AUT) in 30th and 53, Franziska Gritsch ((AUT) in 27th. Anyway – floodlights on, it’s getting colder and there’s a “dent” in the course (where the road crosses the hill when there isn’t a piste here), just to make things more interesting! This is quite a tight course, set by a German coach, and it’s the longest slalom on the Women’s Tour. . Five away, Martina Peterlini (ITA) leads. She’s eventually lost that spot to Laurence St-Germain (CAN), but Peterlini has already gained 5 places and still has the fastest time so far on run 2. Amelia Smart (CAN) into 3rd; what a lovely sunset! A couple of the top turns are causing problems, and the final section is tricky too – some great recoveries! That’s the halfway point – Laurence St-Germain still leads, from Martina Peterlini (who has now gained 12 places!) and Amelia Smart. Chiara Mair (AUT) is 0.72 ahead as she starts; still just green at inter 3, but she’s lost quite a bit – into 3rd. Irene Curtoni has 0.93 in hand, but that’s down to just 0.10 at inter 3 – into 2nd! Now Aline Danioth (SUI) has a full second advantage – she’s actually gained a bit to inter 2 and that’s a great run – she leads by 0.82. That was impressive – 3rd fastest on run 2. Michelle Gisin into 3rd; Emelie Wikström had a few errors but she’s done enough to go 2nd. Nina Haver-Løseth next and she’s gained a little to inter 1; she’s kept it going too and she leads by a very impressive 0.75 – best time on run 2 as well! The Norwegians are going well – Kristin Lysdahl into 3rd; good run from Katharina Truppe too – red all the way from inter 1 but into second. Anna Swenn Larsson has gained a bit from inter 1 to 2, a little more to 3 and she takes over the lead by 0.17. Now Katharina Liensberger has just one hundredth in hand as she starts – gained a little to inter 1 but then slightly red at 2 and 3 – great final section to pull that back and take over the lead by 0.13. Great effort to gain time on that nasty final section, and that’s’ the best time on run 2 so far – 3 to go. Wendy Holdener has gained from 1 to 2, lost a bit to 3 and she can’t match Liensberger – into 2nd. Now, here comes Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s gained a tiny bit to inter 1 (0.85 green) and a massive amount to 2 (-1.77) – she leads by a truly awesome 2.18! Well, that’s a real challenge for Petra Vlhova – 1.16 in hand at the start and she’s flying too – that was a brilliant run too and she gained a bit to win by 1.31! fastest time on run 2 for Vlhova gets her the win, from Shiffrin (2nd fastest on run 2) with Liensberger in 3rd. Holdener in 4th, ahead of Swenn Larsson and Haver-Løseth. Martina Peterlini ended up 14th, after gaining 15 places - best improvement today; St-Germain was 11th, after gaining 12 places! What a race – well done to Petra Vlhova, and a great comeback by Mikaela Shiffrin too – she has increased her lead in the overall today (826 to Vlhova’s 513, although Petra gained a place today moving up to 2nd)! In the slalom standings Shiffrin leads with 380 points to Vlhova’s 260 with Liensberger 3rd on 186.
5 Jan: Zagreb, Men’s Slalom, Run 1: Odd to have a Snow Queen trophy for the men, perhaps - maybe someone has already trademarked "Snow King"? Looks a nice day again, sunshine on the surrounding, very green, hills. First away is Ramon Zenhaeusern – safely down; next is Alexis Pinturault – there’s a surprise, massive error on the compression that caught out several of the women yesterday; lucky to still be upright but he’s 1.12 behind at the finish! Henrik Kristoffersen next - almost the same error as Pinturault and he’s into 3rd, +1.50! That “dent” where the road crosses is causing problems again! Michael Matt is much more in touch – he too had problems on the “road” but he hasn’t lost anything like as much time – 2nd, +0.07. Looks like Pinturault has been disqualified? Yes, he has – no points today! Clement Noel into 3rd, despite also having a similar problem! Daniel Yule has had a similar run too – into 4th! Manu Feller is back from injury – just a slight snag for him, and he’s into 4th. Not for too long though as Manfred Mölgg has taken over that place. Ten away – Zenhaeusern leads from Matt, and Noel then Mölgg, Feller and Muffat-Jeandet. Stefano Gross has also had a snag on that road section compression and he hasn’t managed to recover – DNF. Loic Meillard almost lost it too, and he’s out of the top 10. Andre Myhrer arguably the best over that compression but losing time further down – into 5th, +0.36. It looks like they have reinstated Pinturault?? Dave Ryding next – bit ragged in the compression and he lost a bit on the final section too – into 12th. Local hero Istok Rodes into 11th; Kolega out and so is Jakobsen! Pinturault is now shown as 8th, so no DQ after all! Alex Vinatzer [bib 26] fairly smooth over the compression and into 7th. Zan Kranjec into 8th, good for him! At this point my internet tripped out! Luckily soon back as Linus Strasser (bib 31) has managed to stay green all the way to inter 3 – he’s into 3rd, +0.18! A few later starters came close to the top 10, the best being Fabio Gstrein (AUT, bib 53 )who got into 11th! Pinturault shown as 14th, but with a red flashing DQP by his name! Dave Ryding ended run 1 in 24th, Henrik Kristoffersen in 21st so both will get a second run, and should be able to take advantage of the cleaner track, as they’ll be in the first 10 away?
Run 2: Well, Pinturault is on the start list, so presumably the appeal against his DQ was successful! Back under the floodlights, and presumably it is getting colder again? This course set by a French coach. Timon Haugen first away and safely down; Giuliano Razzoli off that pace and into 2nd until Luke Winters that place away. Tommaso Sala good on the upper section but lost a little towards the finish to go 2nd. Erik Read is keeping in the green and he takes over the lead by 0.10, but next away is Seb Foss-Solevaag and he’s gained time on the lower section to take over the lead. Next out of the gate is Dave Ryding – slightly red at inter 1 but green at 2 and 3 – into 2nd. It seems to be getting a little windier; Marco Schwarz into the lead, but next to go will be Henrik Kristoffersen – slightly red at 1 and 2 and +0.32 at inter 3 – he’s into 4th, which is something of a surprise. He isn’t happy with that run, and seems not to know why it wasn’t better – set-up snags? Next away is Armand Marchant (BEL) – a great lower section to gain time and he leads by 0.53 – terrific effort! Half way now – Marchant still leads from Schwarz and Foss-Solevaag, then Grange, Ryding and Kristoffersen. Alexis Pinturault on course , but he’s red by inter 2 and it’s getting a bit redder – he’s into 2nd! Lucas Braathen next and he’s gaining time on this course all the way to inter 3 – he’s lost a bit on the steep final pitch though and he’s 2nd. Now, Fabio Gstrein is in the start hut – green to inter 2 but maybe he’s being a bit cautious after doing so well to qualify – into 9th? Simon Maurberger (ITA) into 4th and that’s another TV break – Marchant still leading (he’s gained 11 places so far), from Braathen and Pinturault. Alex Vinatzer gets the final group started, and that’s a good run – not quite as fast on run 2 as Marchant but good enough to take the lead. Manu Feller has gained a bit to inter 1, but he’s into the red at 2 after getting a bit wild (even by his standards) – 7th at the finish. Now, it’s Andre Myhrer and he’s staying green to inter 3 – losing the tempo a little on the final steep pitch – into 2nd. Manfred Mölgg has lost a bit between 1 and 2, steadied and then the steep pitch, which is now getting rutted, has cost him time as well – 5th. Clement Noel pretty steady all the way to 3; he too has lost a little lower down but he had enough in hand to take over the lead by 0.29. Three to go – Linus Strasser on course and green at 1 and 2, but +0.31 at 3; into 6th. Michael Matt will be gutted – a potential good result but he’s in trouble and the errors are building up – DNF. Ramon Zenhaeusern on track and his advantage is slowly being eroded – just 0.03 left at inter 3 and it’s gone – he goes 2nd by 0.07! So, a good day for the youngsters – Clement Noel wins, ahead of Ramon Zenhaeusern with Alex Vinatzer taking 3rd. Andre Myhrer in 4th ahead of Armand Marchant (15 places gained, still fastest on run 2) and Lucas Braathen. Pinturault in 9th, Ryding 18th and Kristoffersen in joint 19th.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Alpine - Madonna di Campaglio, Adelboden & Altenmarkt-Zauchensee
by Bleausardv2 Sat 11 Jan 2020, 2:45 pm
8 Jan 20; Madonna di Campiglio, Men’s Slalom – Run 2: Missed run 1 – life intruded! The FIS are really working these skiers hard! Daniel Yule seems to have been fastest on run 1, then Henrik Kristoffersen and Andre Myhrer, with Alex Khoroshilov in 4th, ahead of Seb Foss-Solevaag and Ramon Zenhaeusern – Dave Ryding 13th, but it’s all relatively close. This new course set by a Norwegian coach; with 5 away Sandro Simonet (SUI, first away on run 2) leads. J-B Grange into 2nd, but Simonet’s time is holding up well – he’s gained 6 places so far. I would have expected someone to have dislodged Simonet by now – Simon Maurberger hasn’t managed it, but he is into 2nd. Stefan Hadalin (SLO) has gained time from inter 1 to 2; he’s lost some on the lower sections but he takes over the lead by 0.12. Good run from Erik Read, into 2nd; not for long though as Manfred Mölgg has taken that place – this is a relatively open course but it does punish even the smallest of mistakes. That’s halfway – Hadalin leads from Mölgg (+0.05) and Read (+0.11). Johannes Strolz (AUT) into 3rd – one error but a great recovery! Here comes Dave Ryding – into the red at inter 2; redder at 3 but he’s tied with Hadalin at the finish – good but probably less than he hoped for? That was the only the 9th fastest time on run 2 though. Linus Strasser off the pace; Alex Vinatzer can only manage 7th. Next is Alexis Pinturault – losing a bit to inter 2 but then he’s gaining – what a run – he leads by 0.74! Risky stuff but it worked! Tanguy Neff (SUI) into 2nd; another TV break! Clement Noel has gained on the lower section – he’s taken over the lead by 0.35; he’s going to be off Pinturault's Christmas card list! Now, Ramon Zenhaeusern on course; he’s gained to inter 1, even more to 2 but he’s straddled with a 0.54 advantage! Seb Foss-Solevaag into 2nd as the course begins to rut up; that’s a good PB for him. Alex Khoroshilov just red at inter 2, but an error has broken his rhythm and he’s only 12th. Next is Andre Myhrer, but he’s made a couple errors and now he’s straddled – another DNF. Here comes Henrik Kristoffersen – flying to inter 2 but he’s lost a bit lower down – he leads by 0.10; 5th best on run 2. Just Daniel Yule to come – he’s gained from 2 to 3 and he takes his 2nd World Cup win! Well done Daniel Yule - great win, ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen and Clement Noel; Seb F-S in 4th ahead of Alexis Pinturault and Tanguy Nef. Dave Ryding in joint 7th; Clement Noel with the best time on run 2. That leaves Kristoffersen back on top of the slalom standings, by just 2 points from Noel with Yule 3rd; Pinturault leads the overall by just 1 point from Kilde with Kristoffersen a further 3 points back in 3rd.
11 Jan; Adelboden, Men’s Giant Slalom – Run 1: I missed most of this live as I had to be somewhere else – as I joined Luca de Aliprandini was leading, with an advantage of 0.11 over Loic Meillard. Erik Read (bib 26) had just got into 3rd (+0.13) ahead of Faivre, Kranjec and Zubcic; Henrik Kristoffersen in 9th and Alexis Pinturault in joint 10th (apparently he’s not fully fit – stomach and/or flu?). Interesting to see Kilde racing today – currently in 14th, but Leif KN-H is a DNF. Well, there’s a real turn up for the books – Giovanni Borsotti (ITA, bib 53) has got into 2nd place!
Run 2: That looks a tough course – set by a French coach! That’s not a nice start – Manfred Mölgg first away and he’s had a bit of an epic – looks like an ACL injury? Certainly seems to have hurt his right knee, and he can’t stand unaided – very sad. Stefan Brennsteiner next to go and he’s safely down. Sarrazin also a DNF; Roland Leitinger though is fast – he leads by 0.75. Thibaut Favrot into the nets, but he seems OK; Marco Schwarz has lost a bit on the final section to go 2nd. That’s 10 away – Leitinger leads from Schwarz and Brennsteiner; all Austrian but there are no more to come! Matts Olsson is going well on the upper section, but he too has lost time on the tricky final gates – he’s joint 2nd, +0.47. Solheim (NOR) has done much the same – gaining all the way to inter 3 and then losing it to the line to go 2nd. Next away is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde – he’s gained to 2 and even more to 3, which has given him enough of an advantage to hold on an take the lead, by 0.25 (1.04 ahead at inter 3!). Victor Muffat-Jeandet red at inter 3 but he has gained to the line, unlike almost everyone else – he’s nicked the lead by 0.02! Ted Ligety (fresh [?] from a race in Steamboat Springs last week) into 4th! Now, Alexis Pinturault – just red by inter 2, and redder by 3 – he’s 6th. Henrik Kristoffersen on course – he’s just fractionally green by inter 3 – he’s tied with Victor M-J! Eight to go, and another break. Filip Zubcic is still green at inter 3 as well – he’s going well to the finish too and he leads by 0.35; Croatia take the lead! Not for long though – Zan Kranjec has built time from inter 1 to 3; lost a bit to the line but he takes it by 0.29 – 2nd best time on run 2. Faivre off the pace on this run, into 8th; Erik Read next and that’s a big error early on – something must surely be wrong with his setup as he’s losing huge amounts of time – 23rd! Loic Meillard is also off the pace on run 2 – almost 2 seconds behind at the line and 16th. Borsotti has done well to get this far, but he’s not able to keep his advantage – into 14th. Just Luca de Aliprandini to go – he’s gained a bit from inter 1 to 2 but he’s down and he’s skied out! So Zan Kranjec gets his second career win, ahead of Filip Zubcic with Victor Muffat Jeandet and Henrik Kristoffersen tied in 3rd.
11 Jan; Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Women’s Downhill: The start has been lowered to Reserve II (Hot Air) apparently. Not the best of mornings, it’s the cloud that’s casing the problems, and it’s windy too. Ramona Siebenhofer is first away, fastest in training run 2 and she’s safely down, despite the cloud rolling in as she went through the middle section. Joana Haehlen can’t match that (+0.45) but Stephanie Venier is green at inter 1 and 2; just red at 3 – she’s made up time to the line and she leads by 0.08. Miradoli off the pace and into 4th; bib 5 is Nicole Schmidhofer, but she’s red at inter 1 and 2 – made up a bit to 3 but still +0.16 – she’s into 3rd, +0.24. Austria 1, 2 and 3! Michelle Gisin next to go and she’s gained a huge amount from 2 to 3 – fantastic run and she leads by 0.53! She deservedly happy with that and so are the Swiss coaches! They’ve got even more to smile about now, as Corinne Suter is flying – green at 1 and getting greener – she leads by almost a full second (+0.98)! I thought Gisin’s run was good, but that was awesome! Tina Weirather into 3rd, but +1.36 – unlucky with the cloud! Not sure why – supposed to be a TV break after Tippler but it’s happening after 9 not 10!? Race interrupted – fog! They have got Tippler away but immediately there’s another interruption as the fog rolls back in. Race back on and Sofia Goggia has gone into 3rd; Marsaglia into 4th. That’s a really good run from Nicol Delago – well red at inter 2 and 3 but she gained time on the final section to go 2nd, +0.29. Twenty away – Suter leads from Delago and Gisin, then Goggia, Marsaglia and Weirather. No changes to the top 10 until the next TV break at 30 away; not sure it will change much now? Good attempt by Elisabeth Reisinger (AUT, bib 31) into 13th. That’s it – Well done to Corinne Suter – great win and the Swiss get 3rd as well for Michelle Gisin. Good day for Italy too, with Nicol Delago getting 2nd place. Then Goggia in 4th, ahead of Marsaglia and Weirather.
12 Jan; Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Women’s Alpine Combined (Super G): Looks a lovely day – no cloud or fog! Camera run by Nicole Hosp; lot of the course in shadow and it looks twisty (and a bit bumpy after yesterday’s downhill) – course set by an Italian coach. Patrizia Dorsch (GER) first away, but she’s had a big error lower on the course which cost her time. Ricarda Haaser is better and she’s 1.27 faster at the finish. Rahel Kopp (SUI) into 2nd, but still +1.23; Romane Miradoli is more in touch – red but not by much and she’s into 2nd, +0.32. Ramona Siebenhofer just red at inter 1, getting less red as she goes to inter 3 and she’s massively fast on the final section to gain over a second – she leads by 1.28! Nathalie Gröbli (SUI) into 2nd, +1.00; now, Wendy Holdener on course – green at inter 1, greener at 2, 0.47 ahead at 3 but she’ slost a little on the final section – she’s leading but only by 0.02! Federica Brignone is fractionally red at inter 1, just green at 2, then gaining time to be 0.48 ahead at 3 – she’s lost nothing further down; very fast through the speed gun (102.2kph!) and she leads by 0.50. Ilka Stuhec has missed a gate; that’s 10 away, Brignone leads from Holdener and Siebenhofer. First away after the TV break is Petra Vlhova; just green at 1, greener at 2 but she’s lost a ski – that’s a real pity, but at least she’s OK. Ester Ledecka into 4th; Michelle Gisin was on the podium yesterday, but she’s another who has missed that tricky exit from the turn – another DNF! Kasja Vickhoff Lie has lost a ski, that’s the second today – again, she seems to be OK. Mich Gagnon has also missed a gate; that’s 6 DNFs. Marta Bassino in touch – a good final section too to get her into 2nd! Priska Nufer has also missed a gate – DNF. Another TV break and then it’s Mikaela Shiffrin – fractionally red at 2 and slow through the first speed gun – almost caught an edge but she’s down – missed the netting but she’s joined the DNFs – that’s 8 from 21 starters! Make that 9 – Sofia Goggia has also missed a gate after getting through the tricky upper section! Nina Ortlieb is in touch – she’s lost a little on the final turns but still good enough to get into 6th and next away Elisabeth Reisinger has gone 7th. Bib 31 is Vikki Rebensburg – apparently she’s never finished an Alpine Combined, and she hasn’t today either – another one who has missed “that” gate. Ida Dannewitz (SWE) into 9th and Rosina Schneeberger (AUT) into 10th. Bib 34 is Elena Curtoni – she’s much more in touch to inter 2 but then she’s losing time – into 7th though! That’s it for the Super G – no late changes to the top 10; Brignone leads from Bassino and Holdener.
Run 2 (Slalom): Now, under the new rules for Combined, this will be done fastest from run 1 first! So, Federica Brignone will be the first away – safely down and that looked pretty neat. Marta Bassino a bit off the pace, 2nd +0.82; however Wendy Holdener is next to go – she’s gained a bit from inter 1 to 2 and more to the finish – she goes 2nd, +0.15. The speed specialists seem to be finding this a bit of a test; it’s easy to lose half a second or more just on the opening turns! That’s 10 away – Brignone leads ahead of Holdener and Bassino; Siebenhofer in 4th, then Elena Curtoni and Ledecka. No one seems to be able to put down a really fast slalom run here apart from the first 2; all the rest almost a second back or much more! Romane Miradoli is the best of the later starters at present – into 7th, a gain of 13 places at present. Rahel Kopp has made up 9 places, Dorsch 8 at present, but there has been no change to the top 6 for ages. So, a great win for Federica Brignone, just holding off Wendy Holdener, who was fastest on run 2, with Marta Bassino in 3rd. That gets Brignone back to 2nd in the Overall standings, ahead of Vlhova.
12 Jan; Adelboden (Chuenisbärgli), Men’s Slalom – Run 1: Tricky snow conditions – it’s not the same all the way down, so setup will be crucial again. There’s a lot of green around on the surrounding area! Apparently there are several racers suffering from this “stomach flu” that’s going around. The finish is one of the steepest on the circuit too and the course set looks tough – set by a Croatian coach . Ramon Zenhaeusern is once again the first away and safely down. The on form Daniel Yule is bib 3, green all the way – he’s lost a little on the lower section but he’s enough speed to take the lead by 0.33. Clement Noel is green at inter 1 and 2, but red at 3 after an error at the end of the flatter section – he’s into 2nd, +0.25; Andre Myhrer into 5th. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – he’s in the red at inter 1 and redder at 2 – that’s a disappointing run by his standards – into 4th, +0.67 and he’s not a happy bunny. Alexis Pinturault into 5th (not bad as he has that bug); Victor M-J has taken over that place. Loic Meillard more in touch and he’s into 4th; Marco Schwarz into 5th and now it’s Dave Ryding – in touch on the top section to inter 2 but he’s losing time lower down – into 12th, +1.36. TV break – Yule leads ahead of Noel, Zenhaeusern, Meillard, Schwarz and Kristoffersen. Alex Vinatzer nicely in touch to inter 2, just 0.08 off the pace but he’s straddled. Alex Khoroshilov going well – he’s into 5th; Tanguy Nef a bit off the pace at inter 3, +0.69 but then he’s changed gear and pulled back time - he’s into 4th, +0.35 – the crowd like that! Four Swiss in the top 6 at present! That’s 30 away, no changes to the top 6 since Nef. Good run from Luke Winters (bib 45) to get into 11th; Dave Ryding currently in 24th, so it’s looking good for run2. Hmm, that’s good from Marc Rochat (SUI, bib 61) – he’s into 17th! Even better from Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) – he’s bib 75 and he’s got into 14th.
Run 2: We joined this with 4 away; Albert Popov leading and Dave Ryding in the gate – just 0.03 in hand. He’s got that up to 0.31 green at inter 1, but red at 3 and he’s lost a bit more on that tricky final section – 3rd, +0.74. The section from 2 to 3, on a course set by an Austrian coach, seems to be a good place to lose time as Digruber has found – he’s into 3rd. That’s better from Linus Strasser – he’s gained from slightly red at 3 and crosses the line 0.26 ahead. Seb Foss-Solevaag has gained from 2 to 3 but lost a little to the line; into 2nd, +0.12. Erik Read into 3rd; top 3 staying there a while! Marc Rochat (bib 61!!) was green at inter 3 but the tricky final section has cost him time- into 6th! Fabio Gstrein (AUT) into 2nd; first TV break and it’s Strasser, Gstrein and Seb F-S in the top 3 positions. Now, a Norwegian called McGrath – nicely green at inter 1, but he’s the second in a row to straddle that gate as he transitions to the steep. Alexis Pinturault is green at inter 3, but can’t hold it – he’s not that well, there’s a slight stumble and he ends up 3rd. Victor Muffat-Jeandet green at 1 and he’s gained from 2 to 3 as well – lost a bit later but he had enough of an advantage and he takes over the lead by 0.09. Now, Henrik Kristoffersen, assuming he’s finished his sulk after run 1 – this is better – he’s taken the lead by 0.18; Strasser still with the best time on run 2 though, Kristoffersen only 6th. Marco Schwarz into 2nd; Khoroshilov off the pace and 13th. Loic Meillard looking good at inter 2 – he’s missed it; into 7th! Tanguy Nef next but after making a great recovery he’s straddled and he’s out! Ramon Zenhaeusern next – he’s gained from inter 1 to 2 but red at 3 and he can only manage 3rd. Now, Clement Noel, and he’s another with the bug – green at 1, and steady to 2; lost a bit to 3 and he’s down! Just Daniel Yule to come; he’s lost a bit to 1, gained it back by 2, lost most of it to 3 after a big error but then he’s steady and he’s even gained a bit – the Swiss finally get a win at Adelboden – a 13 year wait? Well done Daniel Yule; Kristoffersen in 2nd and Marco Schwarz 3rd. Ramon Zenhaeusern in 4th, ahead of Victor M-J and Linus Strasser (who had the best time on run 2).
11 Jan; Adelboden, Men’s Giant Slalom – Run 1: I missed most of this live as I had to be somewhere else – as I joined Luca de Aliprandini was leading, with an advantage of 0.11 over Loic Meillard. Erik Read (bib 26) had just got into 3rd (+0.13) ahead of Faivre, Kranjec and Zubcic; Henrik Kristoffersen in 9th and Alexis Pinturault in joint 10th (apparently he’s not fully fit – stomach and/or flu?). Interesting to see Kilde racing today – currently in 14th, but Leif KN-H is a DNF. Well, there’s a real turn up for the books – Giovanni Borsotti (ITA, bib 53) has got into 2nd place!
Run 2: That looks a tough course – set by a French coach! That’s not a nice start – Manfred Mölgg first away and he’s had a bit of an epic – looks like an ACL injury? Certainly seems to have hurt his right knee, and he can’t stand unaided – very sad. Stefan Brennsteiner next to go and he’s safely down. Sarrazin also a DNF; Roland Leitinger though is fast – he leads by 0.75. Thibaut Favrot into the nets, but he seems OK; Marco Schwarz has lost a bit on the final section to go 2nd. That’s 10 away – Leitinger leads from Schwarz and Brennsteiner; all Austrian but there are no more to come! Matts Olsson is going well on the upper section, but he too has lost time on the tricky final gates – he’s joint 2nd, +0.47. Solheim (NOR) has done much the same – gaining all the way to inter 3 and then losing it to the line to go 2nd. Next away is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde – he’s gained to 2 and even more to 3, which has given him enough of an advantage to hold on an take the lead, by 0.25 (1.04 ahead at inter 3!). Victor Muffat-Jeandet red at inter 3 but he has gained to the line, unlike almost everyone else – he’s nicked the lead by 0.02! Ted Ligety (fresh [?] from a race in Steamboat Springs last week) into 4th! Now, Alexis Pinturault – just red by inter 2, and redder by 3 – he’s 6th. Henrik Kristoffersen on course – he’s just fractionally green by inter 3 – he’s tied with Victor M-J! Eight to go, and another break. Filip Zubcic is still green at inter 3 as well – he’s going well to the finish too and he leads by 0.35; Croatia take the lead! Not for long though – Zan Kranjec has built time from inter 1 to 3; lost a bit to the line but he takes it by 0.29 – 2nd best time on run 2. Faivre off the pace on this run, into 8th; Erik Read next and that’s a big error early on – something must surely be wrong with his setup as he’s losing huge amounts of time – 23rd! Loic Meillard is also off the pace on run 2 – almost 2 seconds behind at the line and 16th. Borsotti has done well to get this far, but he’s not able to keep his advantage – into 14th. Just Luca de Aliprandini to go – he’s gained a bit from inter 1 to 2 but he’s down and he’s skied out! So Zan Kranjec gets his second career win, ahead of Filip Zubcic with Victor Muffat Jeandet and Henrik Kristoffersen tied in 3rd.
11 Jan; Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Women’s Downhill: The start has been lowered to Reserve II (Hot Air) apparently. Not the best of mornings, it’s the cloud that’s casing the problems, and it’s windy too. Ramona Siebenhofer is first away, fastest in training run 2 and she’s safely down, despite the cloud rolling in as she went through the middle section. Joana Haehlen can’t match that (+0.45) but Stephanie Venier is green at inter 1 and 2; just red at 3 – she’s made up time to the line and she leads by 0.08. Miradoli off the pace and into 4th; bib 5 is Nicole Schmidhofer, but she’s red at inter 1 and 2 – made up a bit to 3 but still +0.16 – she’s into 3rd, +0.24. Austria 1, 2 and 3! Michelle Gisin next to go and she’s gained a huge amount from 2 to 3 – fantastic run and she leads by 0.53! She deservedly happy with that and so are the Swiss coaches! They’ve got even more to smile about now, as Corinne Suter is flying – green at 1 and getting greener – she leads by almost a full second (+0.98)! I thought Gisin’s run was good, but that was awesome! Tina Weirather into 3rd, but +1.36 – unlucky with the cloud! Not sure why – supposed to be a TV break after Tippler but it’s happening after 9 not 10!? Race interrupted – fog! They have got Tippler away but immediately there’s another interruption as the fog rolls back in. Race back on and Sofia Goggia has gone into 3rd; Marsaglia into 4th. That’s a really good run from Nicol Delago – well red at inter 2 and 3 but she gained time on the final section to go 2nd, +0.29. Twenty away – Suter leads from Delago and Gisin, then Goggia, Marsaglia and Weirather. No changes to the top 10 until the next TV break at 30 away; not sure it will change much now? Good attempt by Elisabeth Reisinger (AUT, bib 31) into 13th. That’s it – Well done to Corinne Suter – great win and the Swiss get 3rd as well for Michelle Gisin. Good day for Italy too, with Nicol Delago getting 2nd place. Then Goggia in 4th, ahead of Marsaglia and Weirather.
12 Jan; Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Women’s Alpine Combined (Super G): Looks a lovely day – no cloud or fog! Camera run by Nicole Hosp; lot of the course in shadow and it looks twisty (and a bit bumpy after yesterday’s downhill) – course set by an Italian coach. Patrizia Dorsch (GER) first away, but she’s had a big error lower on the course which cost her time. Ricarda Haaser is better and she’s 1.27 faster at the finish. Rahel Kopp (SUI) into 2nd, but still +1.23; Romane Miradoli is more in touch – red but not by much and she’s into 2nd, +0.32. Ramona Siebenhofer just red at inter 1, getting less red as she goes to inter 3 and she’s massively fast on the final section to gain over a second – she leads by 1.28! Nathalie Gröbli (SUI) into 2nd, +1.00; now, Wendy Holdener on course – green at inter 1, greener at 2, 0.47 ahead at 3 but she’ slost a little on the final section – she’s leading but only by 0.02! Federica Brignone is fractionally red at inter 1, just green at 2, then gaining time to be 0.48 ahead at 3 – she’s lost nothing further down; very fast through the speed gun (102.2kph!) and she leads by 0.50. Ilka Stuhec has missed a gate; that’s 10 away, Brignone leads from Holdener and Siebenhofer. First away after the TV break is Petra Vlhova; just green at 1, greener at 2 but she’s lost a ski – that’s a real pity, but at least she’s OK. Ester Ledecka into 4th; Michelle Gisin was on the podium yesterday, but she’s another who has missed that tricky exit from the turn – another DNF! Kasja Vickhoff Lie has lost a ski, that’s the second today – again, she seems to be OK. Mich Gagnon has also missed a gate; that’s 6 DNFs. Marta Bassino in touch – a good final section too to get her into 2nd! Priska Nufer has also missed a gate – DNF. Another TV break and then it’s Mikaela Shiffrin – fractionally red at 2 and slow through the first speed gun – almost caught an edge but she’s down – missed the netting but she’s joined the DNFs – that’s 8 from 21 starters! Make that 9 – Sofia Goggia has also missed a gate after getting through the tricky upper section! Nina Ortlieb is in touch – she’s lost a little on the final turns but still good enough to get into 6th and next away Elisabeth Reisinger has gone 7th. Bib 31 is Vikki Rebensburg – apparently she’s never finished an Alpine Combined, and she hasn’t today either – another one who has missed “that” gate. Ida Dannewitz (SWE) into 9th and Rosina Schneeberger (AUT) into 10th. Bib 34 is Elena Curtoni – she’s much more in touch to inter 2 but then she’s losing time – into 7th though! That’s it for the Super G – no late changes to the top 10; Brignone leads from Bassino and Holdener.
Run 2 (Slalom): Now, under the new rules for Combined, this will be done fastest from run 1 first! So, Federica Brignone will be the first away – safely down and that looked pretty neat. Marta Bassino a bit off the pace, 2nd +0.82; however Wendy Holdener is next to go – she’s gained a bit from inter 1 to 2 and more to the finish – she goes 2nd, +0.15. The speed specialists seem to be finding this a bit of a test; it’s easy to lose half a second or more just on the opening turns! That’s 10 away – Brignone leads ahead of Holdener and Bassino; Siebenhofer in 4th, then Elena Curtoni and Ledecka. No one seems to be able to put down a really fast slalom run here apart from the first 2; all the rest almost a second back or much more! Romane Miradoli is the best of the later starters at present – into 7th, a gain of 13 places at present. Rahel Kopp has made up 9 places, Dorsch 8 at present, but there has been no change to the top 6 for ages. So, a great win for Federica Brignone, just holding off Wendy Holdener, who was fastest on run 2, with Marta Bassino in 3rd. That gets Brignone back to 2nd in the Overall standings, ahead of Vlhova.
12 Jan; Adelboden (Chuenisbärgli), Men’s Slalom – Run 1: Tricky snow conditions – it’s not the same all the way down, so setup will be crucial again. There’s a lot of green around on the surrounding area! Apparently there are several racers suffering from this “stomach flu” that’s going around. The finish is one of the steepest on the circuit too and the course set looks tough – set by a Croatian coach . Ramon Zenhaeusern is once again the first away and safely down. The on form Daniel Yule is bib 3, green all the way – he’s lost a little on the lower section but he’s enough speed to take the lead by 0.33. Clement Noel is green at inter 1 and 2, but red at 3 after an error at the end of the flatter section – he’s into 2nd, +0.25; Andre Myhrer into 5th. Bib 6 is Henrik Kristoffersen – he’s in the red at inter 1 and redder at 2 – that’s a disappointing run by his standards – into 4th, +0.67 and he’s not a happy bunny. Alexis Pinturault into 5th (not bad as he has that bug); Victor M-J has taken over that place. Loic Meillard more in touch and he’s into 4th; Marco Schwarz into 5th and now it’s Dave Ryding – in touch on the top section to inter 2 but he’s losing time lower down – into 12th, +1.36. TV break – Yule leads ahead of Noel, Zenhaeusern, Meillard, Schwarz and Kristoffersen. Alex Vinatzer nicely in touch to inter 2, just 0.08 off the pace but he’s straddled. Alex Khoroshilov going well – he’s into 5th; Tanguy Nef a bit off the pace at inter 3, +0.69 but then he’s changed gear and pulled back time - he’s into 4th, +0.35 – the crowd like that! Four Swiss in the top 6 at present! That’s 30 away, no changes to the top 6 since Nef. Good run from Luke Winters (bib 45) to get into 11th; Dave Ryding currently in 24th, so it’s looking good for run2. Hmm, that’s good from Marc Rochat (SUI, bib 61) – he’s into 17th! Even better from Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) – he’s bib 75 and he’s got into 14th.
Run 2: We joined this with 4 away; Albert Popov leading and Dave Ryding in the gate – just 0.03 in hand. He’s got that up to 0.31 green at inter 1, but red at 3 and he’s lost a bit more on that tricky final section – 3rd, +0.74. The section from 2 to 3, on a course set by an Austrian coach, seems to be a good place to lose time as Digruber has found – he’s into 3rd. That’s better from Linus Strasser – he’s gained from slightly red at 3 and crosses the line 0.26 ahead. Seb Foss-Solevaag has gained from 2 to 3 but lost a little to the line; into 2nd, +0.12. Erik Read into 3rd; top 3 staying there a while! Marc Rochat (bib 61!!) was green at inter 3 but the tricky final section has cost him time- into 6th! Fabio Gstrein (AUT) into 2nd; first TV break and it’s Strasser, Gstrein and Seb F-S in the top 3 positions. Now, a Norwegian called McGrath – nicely green at inter 1, but he’s the second in a row to straddle that gate as he transitions to the steep. Alexis Pinturault is green at inter 3, but can’t hold it – he’s not that well, there’s a slight stumble and he ends up 3rd. Victor Muffat-Jeandet green at 1 and he’s gained from 2 to 3 as well – lost a bit later but he had enough of an advantage and he takes over the lead by 0.09. Now, Henrik Kristoffersen, assuming he’s finished his sulk after run 1 – this is better – he’s taken the lead by 0.18; Strasser still with the best time on run 2 though, Kristoffersen only 6th. Marco Schwarz into 2nd; Khoroshilov off the pace and 13th. Loic Meillard looking good at inter 2 – he’s missed it; into 7th! Tanguy Nef next but after making a great recovery he’s straddled and he’s out! Ramon Zenhaeusern next – he’s gained from inter 1 to 2 but red at 3 and he can only manage 3rd. Now, Clement Noel, and he’s another with the bug – green at 1, and steady to 2; lost a bit to 3 and he’s down! Just Daniel Yule to come; he’s lost a bit to 1, gained it back by 2, lost most of it to 3 after a big error but then he’s steady and he’s even gained a bit – the Swiss finally get a win at Adelboden – a 13 year wait? Well done Daniel Yule; Kristoffersen in 2nd and Marco Schwarz 3rd. Ramon Zenhaeusern in 4th, ahead of Victor M-J and Linus Strasser (who had the best time on run 2).
Last edited by Bleausardv2 on Sun 12 Jan 2020, 4:15 pm; edited 1 time in total
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Oberhof - Sprints
by Bleausardv2 Sat 11 Jan 2020, 2:46 pm
Oberhof; Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 9 Jan 2020: All looking very gloomy at Oberhof – foggy and dull, with some wind to spice things up a bit more! Bit warm too, with lots of recent rain, but it is getting cooler. Lots of the big names opting to go early on. Mironova the first in for S1; one miss and the same for Mona Brorsson. Lena Haecki has also missed her first shot – the fog seems to be thicker and she’s missed another! Tachizaki is clear at S1 but not the fastest after S1; at present that’s Selina Gasparin, despite her 1 miss. That’s better – Vanessa Hinz clear and away in the lead. Marketa Davidova is also clear and she’s 14.5 seconds faster! Tiril Eckhoff at S1 and slow to start – she’s missed 1 too, but her ski time looks good. Lisa Vittozzi clear too and 4 seconds quicker than Davidova. However, Røiseland has cleared too and she is 4.4 faster – very impressive in these conditions. Mironova has been unlucky with the fog – even thicker for her at S2 – just 1 more miss, which was good ; meanwhile Denise Herrmann has cleared at S1 and leads out. Tachizaki is 10/10 but not fast enough; Doro Wierer has cleared at S1 – just 20 seconds from start to finish – amazing!! Emma Lunder (CAN) has also cleared all 10 and she’s more in touch – but Julia Simon is currently fastest after S2; Tiril has missed her last shot; out 3rd, just ahead of Hinz, who also missed 1 here. Marta Olsbu Røiseland in for S2 and she too has cleared all 10 – she is quick too, out 49.6 ahead of Simon; Vittozzi has missed 2 here! After S2 it’s currently Røiseland, Simon, Lunder, Paulina Fialkova, Eckhoff and Hinz. Herrmann in for her standing shoot – one miss and she’s out 2nd, +37.8. Doro has also missed 1 here, out 3rd about 3 seconds behind Denise H. The fog is getting thicker again, but it does vary! Røiseland (0,0) over the line, 47.4 ahead of Julia Simon (1,0) – I can’t see her losing the win at present. Denise Herrmann (0,1) over the line, in second place and she’s pulled out a lot of time on Doro over that last lap. That’s odd, Doro has lost a lot of time on her final lap – she’s over the line 4th, behind Simon who also had just one miss – Doro (0,1) lost about 30 seconds to the Frenchwoman from S2. The crowd have gone quiet – Franzi Hildebrand at S2 and (1,3). At present the situation at the finish is Røiseland, Herrmann, Simon, Wierer, Eckhoff, and Fialkova. Kaisa M (2,1) in 10th. Kamila Zuk (POL, 1,1) over the line in 8th. The Poles are going quite well – Monika Hojnisz-Starega (0,1) out 5th after S2. Poor Vita Semerenko has had real problems with the rifle at S2 – she did well to only miss 1 there. Hojnisz is losing places on the final lap – over the line in 8th. Great to see Herrmann going well, but apart from her the German team’s woes continue – Hinz only missed 1 but she’s currently 15th, +1:49.8, so her ski speed isn’t great. Janina Hettich (2,1), Franzi Hildebrand (1,3), and Deigentesch (2,1) aren’t shooting well, and Maren Hammerschmidt has missed 1 at S1 but is already +1:13.6 there; she has cleared all 5 in the stand though, so well done for that. I suspect the track is quite a bit slower now; Hammerschmidt has lost almost a full minute from S2 to the line. Some others who finished lower than I expected include Yuliia Dzhima (1,0 but +1:52.9), Lisa Vittozzi (0,2; +2:02.6), Hannah Öberg (1,1; +2:02.8), Marketa Davidova (0,2; +2:11.2), Aymonier (3,1), Braisaz (2,2), Bescond (1,2) and Tandrevold (1,2; +2:28.3). That’s it – well done Marta, Denise and Julia! I can only see 3 perfect scores? Doro Wierer quickest on the range, ahead of Røiseland and Simon; Herrmann fastest on the course, ahead of Kaisa, Tiril and Marta Røiseland.
Oberhof; Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 10 Jan 2020: Heavy rain last night has forced them to vary the tracks, and it’s warm again with a chance of fog! No JoBø today – he’s missing this whole venue as his wife is expecting any day! The tracks do look a bit bare; no wonder all the big names want to go early! The fog seems to be drifting up the valley, but the range is clear at present – Simon Eder the first at S1, and clear. Rastorgujevs has missed 2; Dale (NOR) missed his 5th. Felix Leitner has cleared and leads out; Bjøntegaard has missed 1, as has Samuelsson. Martin Fourcade currently fastest at 2 Km; Loginov clear at S1 and he’s fastest there, just ahead of Bocharnikov (BLR). Martin F is in for his prone shoot – nice shoot and he’s out 5 seconds ahead of Loginov; Eliseev clear and out just 2.8 behind Martin F. Johannes Kühn has also cleared at S1 and he’s currently 4.6 faster than Fourcade; poor Dominik Windisch has missed 3 here. Quite a good number clear at S1 – over 50% at present. Tarjei Bø has also cleared at S1, and he’s a second up on Kühn; Doll has missed 2. At S2 Eder has missed 1, but he’s slower than Rastorgujevs (2,1)! Dale has missed 1 more, Leitner 3 here. Bjøntegaard (1,1) has moved into the lead at S2 – 7.6 faster than Dale. Alex Loginov in for S2, and he’s (0,1) – out 28.2 ahead of Bjøntegaard, but now Martin Fourcade is in – he’s 10/10 and out 38.6 ahead of Loginov – he’s the first to clear all 10. Second to clear all 10 is Matvey Eliseev, but he’s 32.7 behind Fourcade. Back at S1 Jacquelin is clear and fractionally ahead of Tarjei; Kühn has missed 1 at S2 but out 2nd, about 8 seconds better than Eliseev. Fourcade is flying on his last lap; he’s over the line in first, 47.8 ahead of Loginov with Arnd Peiffer (1,0) in third, +1:00.1; Eliseev has just crossed the line in 2nd, +41.1. Back at S2 Tarjei Bø has missed 1, but out 2nd, +18.2 – that seems to have been an error on the data feed as he’s now shown as 15th, +1:31.7 – looks odd? . That’s a good run from Johannes Kühn (0,1) – over the line and into 2nd, +0.33. Seems Bø forgot to go on the loop, and had to retrace his steps to go and do it – hence the amended time – that cost him about a minute! Jacquelin has missed 1 at S2; out 2nd +17.6 – he went onto the loop properly! There could be a French 1/2 - Jacquelin currently 7 seconds ahead of Kühn – still about 6 ahead at 8.3 Km. I did wonder what happened to QFM – he’s (1,3) and +1:46.3. Jacquelin is looking tired but he’s almost 10 seconds ahead at 9.5Km. Yep, Emilien Jacquelin (0,1) over the line in 2nd, +25.5, knocking Kühn down t 3rd. So far the worst shooting is by Lukas Hofer (1,4) and Dominik Windisch (3,2). Ondrej Moravec is 10/10 as well, but just 8th, +1:03.2 after S2; he’s only 3 seconds ahead of Christiansen (1,2). At present the standings at the finish are Fourcade, Jacquelin, Kühn, Eliseev, Loginov and Desthieux – good day for France and Russia; Germany have 3rd and 7th (Peiffer); 3 Norwegians in 8/9/10 (Bjøntegaard, Dale and Christiansen). Tarjei Bø currently 24th! Looks like the visibility is getting trickier on the range, and for the later starters it’s also getting a little darker too. No late changes to the top 10; arguably the best of the late starters was Anton Smolski (BLR) – bib 75 and finished 25th; Tomas Krupcik (CZE) was bib 101 and finished 34th. So, well done Martin Fourcade – great win; Jacquelin also going well and almost as fast as Fourcade and Kühn getting 3rd – Germany’s second podium here. Tarjei will be kicking himself for that error after S2 – even allowing for his loop he should have been top 5, not 24th! Lapshin fastest on the range (but 3,1), ahead of Jacquelin and Christiansen; Martin F quickest around the course ahead of Kühn and Bjøntegaard, then Jacquelin, QFM and Dale.
Oberhof; Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 10 Jan 2020: Heavy rain last night has forced them to vary the tracks, and it’s warm again with a chance of fog! No JoBø today – he’s missing this whole venue as his wife is expecting any day! The tracks do look a bit bare; no wonder all the big names want to go early! The fog seems to be drifting up the valley, but the range is clear at present – Simon Eder the first at S1, and clear. Rastorgujevs has missed 2; Dale (NOR) missed his 5th. Felix Leitner has cleared and leads out; Bjøntegaard has missed 1, as has Samuelsson. Martin Fourcade currently fastest at 2 Km; Loginov clear at S1 and he’s fastest there, just ahead of Bocharnikov (BLR). Martin F is in for his prone shoot – nice shoot and he’s out 5 seconds ahead of Loginov; Eliseev clear and out just 2.8 behind Martin F. Johannes Kühn has also cleared at S1 and he’s currently 4.6 faster than Fourcade; poor Dominik Windisch has missed 3 here. Quite a good number clear at S1 – over 50% at present. Tarjei Bø has also cleared at S1, and he’s a second up on Kühn; Doll has missed 2. At S2 Eder has missed 1, but he’s slower than Rastorgujevs (2,1)! Dale has missed 1 more, Leitner 3 here. Bjøntegaard (1,1) has moved into the lead at S2 – 7.6 faster than Dale. Alex Loginov in for S2, and he’s (0,1) – out 28.2 ahead of Bjøntegaard, but now Martin Fourcade is in – he’s 10/10 and out 38.6 ahead of Loginov – he’s the first to clear all 10. Second to clear all 10 is Matvey Eliseev, but he’s 32.7 behind Fourcade. Back at S1 Jacquelin is clear and fractionally ahead of Tarjei; Kühn has missed 1 at S2 but out 2nd, about 8 seconds better than Eliseev. Fourcade is flying on his last lap; he’s over the line in first, 47.8 ahead of Loginov with Arnd Peiffer (1,0) in third, +1:00.1; Eliseev has just crossed the line in 2nd, +41.1. Back at S2 Tarjei Bø has missed 1, but out 2nd, +18.2 – that seems to have been an error on the data feed as he’s now shown as 15th, +1:31.7 – looks odd? . That’s a good run from Johannes Kühn (0,1) – over the line and into 2nd, +0.33. Seems Bø forgot to go on the loop, and had to retrace his steps to go and do it – hence the amended time – that cost him about a minute! Jacquelin has missed 1 at S2; out 2nd +17.6 – he went onto the loop properly! There could be a French 1/2 - Jacquelin currently 7 seconds ahead of Kühn – still about 6 ahead at 8.3 Km. I did wonder what happened to QFM – he’s (1,3) and +1:46.3. Jacquelin is looking tired but he’s almost 10 seconds ahead at 9.5Km. Yep, Emilien Jacquelin (0,1) over the line in 2nd, +25.5, knocking Kühn down t 3rd. So far the worst shooting is by Lukas Hofer (1,4) and Dominik Windisch (3,2). Ondrej Moravec is 10/10 as well, but just 8th, +1:03.2 after S2; he’s only 3 seconds ahead of Christiansen (1,2). At present the standings at the finish are Fourcade, Jacquelin, Kühn, Eliseev, Loginov and Desthieux – good day for France and Russia; Germany have 3rd and 7th (Peiffer); 3 Norwegians in 8/9/10 (Bjøntegaard, Dale and Christiansen). Tarjei Bø currently 24th! Looks like the visibility is getting trickier on the range, and for the later starters it’s also getting a little darker too. No late changes to the top 10; arguably the best of the late starters was Anton Smolski (BLR) – bib 75 and finished 25th; Tomas Krupcik (CZE) was bib 101 and finished 34th. So, well done Martin Fourcade – great win; Jacquelin also going well and almost as fast as Fourcade and Kühn getting 3rd – Germany’s second podium here. Tarjei will be kicking himself for that error after S2 – even allowing for his loop he should have been top 5, not 24th! Lapshin fastest on the range (but 3,1), ahead of Jacquelin and Christiansen; Martin F quickest around the course ahead of Kühn and Bjøntegaard, then Jacquelin, QFM and Dale.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Oberhof - Relays
by Bleausardv2 Sat 11 Jan 2020, 2:49 pm
Oberhof; Women’s 4 x 6 Km relay, 11 Jan: Sadly this clashes with the women’s downhill – trying to watch both! Julia Simon off like a rocket, followed by Öberg junior. Reztsova (RUS) taking over by the next check point. In for S1; Solemdal clear and she leads out ahead of Elisa Gasparin, Hinz and Tang – all with no spares; Vittozzi out 5th after 1 spare, Reztsova struggling and using all 3 spares; Fialkova (I) is doing 2 penalty loops. Once again the weather has forced some variations to the track, which sounds as though it’s cutting up a bit already. Still all very close on the next lap; Simon and Solemdal at the front. In for the first standing shoot – Vittozzi has used 1 more spare but leads out, ahead of Gasparin (1 spare), Simon (2) and Hojnisz (1). Solemdal has used all 3 spares, Hinz is on the penalty loop. On to exchange 1 – France lead, just , from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, USA and Sweden (+27.8); Norway 8th and Germany 13th! Doro Wierer away for Italy, with Bescond and Selina Gasparin chasing at 0.8 km, then Zuk, Egan and Persson. Here we go for S3; Gasparin clear and away – Doro used 1 spare but out just 2 seconds back; Persson clear and out 3rd, Bescond has used all 3 spares and is 4th, +31.1. Egan 5th (1 spare), then Tandrevold (0) and Kaisa M (0).; Zuk on the penalty loop. The leading pair have about 30 seconds in hand; Bescond and Tandrevold are pushing hard. Leaders in for S4 – Gasparin clear and out; Doro on the penalty loop and she has 2 to do! Bescond clear and out 2nd, +24.0, Kaisa clear too and 3rd, ahead of Persson, Egan and Innerhofer. Doro in 7th, but +59.0 and just ahead of Tandrevold, who needed all 3 spares. Exchange 2 – Switzerland lead comfortably, 26.9 ahead of Finland but they’ve already run Kaisa; France in 3rd (+41.1) ahead of Sweden, USA and Norway (+57.5). Leg 3 away and Aita Gasparin leads from Minkkinen, Aymonier and Brorsson – Røiseland up to 5th at 0.8 Km! Aita in for her prone shoot – the wind has got up quite noticeably; just 1 spare and out. Røiseland clear and out 2nd, +39.5. Brorsson (1 spare) out 3rd, then Aymonier (2), Rieder and Sanfilippo. Maren Hammerschmidt up to 7th, +1:08.4; Minkkinen has done 1 loop and is out 10th. Aita in for her standing shoot – 2 misses and she has tensed up - she is using all her spares – onto the penalty loop. That wind is causing problems – Aymonier clear and out; Brorsson also clear and 2nd, +4.1. Røiseland has used 2 spares but still 3rd, +13.7, then Rieder (0), Gasparin (1 penalty) and Semerenko (1). Hammerschmidt (3 spares) in 7th, +58.5. Røiseland has caught up 13 seconds on the lap (astonishing!) so at exchange 3 Norway lead; France 2nd, then Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Germany (+1:00.6). I missed it but USA did a penalty loop on that leg too. So, Tiril Eckhoff has a slight lead, ahead of Justine Braisaz (+0.6), Hannah Öberg (+1.1), Steiner (AUT, +54.0), Herrmann and Haecki. The leading 3 are in for S7; Eckhoff has used 2 spares but still out just ahead of Öberg (1) and Braisaz (2). Haecki in 4th, +44.6 then a huge gap to Pidhrushna (0) and Herrmann (2). At 3.5 Km Braisaz seems to have upped the pace a little – here we go for the final shoot! Tiril Eckhoff has used 1 spare and she’s away; Öberg has used 3 spares and she’s out +6.8. Braisaz hasn’t benefitted from that change of pace – all 3 spares used and out 3rd, +21.7. Haecki (3 spares) out 4th, +1:13.3 but Denise Herrmann has cleared all 5 this time and she’s just 1 second back! Tiril is motoring – at the next timing point she’s pulled out 12 seconds on Hannah Öberg, Herrmann up to 4th, and she’s 13 seconds ahead of Haecki. Tiril has eased off a bit and cruises to another win for Norway (0+11); Sweden (0+10) in 2nd, France (0+12) with the final podium place. Germany (1+11) in 4th, ahead of Switzerland (1+9) and Ukraine (1+7). Italy, Poland and the Czechs have done 3 penalty loops each, Finland and Bulgaria 6 each!
Oberhof; Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km relay, 11 Jan: This isn’t live as there is so much sport on today! Early on Jacquelin leads from Horn and Birkeland; at S1 Birkeland is clear and out ahead of Seppala and Tyschenko (all clear); Jacquelin (1 spare) in 8th; Horn has used all 3 spares and is 24th! Poor Anev is doing 2 penalty loops! No commentary at present – the athletes are at S2; Birkeland is shooting well – clear again and he leads out. Buta (ROM) also clear and out 2nd, +5.1, ahead of Bormolini (clear), Smolski (BLR), Burnotte (CAN) and Femling (SWE). Seppala needed all 3 spares and has dropped to 16th and poor Jacquelin has done 2 penalty loops and is out 22nd. At exchange 1 (now we have commentary) Norway lead, from Italy, Belarus, China, Canada and Russia. Bjøntegaard away ahead of Windisch, Bocharnikov, Yan, Scott Gow and Johannes Kühn at 0.8 Km; some chap called Fourcade in 19th. Poor Windisch has fallen after skiing off the track at that nasty corner; luckily he seems unhurt! The leading pair are in for S3 – Bocharnikov clear and leading out; Bjøntegaard has used 2 spares and he’s out 13.4 behind; Garanichev (0 spares) up to 3rd, Kühn (0) in 4th then Krcmar (1) and Yan (2). Insult to injury – Windisch on the penalty loop! What is Patrick saying – we haven’t had S4 yet? Kühn is gaining places and dropping Garanichev – hope he isn’t going too fast? Bocharnikov in for S4 – that’s good work, he’s clear and out! Bjøntegaard also clear and out, +14.7. Garanichev (1 spare) out 3rd, then Krcmar (2), Fourcade (0; +1:02.1)and Eder (2). Sadly Kühn is on the penalty loop – I was afraid he was pushing it on the lap. Exchange 2 coming up and Bjøntegaard has closed up nicely; Norway lead at the handover from Belarus (+0.7), Czech Republic (+29.8), Russia (+34.6), then France, Germany, Austria and Estonia. Johannes Dale away, ahead of Yaliotnau, Stvrtecky, Porshnev, Desthieux and Peiffer. The “Windisch corner” may well claim another victim – a few athletes are going very close! I see they’ve moved the sign! The leading 2 are in for S5 – Dale clear and out, but what has staying with him on the lap done to Yaliotnau? He needs all 3 spares – out 2nd, +26.3, ahead of Stvrtecky (1), +43.1, Porshnev (2), Desthieux (0) and Peiffer (2 and poor drills!). Slovakia and Finland doing 2 loops each. Sweden have done 2 loops on the last leg and another one here. Dale in for S6 – he’s used all 3 spares and is doing 1 loop; luckily for him Yaliotnau has used all 3 spares so Dale keeps the lead. Desthieux (1 spare) up to 3rd, ahead of Peiffer (3) and Porshnev (3); Serban (ROM, 1 spare) in 6th. Peiffer pushing hard on the lap – at the exchange Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has 31.4 in hand as he sets off on the final leg. Benedikt Doll away 2nd, +31.4 just a fraction ahead of Labastau (BLR) with QFM 35.8 back in 4th. Then Latypov (RUS), with a good gap to Finello (SUI). The chasing 3 (GER/ROM/FRA) are pushing hard – not sure that’s wise, but Christiansen is setting a pretty fast pace. The final prone shoot – Christiansen has eased up in good time, and it’s paid off – all 5 down and away. Doll also clear and out +30.8, but QFM is clear too and +34.2. Latypov (1) in 4th, +1:03.8, Labastau (1) +1:04.8. Then over a minute to the next group (SLO/UKR/SUI/ROM/AUT). Final shoot – Christiansen is on 76% in standing, QFM 86% and Doll 78%. Christiansen in for S8 – it’s still quite windy; 2 misses so far and he’s on 1 loop. QFM (1 spare) leads out, but only by 6.6 against Christiansen who has finished his loop. Doll is also on the loop and out 3rd, +38.0. Latypov (1) out 4th, +48.4. This should be a good final lap – can France come back after those 2 early penalty loops, or will Christiansen redeem himself? The Norwegian is going early, but now he’s eased off again – this is very close! It’s going to be a sprint - Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has a bit more in hand and he’s taken it – Norway (2+8) win again, France (2+6) in 2nd and Germany (2+14) get the final podium place – all the podium nations with 2 penalty loops! Russia (0+9) in 4th, then Belarus (1+12) and Slovenia (0+14).
Oberhof; Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km relay, 11 Jan: This isn’t live as there is so much sport on today! Early on Jacquelin leads from Horn and Birkeland; at S1 Birkeland is clear and out ahead of Seppala and Tyschenko (all clear); Jacquelin (1 spare) in 8th; Horn has used all 3 spares and is 24th! Poor Anev is doing 2 penalty loops! No commentary at present – the athletes are at S2; Birkeland is shooting well – clear again and he leads out. Buta (ROM) also clear and out 2nd, +5.1, ahead of Bormolini (clear), Smolski (BLR), Burnotte (CAN) and Femling (SWE). Seppala needed all 3 spares and has dropped to 16th and poor Jacquelin has done 2 penalty loops and is out 22nd. At exchange 1 (now we have commentary) Norway lead, from Italy, Belarus, China, Canada and Russia. Bjøntegaard away ahead of Windisch, Bocharnikov, Yan, Scott Gow and Johannes Kühn at 0.8 Km; some chap called Fourcade in 19th. Poor Windisch has fallen after skiing off the track at that nasty corner; luckily he seems unhurt! The leading pair are in for S3 – Bocharnikov clear and leading out; Bjøntegaard has used 2 spares and he’s out 13.4 behind; Garanichev (0 spares) up to 3rd, Kühn (0) in 4th then Krcmar (1) and Yan (2). Insult to injury – Windisch on the penalty loop! What is Patrick saying – we haven’t had S4 yet? Kühn is gaining places and dropping Garanichev – hope he isn’t going too fast? Bocharnikov in for S4 – that’s good work, he’s clear and out! Bjøntegaard also clear and out, +14.7. Garanichev (1 spare) out 3rd, then Krcmar (2), Fourcade (0; +1:02.1)and Eder (2). Sadly Kühn is on the penalty loop – I was afraid he was pushing it on the lap. Exchange 2 coming up and Bjøntegaard has closed up nicely; Norway lead at the handover from Belarus (+0.7), Czech Republic (+29.8), Russia (+34.6), then France, Germany, Austria and Estonia. Johannes Dale away, ahead of Yaliotnau, Stvrtecky, Porshnev, Desthieux and Peiffer. The “Windisch corner” may well claim another victim – a few athletes are going very close! I see they’ve moved the sign! The leading 2 are in for S5 – Dale clear and out, but what has staying with him on the lap done to Yaliotnau? He needs all 3 spares – out 2nd, +26.3, ahead of Stvrtecky (1), +43.1, Porshnev (2), Desthieux (0) and Peiffer (2 and poor drills!). Slovakia and Finland doing 2 loops each. Sweden have done 2 loops on the last leg and another one here. Dale in for S6 – he’s used all 3 spares and is doing 1 loop; luckily for him Yaliotnau has used all 3 spares so Dale keeps the lead. Desthieux (1 spare) up to 3rd, ahead of Peiffer (3) and Porshnev (3); Serban (ROM, 1 spare) in 6th. Peiffer pushing hard on the lap – at the exchange Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has 31.4 in hand as he sets off on the final leg. Benedikt Doll away 2nd, +31.4 just a fraction ahead of Labastau (BLR) with QFM 35.8 back in 4th. Then Latypov (RUS), with a good gap to Finello (SUI). The chasing 3 (GER/ROM/FRA) are pushing hard – not sure that’s wise, but Christiansen is setting a pretty fast pace. The final prone shoot – Christiansen has eased up in good time, and it’s paid off – all 5 down and away. Doll also clear and out +30.8, but QFM is clear too and +34.2. Latypov (1) in 4th, +1:03.8, Labastau (1) +1:04.8. Then over a minute to the next group (SLO/UKR/SUI/ROM/AUT). Final shoot – Christiansen is on 76% in standing, QFM 86% and Doll 78%. Christiansen in for S8 – it’s still quite windy; 2 misses so far and he’s on 1 loop. QFM (1 spare) leads out, but only by 6.6 against Christiansen who has finished his loop. Doll is also on the loop and out 3rd, +38.0. Latypov (1) out 4th, +48.4. This should be a good final lap – can France come back after those 2 early penalty loops, or will Christiansen redeem himself? The Norwegian is going early, but now he’s eased off again – this is very close! It’s going to be a sprint - Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has a bit more in hand and he’s taken it – Norway (2+8) win again, France (2+6) in 2nd and Germany (2+14) get the final podium place – all the podium nations with 2 penalty loops! Russia (0+9) in 4th, then Belarus (1+12) and Slovenia (0+14).
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Biathlon - Oberhof - Mass Starts
by Bleausardv2 Sun 12 Jan 2020, 4:16 pm
Oberhof; Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 12 Jan: The visibility doesn’t look good – it’s an odd mix of fog/cloud with strong winds; it’s going to be a real test. At 2 Km it’s all very close; Doro Wierer just ahead of Braisaz, Herrmann, Eckhoff/Simon and Paulina Fialkova. In for S1, shot from the lane that corresponds to the bib number. The wind is all over the place; Doro has missed her first; Julia Simon has missed 3, now 4, Tandrevold 2, Braisaz 3, Davidova 3, Haecki 3 – it’s going to be a busy penalty loop! So, Tiril Eckhoff leads out, ahead of Hinz, Lunder, Dunklee Herrmann and Kryuko (+6.6) – all clear. Eckhoff and Herrmann slightly ahead as they come in for the second prone; Tiril clear again and away, with Kryuko also clear and out 2nd, +18.5 . Fialkova in 3rd (+27.8), ahead of Kaisa (both with 1 miss so far, in S1) Herrmann 2 misses here and out 8th, +1:01.9. Braisaz is having a bad day – 3,3 so far and Kuklina is even worse (3,4), the same as Mironova; Dunklee and Hinz both missed 3 at S2, Doro (1,2) and out 15th. Eckhoff is easing off as she comes in for the first standing shoot – that rifle is moving a lot – 3 misses! Kryuko clear and out, but Kaisa is also clear and out +3.1. Eckhoff out 3rd, +46.3 then Røiseland (+55.4), Wierer and Herrmann (+1:07.5). Poor Fialkova has missed all 5 here. Mäkäräinen leading now, and Kryuko is almost with her; just 6.1 behind at 9.5 Km. Tiril has lost about 3 seconds, Røiseland a little more, so Kaisa is setting a good pace. In for the final shoot – that wind is pretty fierce; slow shooting here but Kaisa (1,0,0,0) has shown amazing patience to clear all 5 – she’s away! Kryuko has missed 4! Røiseland (1,0,1,1) out 2nd, +46.2, then Eckhoff (0,0,3,1; +50.8), Wierer (1,2,1,1; +1:14.4), Hannah Öberg (2,1,1,1), and Kryuko (0,0,0,4). Herrmann (0,2,1,3) in 7th and in striking distance of 5th place? Yes, Denise Herrmann into 5th at 10.8 Km but I don’t think she’ll catch Doro. There’s going to be a good scrap for 2nd between Røiseland and Eckhoff! Kaisa Mäkäräinen has won her first race for a while – she is really happy with that! Eckhoff has been in the slipstream all the way round, and she’s nipped past to get 2nd! Røiseland in 3rd, then Wierer and Herrmann. Öberg in 6th, then Kryuko and Haecki (3,1,2,2) who managed 8th despite 8 penalty loops! Good grief – Tandrevold, Simon, Braisaz and Hinz on 9 loops each; Mironova 10, Kuklina 11. Haecki fastest on the range ahead of Innerhofer and Simon; Denise Herrmann quickest around the course, ahead of Doro and Kaisa (who slowed a lot on the final approach to the line). Delighted to see Kaisa back on form!
Oberhof; Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 12 Jan: Because of the rain earlier in the programme here they are skiing 5 Km before S1; I see they’ve put some protection on that nasty corner to stop people hitting the lamp post! Early on Martin Fourcade is marginally ahead of Christiansen, Desthieux and Tarjei Bø (who wasn’t in the relay yesterday!). Here we go for the first prone; oops, no we don’t, there’s another lap to make up the 5 km! Now it is S1 – Jacquelin having a bad time here – 3 misses, and so has Claude (the French one)! Tarjei Bø leads out, ahead of Martin F (+1.7), Desthieux, Christiansen, Peiffer and Krcmar (+4.2) – all clear. Quite a pace on the lap! At S2 Fourcade and Desthieux have both missed 1. Arnd Peiffer clear and away; Kühn (1,0) 2nd, +22.3 with Eder (0,0) 3rd, +22.8. Then Nelin, Desthieux and Fourcade; Tarjei missed 2, as did Krcmar, Dale, Eberhard, QFM and Eliseev, among others. Poor Jacquelin and Claude are both (3,2). Sadly Arnd has missed 1 at S3, and another 1 as well; Desthieux and Fourcade are shooting quickly to make the most of a lull in the wind – both clear. After S3 it’s Desthieux leading, ahead of Fourcade (+1.8), Peiffer (0,0,2; +25.4), Eder (0,0,1), Nelin (1,0,1) and Eberhard (0,2,0; +31.1). Quite a few on 3 misses in total so far, including Tarjei, QFM, Horn, Kühn, and Christiansen. At 12 Km Fourcade is 7 seconds ahead of Desthieux then Peiffer (+37.5) who is leading the chasing group. Martin F is coming in for his last shoot – early miss from Desthieux; Fourcade has missed his 5th – lucky for him that Desthieux has missed another! All the nearest chasers have missed! Martin F (0,1,0,1)is away, 27.3 ahead of Desthieux (0,1,0,2); Peiffer (0,0,2,1) in 3rd, +41.9 then Fak (1,1,1,0), Dale (0,2,1,1) and Horn (1,1,1,1). On the lap Peiffer is catching Desthieux, but Dale is closing on them both. At 14.5 km Peiffer has got to within 4 seconds of Desthieux, and he’s pulled away from Dale too. Martin Fourcade cruises to the win; good battle for the line – very close but Peiffer just gets 2nd, with Desthieux in 3rd. What an effort by Arnd – the crowd loved it! Dale in 4th, ahead of Fak and Horn. Well done to Jesper Nelin who only just qualified for this event and finished 7th! Pidruchnyi quickest on the range (but 4 misses), ahead of Fak and Nelin. Johannes Dale quickest around the course, ahead of Kühn, Christiansen and Bjøntegaard. Good race!
Oberhof; Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 12 Jan: Because of the rain earlier in the programme here they are skiing 5 Km before S1; I see they’ve put some protection on that nasty corner to stop people hitting the lamp post! Early on Martin Fourcade is marginally ahead of Christiansen, Desthieux and Tarjei Bø (who wasn’t in the relay yesterday!). Here we go for the first prone; oops, no we don’t, there’s another lap to make up the 5 km! Now it is S1 – Jacquelin having a bad time here – 3 misses, and so has Claude (the French one)! Tarjei Bø leads out, ahead of Martin F (+1.7), Desthieux, Christiansen, Peiffer and Krcmar (+4.2) – all clear. Quite a pace on the lap! At S2 Fourcade and Desthieux have both missed 1. Arnd Peiffer clear and away; Kühn (1,0) 2nd, +22.3 with Eder (0,0) 3rd, +22.8. Then Nelin, Desthieux and Fourcade; Tarjei missed 2, as did Krcmar, Dale, Eberhard, QFM and Eliseev, among others. Poor Jacquelin and Claude are both (3,2). Sadly Arnd has missed 1 at S3, and another 1 as well; Desthieux and Fourcade are shooting quickly to make the most of a lull in the wind – both clear. After S3 it’s Desthieux leading, ahead of Fourcade (+1.8), Peiffer (0,0,2; +25.4), Eder (0,0,1), Nelin (1,0,1) and Eberhard (0,2,0; +31.1). Quite a few on 3 misses in total so far, including Tarjei, QFM, Horn, Kühn, and Christiansen. At 12 Km Fourcade is 7 seconds ahead of Desthieux then Peiffer (+37.5) who is leading the chasing group. Martin F is coming in for his last shoot – early miss from Desthieux; Fourcade has missed his 5th – lucky for him that Desthieux has missed another! All the nearest chasers have missed! Martin F (0,1,0,1)is away, 27.3 ahead of Desthieux (0,1,0,2); Peiffer (0,0,2,1) in 3rd, +41.9 then Fak (1,1,1,0), Dale (0,2,1,1) and Horn (1,1,1,1). On the lap Peiffer is catching Desthieux, but Dale is closing on them both. At 14.5 km Peiffer has got to within 4 seconds of Desthieux, and he’s pulled away from Dale too. Martin Fourcade cruises to the win; good battle for the line – very close but Peiffer just gets 2nd, with Desthieux in 3rd. What an effort by Arnd – the crowd loved it! Dale in 4th, ahead of Fak and Horn. Well done to Jesper Nelin who only just qualified for this event and finished 7th! Pidruchnyi quickest on the range (but 4 misses), ahead of Fak and Nelin. Johannes Dale quickest around the course, ahead of Kühn, Christiansen and Bjøntegaard. Good race!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Alpine - Flachau - Night Slalom
by Bleausardv2 Thu 16 Jan 2020, 3:36 pm
14 Jan; Flachau, Women’s Slalom, Run 1: I do hope the weather is better there than it has been here today!! It all looks pretty good; Katharina Liensberger first away and she’s safely down. Petra Vlhova next; a little red at inter 1 but she’s half a second up at inter 2 – she leads by 0.65! I think the course was set by a Swedish coach, but it hasn’t helped Anna Swenn Larsson – 3rd, +0.77. Bib 4 is Mikaela Shiffrin – she’s quite a bit red at inter 1, and the same at 2 – she is into 2nd, but the gap to Vlhova is a pretty massive 0.60! Gisin into 5th; Truppe 6th; then Holdener takes over 5th. That piste, named for Hermann Maier, is quite icy – no one threatening Vlhova at present but it’s quite tight behind her to 5th, then there are some big time gaps opening up. That’s 15 away – Vlhova leads from Shiffrin (+0.60), Liensberger (+0.65), Swenn Larsson (+0.77) Holdener (+0.84) and Gisin (+1.30). Holtmann is risking it all, but she’s out – first DNF; Chiara Mair into 7th – good run from bib 21. Sara Hector (bib 24) got into 10th, but apart from that no late changes to the top 10. Sadly both Alex Tilley and Charlie Guest were DNFs.
Run 2: This is a tougher set, by an American coach; it will be interesting to see how it all holds up after, say, the slower 25 of the 30 who qualify for this second run! That’s a nice run from Marta Rossett1 (ITA) – bib 56 but qualified for run 2. Lena Dürr can’t match that, and neither can Emelie Wikström and Marina Wallner. Christina Ackermann has skied out; Meta Hrovat has given it a much more aggressive attempt, but she too is out. Franziska Gritsch was red at inter 2 but she’s skied the final section well – she leads by 0.18. Ana Bucik is keeping things in the green to inter 2; looking a little tired, and into 2nd, +0.07! Erin Mielzynski is red at 1, but she’s gaining time – she leads by just 0.06! Elena Stoffel into joint 3rd; Katharina Huber has gained to inter 1, back to just red at 2 and she’s 5th. Katharina Gallhuber is the last one before the halfway break – gained from 2 to 3, and then a bit more - that’s a good run and she leads by 0.33. Fifteen away; Gallhuber leads from Mielzynski, Gritsch and Bucik/Stoffel. Despite the caption Paula Moltzan is on the hill – into 8th. Ali Nullmeyer (CAN) into 3rd; Laurence St-Germain is keeping in the green all the way – she leads by 0.04; Canada 1st, 3rd and 4th at present! Irene Curtoni into 3rd; Aline Danioth has taken over that place – some impressive recoveries! Fjaellström into 5th; Nina Haver-Løseth is the last one before the second TV break and she’s gained a lot from inter 1 to 2 – she leads by a pretty impressive 0.58! Nice to see that Rossetti still has the best time on run 2 though! Eight to go – slow start from Katharina Truppe but she’s back in the green at inter 2 and then she’s flown down the final section – very risky but worth it – she leads by 0.63 and that is the best time on run2! Chiara Mair into 3rd; Michelle Gisin into 4th. Next will be Wendy Holdener, with 0.97 in hand; up to 1.23 at inter 1, 1.14 at 2and she leads by over a second (1.11). Anna Swenn Larsson has also gained to inter 1, and even more to 2 – great run and she leads by 0.40 – new fastest time on run 2 ahead of Holdener. Katharina Liensberger in the gate – she’s quite red at inter 2 though and into 3rd; here comes Mikaela Shiffrin (0.17 advantage) – 0.14 green at inter 1 and she’s red at 2, +0.35! She does look a bit off her usual form, despite one of her coaches setting this course – into 2nd! Petra Vlhova has lost a bit to inter 1, and even more to 2 – 0.77 to 0.12 – she’s got it back to win by just 0.10! Well, that was exciting!! Petra Vlhova wins (76,000 Swiss Francs too!) ahead of Anna Swenn Larsson and Mikaela Shiffrin. Holdener 4th, ahead of Liensberger and Truppe. In the slalom standings Shiffrin leads on 440, to Vlhova’s 360 with Anna S L on 235. In the overall Shiffrin has 886 points to Vlhova’s 613 with Federica Brignone 3rd on 565.
Run 2: This is a tougher set, by an American coach; it will be interesting to see how it all holds up after, say, the slower 25 of the 30 who qualify for this second run! That’s a nice run from Marta Rossett1 (ITA) – bib 56 but qualified for run 2. Lena Dürr can’t match that, and neither can Emelie Wikström and Marina Wallner. Christina Ackermann has skied out; Meta Hrovat has given it a much more aggressive attempt, but she too is out. Franziska Gritsch was red at inter 2 but she’s skied the final section well – she leads by 0.18. Ana Bucik is keeping things in the green to inter 2; looking a little tired, and into 2nd, +0.07! Erin Mielzynski is red at 1, but she’s gaining time – she leads by just 0.06! Elena Stoffel into joint 3rd; Katharina Huber has gained to inter 1, back to just red at 2 and she’s 5th. Katharina Gallhuber is the last one before the halfway break – gained from 2 to 3, and then a bit more - that’s a good run and she leads by 0.33. Fifteen away; Gallhuber leads from Mielzynski, Gritsch and Bucik/Stoffel. Despite the caption Paula Moltzan is on the hill – into 8th. Ali Nullmeyer (CAN) into 3rd; Laurence St-Germain is keeping in the green all the way – she leads by 0.04; Canada 1st, 3rd and 4th at present! Irene Curtoni into 3rd; Aline Danioth has taken over that place – some impressive recoveries! Fjaellström into 5th; Nina Haver-Løseth is the last one before the second TV break and she’s gained a lot from inter 1 to 2 – she leads by a pretty impressive 0.58! Nice to see that Rossetti still has the best time on run 2 though! Eight to go – slow start from Katharina Truppe but she’s back in the green at inter 2 and then she’s flown down the final section – very risky but worth it – she leads by 0.63 and that is the best time on run2! Chiara Mair into 3rd; Michelle Gisin into 4th. Next will be Wendy Holdener, with 0.97 in hand; up to 1.23 at inter 1, 1.14 at 2and she leads by over a second (1.11). Anna Swenn Larsson has also gained to inter 1, and even more to 2 – great run and she leads by 0.40 – new fastest time on run 2 ahead of Holdener. Katharina Liensberger in the gate – she’s quite red at inter 2 though and into 3rd; here comes Mikaela Shiffrin (0.17 advantage) – 0.14 green at inter 1 and she’s red at 2, +0.35! She does look a bit off her usual form, despite one of her coaches setting this course – into 2nd! Petra Vlhova has lost a bit to inter 1, and even more to 2 – 0.77 to 0.12 – she’s got it back to win by just 0.10! Well, that was exciting!! Petra Vlhova wins (76,000 Swiss Francs too!) ahead of Anna Swenn Larsson and Mikaela Shiffrin. Holdener 4th, ahead of Liensberger and Truppe. In the slalom standings Shiffrin leads on 440, to Vlhova’s 360 with Anna S L on 235. In the overall Shiffrin has 886 points to Vlhova’s 613 with Federica Brignone 3rd on 565.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Ruhpolding - Sprints
by Bleausardv2 Thu 16 Jan 2020, 3:39 pm
Ruhpolding, Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 15 Jan 20: Missed this one completely as I was out and delayed getting back. Suffice it to say that Tiril Eckhoff hit all 10 targets! Tiril took the win, as with no penalties, no one else seemd able to ski as fast – she was 29.7 seconds faster than second placed Hanna Öberg, with Doro Wierer in 3rd, +36.8. Hanna Sola (BLR) was 4th, ahead of Paulina Fialkova (all those 5 shot clear) with Marte Olsbu Røiseland (0,1) in 6th, +55.4. Julia Simon (0,1) was 7th with Vanessa Hinz (0,0) bets of the Germans in 8th but +1:03.2, so her ski speed is disappointing. Franzi Preuß (0,0) was 14th, so her speed is also lacking; Denise Herrmann (1,2) was 19th – speedy enough but her recent shooting form seems to have deserted her this time. Full report (IBU) HERE
Ruhpolding, Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 16 Jan 20: Gosh, 111 starters! It’s another nice day, but a bit warm - +4 degrees in parts of the course. Even early on it seems the course might cut up quite badly? Johannes Dale at S1, and it’s a good time as he comes in – all 5 down and he’s away; Simon Eder also clear but 15 seconds slower; Ponsiluoma has missed 3 and Hofer 1. That’s better – Johannes Kühn clear at S1 and out just 2.2 behind Dale; QFM is even closer, clear and +0.3! Benedikt Doll also clear and out 3rd, +1.7; Martin Fourcade is clear too and fastest so far, 2.3 quicker than Dale, who is at S2 now – he’s missed 2 there. Kühn has missed 1 at 2 as well but he is fractionally faster than Pidruchnyi, who was the first clear after S2. Jakob Fak is also 10/10 and fractionally ahead of Kühn, but that’s a bit academic as QFM is clear and fast, and he’s out just ahead of the clean shooting Benedikt Doll (+3.2). Martin F also 10/10 and 1.9 faster than Fillon Maillet; back at S1 Simon Desthieux is clear and 0.5 behind Fourcade but Arnd Peiffer is also clear and 3.3 faster than Fourcade; Christiansen has just cleared and tied with Peiffer’s time! This is all very tight – great race so far! Tarjei Bø has missed 1 at S1, and +18.9. At the finish it’s currently Fourcade leading, after a blistering final lap, ahead of QFM with Doll in 3rd. At S2 Simon Desthieux has missed his 10th; Christiansen has missed 1 too, Bø and Peiffer have missed 2 each at S2. So, after S2 at present it’s Fourcade, QFM, Doll, Christiansen, Desthieux and Eliseev. Jacquelin at S2 and he’s missed his 9th – he was inside time at that point; out 5th, +19.9. Fabien Claude (1,0; this is the French one) is out of S2 in 4th, +12.9, so a top 3 might just be possible, given his ski speed. At the finish Christiansen is over the line in 4th; Desthieux in 5th now; Claude is losing a bit of time on his last lap – still 4th at 8.6 Km, but 10.7 back on Doll. Claude is over the line, in joint 5th with Desthieux. Back at S1 Phillipp Nawrath (GER) is clear and just 0.9 behind Peiffer and Christiansen there. Guigonnat in touch coming into S2, but he too has missed his 10th – out 16th. Now, Nawrath is at S2 – still in touch; that was quick shooting and he’s got all 5 down – he joins the 10/10 club and he’s out just 1.6 behind Fourcade, 0.3 ahead of QFM! Sadly he’s fading – he’s behind Doll at 8.6 Km, and he’s dropped behind Claude at 9.1. The track isn’t helping him – he’s over the line in 7th, just 1.1 behind the joint 5th place – a pretty impressive performance in what I believe is his home town! That might well be it – the French have 4 in the top 6 at present; nice to see 3 Germans in the top 10. So, Martin Fourcade takes another win, just 3.1 ahead of Quentin Fillon Maillet with Benedikt Doll getting the final podium place – all 3, 10/10. Christiansen (0,1) in 4th, and fastest around the course, then Desthieux (0,1) and Claude (1,0) tied in 5th. Timofei Lapshin (KOR) quickest on the range, ahead of Eberhard and Jacquelin; Christiansen fastest over the tracks, ahead of QFM, Fourcade, Desthieux and Claude – there’s interesting (perhaps) for the men’s relay!?
Ruhpolding, Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 16 Jan 20: Gosh, 111 starters! It’s another nice day, but a bit warm - +4 degrees in parts of the course. Even early on it seems the course might cut up quite badly? Johannes Dale at S1, and it’s a good time as he comes in – all 5 down and he’s away; Simon Eder also clear but 15 seconds slower; Ponsiluoma has missed 3 and Hofer 1. That’s better – Johannes Kühn clear at S1 and out just 2.2 behind Dale; QFM is even closer, clear and +0.3! Benedikt Doll also clear and out 3rd, +1.7; Martin Fourcade is clear too and fastest so far, 2.3 quicker than Dale, who is at S2 now – he’s missed 2 there. Kühn has missed 1 at 2 as well but he is fractionally faster than Pidruchnyi, who was the first clear after S2. Jakob Fak is also 10/10 and fractionally ahead of Kühn, but that’s a bit academic as QFM is clear and fast, and he’s out just ahead of the clean shooting Benedikt Doll (+3.2). Martin F also 10/10 and 1.9 faster than Fillon Maillet; back at S1 Simon Desthieux is clear and 0.5 behind Fourcade but Arnd Peiffer is also clear and 3.3 faster than Fourcade; Christiansen has just cleared and tied with Peiffer’s time! This is all very tight – great race so far! Tarjei Bø has missed 1 at S1, and +18.9. At the finish it’s currently Fourcade leading, after a blistering final lap, ahead of QFM with Doll in 3rd. At S2 Simon Desthieux has missed his 10th; Christiansen has missed 1 too, Bø and Peiffer have missed 2 each at S2. So, after S2 at present it’s Fourcade, QFM, Doll, Christiansen, Desthieux and Eliseev. Jacquelin at S2 and he’s missed his 9th – he was inside time at that point; out 5th, +19.9. Fabien Claude (1,0; this is the French one) is out of S2 in 4th, +12.9, so a top 3 might just be possible, given his ski speed. At the finish Christiansen is over the line in 4th; Desthieux in 5th now; Claude is losing a bit of time on his last lap – still 4th at 8.6 Km, but 10.7 back on Doll. Claude is over the line, in joint 5th with Desthieux. Back at S1 Phillipp Nawrath (GER) is clear and just 0.9 behind Peiffer and Christiansen there. Guigonnat in touch coming into S2, but he too has missed his 10th – out 16th. Now, Nawrath is at S2 – still in touch; that was quick shooting and he’s got all 5 down – he joins the 10/10 club and he’s out just 1.6 behind Fourcade, 0.3 ahead of QFM! Sadly he’s fading – he’s behind Doll at 8.6 Km, and he’s dropped behind Claude at 9.1. The track isn’t helping him – he’s over the line in 7th, just 1.1 behind the joint 5th place – a pretty impressive performance in what I believe is his home town! That might well be it – the French have 4 in the top 6 at present; nice to see 3 Germans in the top 10. So, Martin Fourcade takes another win, just 3.1 ahead of Quentin Fillon Maillet with Benedikt Doll getting the final podium place – all 3, 10/10. Christiansen (0,1) in 4th, and fastest around the course, then Desthieux (0,1) and Claude (1,0) tied in 5th. Timofei Lapshin (KOR) quickest on the range, ahead of Eberhard and Jacquelin; Christiansen fastest over the tracks, ahead of QFM, Fourcade, Desthieux and Claude – there’s interesting (perhaps) for the men’s relay!?
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Alpine - Wengen & Sestriere
by Bleausardv2 Wed 22 Jan 2020, 4:18 pm
17 Jan; Wengen (Lauberhorn), Men’s Alpine Combined, Downhill: Ye Gods, that’s a mean looking downhill, even though it’s a shortened version (still 1.8 miles!) – that’s going to test the technical skiers!! Aleksander Aamodt Kilde first away and he was doing 145.54 kph through the final speed gun - that time might take a bit of beating? Much to my surprise Victor Muffat-Jeandet is in touch, 2nd and just +0.21; even more surprising is that Kjetil Jansrud can’t match Victor – he’s 3rd, +0.24. The surprises keep coming – Riccardo Tonetti, who arguably trains more on the technical events, has gone faster than Kilde – he leads by 0.03!! Alexis Pinturault next and he’s in touch – great recovery to regain his balance early on; briefly green at inter 2 but then more red – he’s 6th, +0.59. Nils Allegre has taken over 6th, +0.46; Thomas Dressen has missed a gate – first DNF of today. That’s 10 away – Tonetti leads from Kilde and Muffat-Jeandet! Jansrud in 4th, ahead of Cochran-Siegle and Allegre. Mauro Caviezel pushing hard, and he was quick in practice here; he’s very close to the nets on that jump and then he’s out – possibly a setup problem? Stefan Rogentin (SUI), who has been going well in the Europa Cup, is going well here – he’s into 3rd, just 0.16 off the pace. Bryce Bennett into 6th; Romed Baumann has made a big error – he has continued but DNFs just before the line. Daniel Danklemaier (AUT) is going well – lots of greens at the intermediates; he leads by 0.42 although it isn’t showing on the FIS feed for some reason! In fact he’s vanished; I wonder if there is some problem? Pavel Trikhichev was going well until almost the end when a possible top 5 became 14th. Vincent Kriechmayr is bib 19; green at inter 1 but a little slow at the next two speed guns – he’s into 3rd, +0.43. Still no sign of Danklemaier on the actual result sheets, but he seems to be in the leader’s chair? Dominik Paris also green at inter 1, red after that but then green at inter 4 – he’s shown as going into 2nd, +0.12, but leading on the result sheet – this is very odd! Gilles Roulin (SUI) is flying, but he is more of a downhill specialist – lots of green and he leads by 0.14! The FIS feed shows the top 3 as Roulin, Paris and Tonetti, but surely Danklemaier is 2nd?? Martin Cater into 4th (shown as 3rd) but he loses that place to next away Niels Hintermann (SUI), +0.27. Looking at the start list Danklemaier is shown as “started” but nothing else – seems the FIS have a gremlin! Ah, a TV break and it’s been sorted! Roulin leads, from Danklemaier and Paris, then Hintermann, Cater and Tonetti. This isn’t looking good for the speed specialists! However, here comes Matthias Mayer – lots of green after inter 3 and he leads by 0.53! That was pretty much it – of the later starters Jared Goldberg (bib 44) was perhaps the best; he got into 18th, just one place ahead of Pinturault!
Run 2, Slalom: Now, under the new rules, Matthias Mayer goes first – great recovery skills, and he’s down. Gilles Roulin is nothing like as sure on the slalom skis, and he’s +2.8 at the finish. The commentary team are pointing out that downhill specialists on slalom skis tend to cut up the track more than slalom experts – that might help them? Danklemaier into 3rd (+4.27!); Dominik Paris into 2nd, but still over 2 seconds back, and now Hintermann has taken over 2nd, +1.68. This slalom course was set by a Slovenian coach, and it perhaps helped Martin Cater, who has just gone into 2nd. Now, that’s a bit of a shock – Riccardo Tonetti has made an error (a similar one to Mayer, it seems) and he’s 2nd, +1.24. Kilde into 4th; 10 away now and Mayer leads from Tonetti and Cater, then Kilde, Hintermann and Kriechmayr. Now, it’s a tech specialist again – Victor M-J; he’s gaining time all the way and the light is getting less red – not enough though and he’s into 2nd, +0.67! Jansrud into 5th; now here comes Alexis Pinturault – 1.48 behind at inter 1 and he’s gaining a lot here – 0.45 behind at inter 3 and he’s missed the lead by just 0.07! Brilliant run from Pinturault; he’s into a well-deserved 2nd place. Loic Meillard into 4th; I wonder if it’s all over as regards the top 6? It’s certainly looking like it – and it is; no changes to the top 10! Great win for Matthias Mayer, holding on by just 7 hundredths to the win ahead of Alexis Pinturault, who gained 1b places end up 2nd, with Victor Muffat-Jeandet getting the final podium place. Meillard 4th, ahead of Tonetti and Cater.
18 Jan; Sestriere, Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1: A busy morning, so I missed most of this – Wendy Holdener was first away; Mina Fuerst Holtmann was bib 2 but DNF’d; next was Petra Vlhova who, fairly predictably, took the lead. Not for long though as next away was Federica Brignone who went 0.17 faster! Vikki Rebensburg was the next to change things, going into 3rd, and then it was Mikaela Shiffrin. I’m not sure what’s troubling her at present, but she doesn’t seem to be in top form – she went 4th, 0.42 behind Bassino. Later Alice Robinson went into 6th, and that’s how it was when I returned from forgetting to go to the butchers! No late changes to the top 6, but Kristina Riis-Johannessen had a flier to get into 15th from bib 41.
Run 2: Conditions seem ideal and it’s sunny too; this is a high altitude race though! With 5 away, Irene Curtoni leads – she made up a lot all the way down the course, so she should gain a few places in this run. Andrea Ellenberger (SUI) into 2nd; Julia Scheib (AUT) did well on run 1 but she’s an early DNF this time – at least she seems OK. Kaja Norbye (NOR) much more in touch – she goes 2nd by just 0.03. Nina Haver-Løseth has gained time from the start to inter1, but now it’s beginning to drift away and she’s just red at 3 – into 3rd, +0.08; Irene Curtoni has gained 10 places so far! That’s an impressive final section from Katharina Liensberger, +0.35 at the final intermediate but she’s pulled it all back and a bit more to the line – she leads by 0.05! Not for long though as Tine Robnik (SLO) is flying – she’s gained a lot from 2 to 3; lost a little lower down but she leads by 0.42 – Liensberger has barely reached the chair! Estelle Alphand is also going well; lost a bit from inter 1 to 2, a little more to 3 but she too has gone well on the final section to lead by 0.19. Kristina Riis-Johannessen (NOR) was red at inter 1 but she’s getting it back – she leads by 0.08; what a great effort from a late starter! I thought Clara Direz (FRA) was going to take it away but she lost time to the line – 2nd, by just 0.02! Marta Bassino is delighting the Italian fans – she’s gaining time all the way to lead by 0.56 and that’s the new best time on run 2! The Italians are going well here – Sofia Goggia has gained a lot from inter 1 to 2; lost almost half a second to 3 but she’s keeping in touch and now she leads by 0.09! Coralie Frasse Sombet into 3rd; a poor start by Sara Hector but she’s got back into the green at inter 3 and takes over the lead by 0.11 – good recovery. Meta Hrovat is really pushing it – she’s gaining time pretty much all the way, and she leads by a massive 0.62; new best time on run 2! Alice Robinson into the red at inter 2, but then she’s shifted up a gear – green at inter 3 and gaining even more to the line – the lead by 0.48! Five to go – Robinson leads from Hrovat and Hector. Next away is Wendy Holdener; she’s gained to inter 2, lost a bit to 3 and lost a bit more to the line – just enough gained early on to give her the lead by 0.06! Now, can Mikaela Shiffrin get back to her normal form? She has just 0.14 advantage as she starts; it’s up to 0.52 at inter 2 but she’s just red at 3 – good speed to the line and she leads by 0.37. Vikki Rebensburg is a bit off the pace on run 2 – she’s lost a bit more to the line and ends up 5th for the moment. Now, Petra Vlhova has 0.25 in hand as she starts – up to 0.57 by 2, back to 0.29 at 3 – she leads by just one one hundredth! Just Federica Brignone to come – she’s almost doubled her advantage to inter 1 but she’s red by 2, back green at 3 but only just – she’s in a dead heat finish with Vlhova! Well, you can’t ask for a closer result than that – Brignone and Vlhova share the win, with Shiffrin 3rd, just 0.01 behind!! Holdener in 4th, ahead of Robinson and Hrovat. Brignone (375) leads the GS standings ahead of Shiffrin (314), Bassino (264) and Vlhova (253). Shiffrin (946) still leads the overall, from Vlhova (713) and Brignone (665). What a race!!
18 Jan; Wengen (Lauberhorn), Men’s Downhill: Apparently the jury have decided that the start should be lowered to the one used for yesterday’s Alpine Combined (it seems machine work on the course has damaged the racing line – interview without coffee for the driver?). Looks a nice day – pity the race isn’t the full length though. Bryce Bennett first away, and safely down. Next to go is Max Franz, and he was into the red by the mid-point – lost the line lower down too – very lucky to recover that one but it’s cost him a lot of time – into 2nd, +2.68; he’s furious with himself! Next is Mauro Caviezel – green at inter 2, and getting greener – he leads by 0.45, but he seems to think it could have been better! Ben Thomsen onto 3rd; Thomas Dressen is in touch, just a few hundredths red at the intermediates and he’s gained a little to the line to go into the lead by 0.11. Travis Ganong living dangerously early on; he’s recovered it and into 4th; now, here comes Dominik Paris – very aggressive start and he’s fractionally green at inter 3, greener at 4 and he’s lost a tiny bit despite being fastest through the final speed trap – he’s got it by just 2 hundredths! Steve Nyman into 5th; here comes Beat Feuz – there’s a lot of green and he’s fastest through the chicane; 0.29 ahead at both of the final 2 intermediates, and that’s the same at the line – Feuz leads; the fans love that!! Matthias Mayer can only manage 4th; Kilde green at inter 1 but then into the red – he looked set for a podium at the final intermediate, but he lost time to the line and he’s into 6th. Fifteen away; Beat Feuz leads ahead of Paris, Dressen, Mayer, Caviezel and Kilde. Great escape by Clarey, very nearly into the netting – he recovered but that cost him a lot of speed. Jansrud still not quite at full power, it seems – into 9th; Niels Hintermann into 8th and not a bad run from young Daniel Danklemaier – he’s 11th. I think that might be it; Niels Hintermann the highest bib number (23) in the top 10 at present. That’s Beat Feuz’s third win here; good results for both Dominik Paris and Thomas Dressen. That puts Feuz back ahead in the Downhill standings; 400 points with Paris on 384 and Dressen just into 3rd on 201. Hang on – Ralph Weber (SUI, bib 34) on track and into 10th – a career best! Good effort by Manuel Schmid (GER, bib 38) into 13th too.
19 Jan; Wengen (Männlichen), Men’s Slalom, run 1: This first run was set by a French coach; it looks a lovely day and the old snow is cold again – Clement Noel is first away and that looked good! He doesn’t seem entirely satisfied with it, but next away Ramon Zenhaeusern can’t match him – Ramon is +0.99! Next at the gate – Henrik Kristoffersen – green at inter 1 but red at 2 and getting redder; very close to a straddle at one point, and he’s 2nd, +0.67. Marco Schwarz into 3rd; Andre Myhrer has lost it and skied out. Alexis Pinturault next – a few errors and he’s 0.99 off the pace, into joint 4th. The ruts are developing already; Daniel Yule can only manage 6th, +1.48! Seb Foss-Solevaag next and he’s taken over 6th place; Stefan Hadelin looked as though he’d forgotten the final gate – think he just made it? Dave Ryding next and after a good top section he’s losing time – into 10th, +1.74. Loic Meillard into joint 6th; Michael Matt has crossed the tips of his skis and he’s out. Recovery of the day probably goes to Stefano Gross, right on the tails of his skis, but he made the gate! Fifteen away – Noel leads from Kristoffersen and Schwarz with Pinturault and Zenhaeusern tied in 4th, ahead of Meillard and Seb F-S, who are tied in 6th. Nice run from Alex Khoroshilov; he’s into 8th, +1.43. Quite a nice run from Tanguy Nef too – bib 23 and he’s gaining places on the lower sections – he’s 8th now. Armand Marchant in trouble and a ski has released; he’s out. Coverage has finished – no changes so far to the top 6; Tanguy Nef the last to break into the top 10. Dave Ryding about half way on the start list for run 2!
Run 2: A very technical set from a Swedish coach, apparently. Third to start is bib 55, Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen – more often seen on speed events, but he’s in the lead at present! Not for long though; Fabio Gstrein (AUT) has deposed him very quickly. Those two have gained a few places but nice to see Jean-Baptiste Grange take over the lead! Linus Strasser has gained a lot between inter 2 and 3 but then he’s lost it again, and just 4th. It’s getting a bit mistier at the top; Jonathan Nordbotten into 3rd and now it’s Dave Ryding; green still at inter 1 and in touch to inter 3, but losing time on the final section – just 5th. Fifteen away – Grange still leads (6 places gained at present), ahead of Gstrein (9 places!) and Nordbotten. Leif KNH still 4th (9 places gained)! And now it’s snowing too! Daniel Yule surprisingly far down after run 1, but he’s going well here – he takes over the lead. Razzoli into 3rd; the snow has got a lot heavier very quickly – Alex Khoroshilov green, red, red and green to lead by 0.07! Tanguy Nef into 3rd now; Seb F-S has gained time from 1 to 2, lost quite a bit of it to 3 and he’s missed the lead by just 0.02. Loic Meillard has done much the same, but lost even more to go 6th. Ramon Zenhaeusern next – he too has lost a bit between 2 and 3, and he goes joint 3rd, +0.07 so tied with Yule – all very close! Alexis Pinturault has 0.44 in hand as he starts; gained a little to inter 1 and more to 2 but he’s straddled. Marco Schwarz had a massive advantage but it’s drifting away and he’s just 0.08 red at the finish – that’s only 5th though! Henrik Kristoffersen has 0.76 in hand – he’s gained a little to 2 and still has 0.72 at 3 – some of that has gone, but he’s still 0.43 ahead at the line. Now, just Clement Noel to go – he’s gained a little to 1and still has 0.58 at 3 – he’s done it! Well done Clement Noel – great run! Interesting to see that the best time on run 2 still belongs to Fabio Gstrein! Great runs from Noel, Kristoffersen in 2nd and Alex Khoroshilov gets a podium too! Well done him. Best gainer seems to be Grange, who gained 13 places – oops, no it’s Gstrein with 14, and Leif KNH also has 13; pretty god for a speed specialist!
19 Jan; Sestriere, Women’s Parallel GS: Didn’t have time to see this and, for me, it’s not a great format in print – fun to watch though. A few surprises; Vlhova out in round 1, Shiffrin out in the 1/8 finals! Great win for Clara Direz, with Elisa Mörzinger (AUT) the runner up.
Run 2, Slalom: Now, under the new rules, Matthias Mayer goes first – great recovery skills, and he’s down. Gilles Roulin is nothing like as sure on the slalom skis, and he’s +2.8 at the finish. The commentary team are pointing out that downhill specialists on slalom skis tend to cut up the track more than slalom experts – that might help them? Danklemaier into 3rd (+4.27!); Dominik Paris into 2nd, but still over 2 seconds back, and now Hintermann has taken over 2nd, +1.68. This slalom course was set by a Slovenian coach, and it perhaps helped Martin Cater, who has just gone into 2nd. Now, that’s a bit of a shock – Riccardo Tonetti has made an error (a similar one to Mayer, it seems) and he’s 2nd, +1.24. Kilde into 4th; 10 away now and Mayer leads from Tonetti and Cater, then Kilde, Hintermann and Kriechmayr. Now, it’s a tech specialist again – Victor M-J; he’s gaining time all the way and the light is getting less red – not enough though and he’s into 2nd, +0.67! Jansrud into 5th; now here comes Alexis Pinturault – 1.48 behind at inter 1 and he’s gaining a lot here – 0.45 behind at inter 3 and he’s missed the lead by just 0.07! Brilliant run from Pinturault; he’s into a well-deserved 2nd place. Loic Meillard into 4th; I wonder if it’s all over as regards the top 6? It’s certainly looking like it – and it is; no changes to the top 10! Great win for Matthias Mayer, holding on by just 7 hundredths to the win ahead of Alexis Pinturault, who gained 1b places end up 2nd, with Victor Muffat-Jeandet getting the final podium place. Meillard 4th, ahead of Tonetti and Cater.
18 Jan; Sestriere, Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1: A busy morning, so I missed most of this – Wendy Holdener was first away; Mina Fuerst Holtmann was bib 2 but DNF’d; next was Petra Vlhova who, fairly predictably, took the lead. Not for long though as next away was Federica Brignone who went 0.17 faster! Vikki Rebensburg was the next to change things, going into 3rd, and then it was Mikaela Shiffrin. I’m not sure what’s troubling her at present, but she doesn’t seem to be in top form – she went 4th, 0.42 behind Bassino. Later Alice Robinson went into 6th, and that’s how it was when I returned from forgetting to go to the butchers! No late changes to the top 6, but Kristina Riis-Johannessen had a flier to get into 15th from bib 41.
Run 2: Conditions seem ideal and it’s sunny too; this is a high altitude race though! With 5 away, Irene Curtoni leads – she made up a lot all the way down the course, so she should gain a few places in this run. Andrea Ellenberger (SUI) into 2nd; Julia Scheib (AUT) did well on run 1 but she’s an early DNF this time – at least she seems OK. Kaja Norbye (NOR) much more in touch – she goes 2nd by just 0.03. Nina Haver-Løseth has gained time from the start to inter1, but now it’s beginning to drift away and she’s just red at 3 – into 3rd, +0.08; Irene Curtoni has gained 10 places so far! That’s an impressive final section from Katharina Liensberger, +0.35 at the final intermediate but she’s pulled it all back and a bit more to the line – she leads by 0.05! Not for long though as Tine Robnik (SLO) is flying – she’s gained a lot from 2 to 3; lost a little lower down but she leads by 0.42 – Liensberger has barely reached the chair! Estelle Alphand is also going well; lost a bit from inter 1 to 2, a little more to 3 but she too has gone well on the final section to lead by 0.19. Kristina Riis-Johannessen (NOR) was red at inter 1 but she’s getting it back – she leads by 0.08; what a great effort from a late starter! I thought Clara Direz (FRA) was going to take it away but she lost time to the line – 2nd, by just 0.02! Marta Bassino is delighting the Italian fans – she’s gaining time all the way to lead by 0.56 and that’s the new best time on run 2! The Italians are going well here – Sofia Goggia has gained a lot from inter 1 to 2; lost almost half a second to 3 but she’s keeping in touch and now she leads by 0.09! Coralie Frasse Sombet into 3rd; a poor start by Sara Hector but she’s got back into the green at inter 3 and takes over the lead by 0.11 – good recovery. Meta Hrovat is really pushing it – she’s gaining time pretty much all the way, and she leads by a massive 0.62; new best time on run 2! Alice Robinson into the red at inter 2, but then she’s shifted up a gear – green at inter 3 and gaining even more to the line – the lead by 0.48! Five to go – Robinson leads from Hrovat and Hector. Next away is Wendy Holdener; she’s gained to inter 2, lost a bit to 3 and lost a bit more to the line – just enough gained early on to give her the lead by 0.06! Now, can Mikaela Shiffrin get back to her normal form? She has just 0.14 advantage as she starts; it’s up to 0.52 at inter 2 but she’s just red at 3 – good speed to the line and she leads by 0.37. Vikki Rebensburg is a bit off the pace on run 2 – she’s lost a bit more to the line and ends up 5th for the moment. Now, Petra Vlhova has 0.25 in hand as she starts – up to 0.57 by 2, back to 0.29 at 3 – she leads by just one one hundredth! Just Federica Brignone to come – she’s almost doubled her advantage to inter 1 but she’s red by 2, back green at 3 but only just – she’s in a dead heat finish with Vlhova! Well, you can’t ask for a closer result than that – Brignone and Vlhova share the win, with Shiffrin 3rd, just 0.01 behind!! Holdener in 4th, ahead of Robinson and Hrovat. Brignone (375) leads the GS standings ahead of Shiffrin (314), Bassino (264) and Vlhova (253). Shiffrin (946) still leads the overall, from Vlhova (713) and Brignone (665). What a race!!
18 Jan; Wengen (Lauberhorn), Men’s Downhill: Apparently the jury have decided that the start should be lowered to the one used for yesterday’s Alpine Combined (it seems machine work on the course has damaged the racing line – interview without coffee for the driver?). Looks a nice day – pity the race isn’t the full length though. Bryce Bennett first away, and safely down. Next to go is Max Franz, and he was into the red by the mid-point – lost the line lower down too – very lucky to recover that one but it’s cost him a lot of time – into 2nd, +2.68; he’s furious with himself! Next is Mauro Caviezel – green at inter 2, and getting greener – he leads by 0.45, but he seems to think it could have been better! Ben Thomsen onto 3rd; Thomas Dressen is in touch, just a few hundredths red at the intermediates and he’s gained a little to the line to go into the lead by 0.11. Travis Ganong living dangerously early on; he’s recovered it and into 4th; now, here comes Dominik Paris – very aggressive start and he’s fractionally green at inter 3, greener at 4 and he’s lost a tiny bit despite being fastest through the final speed trap – he’s got it by just 2 hundredths! Steve Nyman into 5th; here comes Beat Feuz – there’s a lot of green and he’s fastest through the chicane; 0.29 ahead at both of the final 2 intermediates, and that’s the same at the line – Feuz leads; the fans love that!! Matthias Mayer can only manage 4th; Kilde green at inter 1 but then into the red – he looked set for a podium at the final intermediate, but he lost time to the line and he’s into 6th. Fifteen away; Beat Feuz leads ahead of Paris, Dressen, Mayer, Caviezel and Kilde. Great escape by Clarey, very nearly into the netting – he recovered but that cost him a lot of speed. Jansrud still not quite at full power, it seems – into 9th; Niels Hintermann into 8th and not a bad run from young Daniel Danklemaier – he’s 11th. I think that might be it; Niels Hintermann the highest bib number (23) in the top 10 at present. That’s Beat Feuz’s third win here; good results for both Dominik Paris and Thomas Dressen. That puts Feuz back ahead in the Downhill standings; 400 points with Paris on 384 and Dressen just into 3rd on 201. Hang on – Ralph Weber (SUI, bib 34) on track and into 10th – a career best! Good effort by Manuel Schmid (GER, bib 38) into 13th too.
19 Jan; Wengen (Männlichen), Men’s Slalom, run 1: This first run was set by a French coach; it looks a lovely day and the old snow is cold again – Clement Noel is first away and that looked good! He doesn’t seem entirely satisfied with it, but next away Ramon Zenhaeusern can’t match him – Ramon is +0.99! Next at the gate – Henrik Kristoffersen – green at inter 1 but red at 2 and getting redder; very close to a straddle at one point, and he’s 2nd, +0.67. Marco Schwarz into 3rd; Andre Myhrer has lost it and skied out. Alexis Pinturault next – a few errors and he’s 0.99 off the pace, into joint 4th. The ruts are developing already; Daniel Yule can only manage 6th, +1.48! Seb Foss-Solevaag next and he’s taken over 6th place; Stefan Hadelin looked as though he’d forgotten the final gate – think he just made it? Dave Ryding next and after a good top section he’s losing time – into 10th, +1.74. Loic Meillard into joint 6th; Michael Matt has crossed the tips of his skis and he’s out. Recovery of the day probably goes to Stefano Gross, right on the tails of his skis, but he made the gate! Fifteen away – Noel leads from Kristoffersen and Schwarz with Pinturault and Zenhaeusern tied in 4th, ahead of Meillard and Seb F-S, who are tied in 6th. Nice run from Alex Khoroshilov; he’s into 8th, +1.43. Quite a nice run from Tanguy Nef too – bib 23 and he’s gaining places on the lower sections – he’s 8th now. Armand Marchant in trouble and a ski has released; he’s out. Coverage has finished – no changes so far to the top 6; Tanguy Nef the last to break into the top 10. Dave Ryding about half way on the start list for run 2!
Run 2: A very technical set from a Swedish coach, apparently. Third to start is bib 55, Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen – more often seen on speed events, but he’s in the lead at present! Not for long though; Fabio Gstrein (AUT) has deposed him very quickly. Those two have gained a few places but nice to see Jean-Baptiste Grange take over the lead! Linus Strasser has gained a lot between inter 2 and 3 but then he’s lost it again, and just 4th. It’s getting a bit mistier at the top; Jonathan Nordbotten into 3rd and now it’s Dave Ryding; green still at inter 1 and in touch to inter 3, but losing time on the final section – just 5th. Fifteen away – Grange still leads (6 places gained at present), ahead of Gstrein (9 places!) and Nordbotten. Leif KNH still 4th (9 places gained)! And now it’s snowing too! Daniel Yule surprisingly far down after run 1, but he’s going well here – he takes over the lead. Razzoli into 3rd; the snow has got a lot heavier very quickly – Alex Khoroshilov green, red, red and green to lead by 0.07! Tanguy Nef into 3rd now; Seb F-S has gained time from 1 to 2, lost quite a bit of it to 3 and he’s missed the lead by just 0.02. Loic Meillard has done much the same, but lost even more to go 6th. Ramon Zenhaeusern next – he too has lost a bit between 2 and 3, and he goes joint 3rd, +0.07 so tied with Yule – all very close! Alexis Pinturault has 0.44 in hand as he starts; gained a little to inter 1 and more to 2 but he’s straddled. Marco Schwarz had a massive advantage but it’s drifting away and he’s just 0.08 red at the finish – that’s only 5th though! Henrik Kristoffersen has 0.76 in hand – he’s gained a little to 2 and still has 0.72 at 3 – some of that has gone, but he’s still 0.43 ahead at the line. Now, just Clement Noel to go – he’s gained a little to 1and still has 0.58 at 3 – he’s done it! Well done Clement Noel – great run! Interesting to see that the best time on run 2 still belongs to Fabio Gstrein! Great runs from Noel, Kristoffersen in 2nd and Alex Khoroshilov gets a podium too! Well done him. Best gainer seems to be Grange, who gained 13 places – oops, no it’s Gstrein with 14, and Leif KNH also has 13; pretty god for a speed specialist!
19 Jan; Sestriere, Women’s Parallel GS: Didn’t have time to see this and, for me, it’s not a great format in print – fun to watch though. A few surprises; Vlhova out in round 1, Shiffrin out in the 1/8 finals! Great win for Clara Direz, with Elisa Mörzinger (AUT) the runner up.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
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Biathlon - Ruhpolding - Relays
by Bleausardv2 Wed 22 Jan 2020, 4:21 pm
Ruhpolding, Women’s 4 x 6 Km Relay, 17 Jan 20: This is going to be tricky – clashes with the slalom run of the Men’s Alpine Combined! On leg 1 at 1.5 Km Alimbekava (BLR) is setting the pace, ahead of Julia Simon, Charvátová, Magnusson, Knotten and Dunklee. In for S1 – in prone; Knotten among those having a few snags; Simon leads out, ahead of Dunklee, Smereenko, Pavlova (RUS), Vishnevskaya (KAZ) and Eder – all clear with no spares used. Knotten needed 2 spares and seemed to be having troubles with loading a spare too – out 18th, +18.1; no one on the penalty loop after S1. Looks like Magnusson took a fall on the lap? In for S2 and more misses here – Lisa Vittozzi clear and she leads out ahead of Simon, Elisa Gasparin, Schwaiger (first with no spares used), Dunklee and Horchler. Klemencic (SLO) is doing 2 loops and poor Charvátová (CZE) is on 3 penalty loops. So, exchange 1 – Italy lead from USA, France, Austria, Slovakia and Switzerland – Horchler has lost time on the lap and hands over in 9th. On the new leg Innerhofer has got into the lead, ahead of Carrara (ITA) with Egan (USA) in 3rd, just ahead of Bescond; then a bit of a gap to Selina Gasparin. Maeda (JPN) and Preuß. We now have commentary – the leaders are in for S3 – Innerhofer clear and away, ahead of Bescond, Egan and Preuß; Carrara has used 2 spares and she’s out 5th, ahead of Maeda (no spares). Tandrevold clear and up to 14th. Preuß has fallen on the lap, in the same place as Magnusson; she’s lost over 12 seconds. Now, standing shoot with Bescond leading in, ahead of Innerhofer; Bescond has used 2 spares, Innerhofer on a penalty loop, so are Japan. Bescond leads out, 11.7 ahead of Egan, then Dzhima, Preuß, Innerhofer; Tandrevold needed 2 spares but she’s up to 11th. Exchange 2 – France lead ahead of USA (+9.5!), Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Good work by Franzi Preuß after that fall! Italy down in 11th, but Norway up to 8th, +47.2 with Tiril Eckhoff on leg 3, and she’s already pulled back 10 seconds by 0.9 Km of the new leg! The leaders are in for S5 – Aymonier is using spares but Hinz is clear and leading out! Valj Semerenko (2 spares) out 2nd, Aymonier (2) in 3rd, +16.2 and Eckhoff is clear and out 4th! Doro Wierer also clear and she’s got Italy up to 6th. I wonder if Hinz is pushing too hard? We’ll soon find out as she’s in for her standing shoot – she’s missed 2 already and 1 more and she’ll be doing at least 1 loop, no, it’s 2 loops! Aymonier (0 spares) leads out ahead of Semerenko (1), Wierer (1), Aita Gasparin (0), Eckhoff (2) (+17.5) and Brorsson (2). Hinz now 8th, +1:00.6. Tiril Eckhoff is flying up these hills – she’s into 2nd on the lap! Final exchange and France lead out (Braisaz) just 2.9 ahead of Norway (Røiseland) with Italy (Sanfilippo) in 3rd, +7.8. Then Ukraine (Pidhrushna), Switzerland (Haecki) and Sweden (Hanna Öberg). Germany in 8th, which might well be much to ask from Denise Herrmann, even if she shoots well. Final prone shoot – Røiseland (1 spare) out 11.8 ahead of Braisaz (2) and Haecki (0), then Pidhrushna (0) Sanfilippo (2) and Öberg (1), +31.7. Denise Herrmann in 7th after clearing all 5 but still +51.2. Now, Braisaz doesn’t have a good standing percentage recently; Røiseland in for her last shoot – 1 spare and out. Good from Braisaz – only 1 spare and away +11.2; Haecki clear and 3rd. Herrmann is also clear (great shooting), and out 4th but she’s 27 seconds or so behind Haecki! Öberg has used all 3 spares and she’s some 11 seconds behind Herrmann with Pidhrushna (3) in 6th. At 5.5 Km it’s still Røiseland, Braisaz, Haecki and Herrmann – gap to third down to 12 seconds! At the finish Norway (0+9) get another win despite an early worry, ahead of France (0+8), Switzerland (0+4; great shooting), Germany (2+4), Sweden (0+11) and Ukraine (0+7).
Ruhpolding, Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 18 Jan 20: Another clash – this time with the second run of the Women’s Slalom! Hopefully we will get all of it when it eventually starts – no, we aren’t, it’s shooting 6 as we join! The weather is rather nasty – heavy, fresh snow! So, to summarise the early stages, on leg 1 Dale had snags on the range, needing 1 spare at S1 but losing 17.6 seconds; Rees (GER needed all 3 spares) – Lapshin led out, ahead of Jacquelin. At S2 Jacquelin was again clear and led out ahead of Cheng of China and Tyschenko; Dale has used 3 spares this time and is 51.8 back as he leaves the range. An amazing fast lap though from Dale to get Norway back into it – he hands over in 3rd, after pulling back nearly 40 seconds – that’s not going help his pursuit! At exchange 1 it’s France ahead of China, Norway, Austria, Russia and Sweden. Perhaps odd to see Martin Fourcade on leg 2? At S3 Fourcade is clear, and 28 seconds ahead of Eliseev, who is fractionally ahead of Yan, then Eder and Nelin. Bjøntegaard has used 2 spares so he’s 6th, +46.1. Fourcade has cleared again at S4; Eder up to 2nd, Yan still 3rd, then Eliseev, Fak and Bjøntegaard (2 more spares, +1:24.6!). Another blistering lap from the Norwegians to get them into 2nd behind France at exchange 2, but still +1:19.4. Austria 3rd, ahead of Russia, Slovenia and Belarus. Simon Desthieux away on leg 3, chased by Tarjei Bø. At S5 Desthieux has used 1 spare, Bø clear but +1:07.9, then Leitner, Latypov, Bauer and Labastu (BLR). So, back to live coverage and S6 - Simon Desthieux (0 spares) leads out and he’s 1:16.3 ahead of 2nd man Tarjei Bø (1 spare), then Leitner (1), Latypov (1), Labastu (1) and Peiffer (0, +1:53.5). At the last exchange France (0+2) lead as Quentin Fillon Maillet starts his leg; Norway (0+9) in second, +1:25.9, then Austria (0+3), Germany (0+9), Belarus (0+5) and Slovenia (0+6). QFM is in for his prone shoot – he’s used 2 spares. Christiansen clear but still 1:18.8 back. Eberhard (1 spare) in 3rd but Loginov (0) is close in 4th; Doll needed 2 spares and he’s another 10 seconds back. The final shoot for today – QFM has missed 2 again but he’s got them with just 2 spares and he’s away. Christiansen doesn’t seem to be pushing too hard, he’s used 1 spare and he’s away; Eberhard clear and out about 25 seconds back on Christiansen. Loginov (1) is out about 7 seconds back, and Doll (1) is surely too far back to trouble the Russians? Not the most exciting race, but I suspect the French don’t care! A slow final lap as pretty much everyone seems to have decided they can’t alter the standings, and there’s a pursuit tomorrow! France cruise to a well-deserved win, ahead of Norway, with Austria third. Russsia 4th, ahead of Germany and Belarus. China were still in touch at exchange 3; clear on legs 1 and 2, just 3 spares on leg 3 but poor Tang did 3 penalty loops at S8!
Ruhpolding, Men’s 4 x 7.5 Km Relay, 18 Jan 20: Another clash – this time with the second run of the Women’s Slalom! Hopefully we will get all of it when it eventually starts – no, we aren’t, it’s shooting 6 as we join! The weather is rather nasty – heavy, fresh snow! So, to summarise the early stages, on leg 1 Dale had snags on the range, needing 1 spare at S1 but losing 17.6 seconds; Rees (GER needed all 3 spares) – Lapshin led out, ahead of Jacquelin. At S2 Jacquelin was again clear and led out ahead of Cheng of China and Tyschenko; Dale has used 3 spares this time and is 51.8 back as he leaves the range. An amazing fast lap though from Dale to get Norway back into it – he hands over in 3rd, after pulling back nearly 40 seconds – that’s not going help his pursuit! At exchange 1 it’s France ahead of China, Norway, Austria, Russia and Sweden. Perhaps odd to see Martin Fourcade on leg 2? At S3 Fourcade is clear, and 28 seconds ahead of Eliseev, who is fractionally ahead of Yan, then Eder and Nelin. Bjøntegaard has used 2 spares so he’s 6th, +46.1. Fourcade has cleared again at S4; Eder up to 2nd, Yan still 3rd, then Eliseev, Fak and Bjøntegaard (2 more spares, +1:24.6!). Another blistering lap from the Norwegians to get them into 2nd behind France at exchange 2, but still +1:19.4. Austria 3rd, ahead of Russia, Slovenia and Belarus. Simon Desthieux away on leg 3, chased by Tarjei Bø. At S5 Desthieux has used 1 spare, Bø clear but +1:07.9, then Leitner, Latypov, Bauer and Labastu (BLR). So, back to live coverage and S6 - Simon Desthieux (0 spares) leads out and he’s 1:16.3 ahead of 2nd man Tarjei Bø (1 spare), then Leitner (1), Latypov (1), Labastu (1) and Peiffer (0, +1:53.5). At the last exchange France (0+2) lead as Quentin Fillon Maillet starts his leg; Norway (0+9) in second, +1:25.9, then Austria (0+3), Germany (0+9), Belarus (0+5) and Slovenia (0+6). QFM is in for his prone shoot – he’s used 2 spares. Christiansen clear but still 1:18.8 back. Eberhard (1 spare) in 3rd but Loginov (0) is close in 4th; Doll needed 2 spares and he’s another 10 seconds back. The final shoot for today – QFM has missed 2 again but he’s got them with just 2 spares and he’s away. Christiansen doesn’t seem to be pushing too hard, he’s used 1 spare and he’s away; Eberhard clear and out about 25 seconds back on Christiansen. Loginov (1) is out about 7 seconds back, and Doll (1) is surely too far back to trouble the Russians? Not the most exciting race, but I suspect the French don’t care! A slow final lap as pretty much everyone seems to have decided they can’t alter the standings, and there’s a pursuit tomorrow! France cruise to a well-deserved win, ahead of Norway, with Austria third. Russsia 4th, ahead of Germany and Belarus. China were still in touch at exchange 3; clear on legs 1 and 2, just 3 spares on leg 3 but poor Tang did 3 penalty loops at S8!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Biathlon - Ruhpolding - Pursuits
by Bleausardv2 Wed 22 Jan 2020, 4:22 pm
Ruhpolding, Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 19 Jan 20: Oh dear, heavy snow again and that’s affecting the visibility too – not ideal conditions!! Tiril Eckhoff leads off – with a 30 second gap. Looking at the times at 0.9 Km it looks like the tracks are slow, although Herrmann is gaining time! Of course, with all that heavy snow, Tiril is breaking trail while the chasing pack are getting it slightly better. Tiril in for S1 – the wind has eased and she’s got all 5; Öberg and Wierer both clear too, as is Hinz who is up to 4th. Vittozzi has missed 4 here! So, after S1 it’s Eckhoff, Öberg (+28.2), Wierer, Hinz, Fialkova, and Brorsson. Denise Herrmann up to 7th, from 19; Franzi Preuß 14 to 8; Kaisa Mäkäräinen 17th from 33. On the lap Eckhoff seems to be pulling away, she’s about 40 seconds clear as she comes in for S2, quite a few low and left but all down – 10/10. Fialkova, Öberg and Wierer have all missed 1 and out in that order, but the gap to Eckhoff is over 55 seconds now. Preuß clear and 5th; Hinz and Herrmann have both missed 1. Now, Tiril in for her first standing shoot – 1 miss and probably lucky with another; Fialkova and Öberg are clear; Wierer has missed 2, so has Herrmann. So, after S3 (lots of misses here!) Eckhoff (0,0,1) leads, ahead of Paulina Fialkova (1,0,0) and Öberg (0,1,0; +34.9). Then Røiseland, Hinz and Persson (up from 27th); Doro down to 9th, Mäkäräinen 11th and Herrmann 14th. Vita Semerenko is going well -up to 8th from 34 and 15/15! Eckhoff in for the final shoot – that was good shooting – all 5 down this time and she’s away. Öberg (0,1,0,1) and Fialkova (1,0,0,1) have missed 1 each; out in that order. Røiseland has missed 2; Hinz 3! We should have a good battle for second and third; Persson (1,0,0,0) and Skottheim (SWE, 1,0,0,0) possibly too far back to get on the podium? Vita Semerenko the only one I can see who has hit all 20 and she’s 6th at present but with Hojnisz and Herrmann closing. Tiril Eckhoff cruises to her third Pursuit victory this season; Fialkova has won the battle for 2nd, then Öberg, Persson and Skottheim – 3 Swedes in the top 6! Delighted to see Denise Herrmann getting 6th, despite 3 penalty loops. Main gainers include Skottheim 13 to 4, Persson (27-5), Herrmann (19-6), Vita S (34-8), Dunklee (25-10), Mäkäräinen (33-15), Egan (28-16) and Valj Semerenk (59 to 18!). Going the other way the list includes Doro Wierer (3 to 20; 5 misses), Vanessa Hinz (8-21, 4 misses), Simon (7-23; 6), Charvatova (15-30; 6), Sola (4-38; 7), Vittozzi (9-41; 6) and Zuk (10-55; 9). Great race by Eckhoff, who really is on fire this season.
Ruhpolding, Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 19 Jan 20: Not sure if it’s just the camera but the weather looks better; QFM has closed up on Martin Fourcade early on the lap - Christiansen is flying! The leading 2 are in for S1 both clear and out in the same order; Doll 3rd then Desthieux, Christiansen and Pryma – all clear. A lot of good shooting here, but Eberhard has missed 2 and Doherty 3. On the lap QFM has nipped ahead of Martin – the gap to the chasing group has increased a little as they come in for S2 – Martin back in front. The leading 5 are all 10/10 and out in order QFM, Fourcade, Doll (+22.2), Christiansen (+24.7) and Desthieux; Nawrath in 6th despite 1 miss at S1. The leading 2 are still pulling away a little; that’s a group of 4 behind. S3 – Martin F is clear again but QFM has missed his 15th. Out in order Fourcade, QFM (0,0,1; +19.5), Desthieux +33.2, Christiansen +34.3 [both 15/15], Doll (0,0,1) and Jacquelin (0,1,1; +1:10.8). Kühn has missed all 5 – I wonder if he was using the right set of targets? Martin F is in for his final shoot – slightly slow shooting but all down and he’s away. QFM clear again and out +20.3; Christiansen has missed 1 but so has Desthieux while Doll is clear this time – out Christiansen, Desthieux, Doll with just 2 seconds between them. No real drama for the top 2 places, but there should be a good scrap for the final podium place! Martin F cruises to the win, QFM in second; Christiansen has won a sprint with Desthieux for 3rd and 4th, with Doll coming in 5th ahead of Jacquelin (0,1,1,1) who despite those misses got from 12th to 6th! Gainers include Tarjei Bø (28 to 7), Dale (27-9), Peiffer (22-14) Moravec (30-18; 20/20), Birkeland (41-20), Krcmar (38-21), Garanichev (53-22), and Andersen (46-28). Going down the standings, the list includes Claude (6-15), Kühn (9-24), Rastorgujevs (16-26), Doherty (21-32), Horn (24-37) and Stvrtecky (31-45). Great race by Fourcade, and QFM – and an entertaining fight for third!
Ruhpolding, Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 19 Jan 20: Not sure if it’s just the camera but the weather looks better; QFM has closed up on Martin Fourcade early on the lap - Christiansen is flying! The leading 2 are in for S1 both clear and out in the same order; Doll 3rd then Desthieux, Christiansen and Pryma – all clear. A lot of good shooting here, but Eberhard has missed 2 and Doherty 3. On the lap QFM has nipped ahead of Martin – the gap to the chasing group has increased a little as they come in for S2 – Martin back in front. The leading 5 are all 10/10 and out in order QFM, Fourcade, Doll (+22.2), Christiansen (+24.7) and Desthieux; Nawrath in 6th despite 1 miss at S1. The leading 2 are still pulling away a little; that’s a group of 4 behind. S3 – Martin F is clear again but QFM has missed his 15th. Out in order Fourcade, QFM (0,0,1; +19.5), Desthieux +33.2, Christiansen +34.3 [both 15/15], Doll (0,0,1) and Jacquelin (0,1,1; +1:10.8). Kühn has missed all 5 – I wonder if he was using the right set of targets? Martin F is in for his final shoot – slightly slow shooting but all down and he’s away. QFM clear again and out +20.3; Christiansen has missed 1 but so has Desthieux while Doll is clear this time – out Christiansen, Desthieux, Doll with just 2 seconds between them. No real drama for the top 2 places, but there should be a good scrap for the final podium place! Martin F cruises to the win, QFM in second; Christiansen has won a sprint with Desthieux for 3rd and 4th, with Doll coming in 5th ahead of Jacquelin (0,1,1,1) who despite those misses got from 12th to 6th! Gainers include Tarjei Bø (28 to 7), Dale (27-9), Peiffer (22-14) Moravec (30-18; 20/20), Birkeland (41-20), Krcmar (38-21), Garanichev (53-22), and Andersen (46-28). Going down the standings, the list includes Claude (6-15), Kühn (9-24), Rastorgujevs (16-26), Doherty (21-32), Horn (24-37) and Stvrtecky (31-45). Great race by Fourcade, and QFM – and an entertaining fight for third!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Updates - Pokljuka, Bansko & Kitzbühl
by Bleausardv2 Sun 26 Jan 2020, 2:48 pm
Rather busy at present, so this is just a brief resumé!
23 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Men’s 20 Km Individual: Well, it seems Johannes hasn’t stayed at home with new baby as long as expected! Obviously he decided he was losing too many points to Martin F – so he’s back! This must have been a good one – JoBø (0,0,0,0) won it, but only by 11.4 seconds from Martin Fourcade (0,0,0,0) with Fabien Claude in 3rd (also 20/20). A very good effort by Philipp Nawrath (0,0,0,0) to get 4th, ahead of Johannes Dale (1 miss) and Tarjei Bø (1 miss). QFM in 7th, ahead of Kühn, Christiansen and Doll – 4 Norwegians, 3 Germans and 3 French equals the top 10! The first finisher not in one of those nations was Jakov Fak in 12th! IBU report HERE
24 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – women’s 15 Km Individual: This was a bit more varied as regards nations in the top 10, but for me the result was a real, but very pleasant, surprise! In some massive shift to the space time continuum, Denise Herrmann shot 20/20 and won the race! Apparently that’s the first time she’s shot clean in her career! Hanna Öberg (0,1,0,0) was second, +59.2 [Individual events – no penalty loop, just a full minute added for each miss], with Anais Bescond (0,0,0,0) in 3rd. Lisa Vittozzi (20/20) in 4th ahead of Franzi Preuß (20/20) and Clare Egan (20/20) – well done her – surely that’s a PB? Hauser in 7th, ahead of Starykh, Aita Gasparin and Emma Lunder (CAN). Tiril Eckhoff missed 3 and ended up 18th, Doro Wierer missed 4 (0,2,0,2) and was 23rd! IBU report HERE
24 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Downhill; Bansko: Tricky conditions for this one, not helped by only 1 training day and poor visibility. Mikaela Shiffrin took her second career downhill win here, 0.18 seconds ahead of Federica Brignone, with Joana Haehlen in 3rd. Elena Curtoni was 4th, ahead of Marta Bassino and Petra Vlhova. Quite a group of DNFs including Gisin, Goggia and Gut-Behrami. Shiffrin leads the overall standings (1,075) ahead of Brignone (795) and Vlhova (766). FIS report [url=https://www.fis-ski.com/en/alpine-skiing/alpine-news-multimedia/news-multimedia/news/test2/mikaela-shiffrin-claims-second-career-downhill-victory ]HERE[/url]
24 Jan – Alpine – Men’s Super G; Kitzbühl: This was a good day for the Vikings; Kjetil Jansrud took his 13th World Cup Super G victory – his first podium since November 2018! Aleksander Aamodt Kilde tied in 2nd with Matthias Mayer (+0.16), Mauro Caviezel was 4th, ahead of Mattia Casse and Vincent Kriechmayr. Alexis Pinturault was 9th. In the overall standings Kristoffersen still leads (691), ahead of Kilde (671) and Pinturault (642). FIS report [url=https://www.fis-ski.com/en/alpine-skiing/alpine-news-multimedia/news-multimedia/news/test2/jansrud-masters-the-streif-again ]HERE[/url]
25 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Downhill; Bansko: Yes, another one (one was a replacement for a cancelled race – not sure which!) – sadly Eurosport is wall to wall tennis, so no commentary available for the skiing! Vikki Rebensburg will be first away, Shiffrin bib 5 and Vlhova bib 31. Vikki away; conditions look pretty good but there seems to be a lot of variation between light and shade along the course and it looks very bumpy! Joana Haehlen has fallen – quite a long slide and one ski popped off, but she’s back on her feet and skiing down, with company. That coverage of her slowly going down the mountain gives a much better feel for just how steep that course is! Ester Ledecka into 2nd; Marta Bassino is flying – red initially but she’s gained a massive amount between inter 2 and 3 and she leads by 1.85! Mikaela Shiffrin next and just green – faster through speed gun 1 but she’s lost time to inter 3, where Bassino gained; green again at 4 but slower through the final gun and into 2nd, +0.25; looking a bit tired by the end, and no wonder! Miradoli into 3rd, just 0.01 faster than Rebensburg; good run from Kira Weidle into 3rd. Ten away, Bassino leads from Shiffrin and Weidle; so far just the one DNF. Ramona Siebenhofer was green early on, but lost time in the middle section – into 4th; Lara G-B was also green at inter 2 but slower through the first gun – she’s taken over 4th, which is good after a DNF yesterday – a couple good recoveries though! Bib 20 is Federica Brignone, who was runner up to Shiffrin yesterday – she’s more in touch today, and into 2nd by just 0.04! Now that’s impressive – Breezy Johnson into 4th; no wonder she said “I’ll take that one” – good effort! However, here comes Elena Curtoni – relatively slow through the first gun, green at inter 3, red at 4 but a great run to the line and she leads by 0.10! Even the “ambient sound” coverage has now ended, just as Petra Vlhova starts – she was just green at inter 2 but slow through the gun – she’s 10th at present. I’m about to go out – Curtoni leads from Bassino and Brignone; Shiffrin 4th ahead of Johnson and Weidle. The only late disturbance to the top 10 was Elisabeth Reisinger (bib 33) who went into 7th, dropping Vlhova to 11th. In the downhill standings Corinne Suter leads (243), ahead of Shiffrin (206) and Ledecka (193); in the overall Shiffrin is now on 1125, ahead of Brignone (855) and Vlhova (790).
24 Jan – Alpine – Downhill; Kitzbühl: Missed it, so a resumé – Bryce Bennett first away, Kilde (bib 5) into 2nd, then Beat Feuz takes over the lead. Vincent Kriechmayr records the same time as Feuz; Johan Clarey goes into 3rd and then Matthias Mayer (bib 13) takes over first place. Later Muzaton went into 5th and Jansrud 6th. Final results – Mayer takes the win, ahead of Kriechmayr and Feuz, tied in 2nd; Clarey in 4th ahead of Max Muzaton and Jansrud; in the downhill standings Feuz (480) still leads ahead of Paris (384) and Mayer (300). In the overall Kilde now leads on 700, ahead of Mayer (692) and Kristoffersen (691).
25 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Single Mixed Relay: Missed this one too – great win by Anais Bescond and Emilien Jacquelin; just 5 spares used! Estonia’s Regina Oja and Rene Zahkna were 2nd and Austria’s Lisa Theresa Hauser and Simon Eder were third – if you had predicted that result and bet on it. You’d have made a tidy profit!! Canada in 4th, ahead of Ukraine and Switzerland. Norway (0+7) in 10th, Germany (0+6) in 11th! IBU report HERE
25 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Mixed Relay: Eurosport is still wall to wall tennis, so I’m watching this on the IBU feed, which does have commentary. Men away first – 2 x 7.5 Km loops – Norway have the Bø brothers on these two legs; Tarjei going first. A couple trips and broken poles early on; Lukas Hofer just in the lead. There seems to be a lot of missing going on at S1; quite a few needing 2 spares, but no penalty loops! Dolder (SUI, clear) leading out, ahead of Tarjei (0 spares), Moravec (0), Fak (1 spare), Smolski (BLR, 0) and Horn (0), +4.1. QFM (1) in 9th. In for S2 – Bø has eased off; he’s clear again but shooting slowly. Horn has cleared and he is the one who leads out, ahead of QFM (clear this time) and Fak (1 more spare). Tarjei in 4th (+7.1), then Moravec, Hofer and Leitner. Dolder is doing 1 loop, and Burnotte (CAN) is on 3 loops! Fak is losing time on the last lap before exchange 1 – QFM, Horn and Bø are the leading 3; then about 17 seconds to chasing pack. At exchange 1 it’s France, Germany (+6.2) and Norway (+6.7) then Slovenia (+27.5), Austria and the Czechs. This time it’s Desthieux against JoBø and Kühn, then Bauer, Landertinger and Krcmar; Kühn is being dropped by the leading 2; +7.7 at 1.6 Km. That’s quite a tough looking hill! In for S3 – France and Norway have both missed 2 each. Johannes Kühn is clear and he leads out ahead of JoBø (0+2, +0.9), Desthieux (0+3, +1.5), Krcmar, Bauer and Landertinger (+34.4). Doherty (USA) is doing 2 loops, Hiidensalo (FIN) is on 3. Bø is pulling away on the lap, 5.1 ahead of Desthieux at 4.1 Km. Leaders in for S4 – despite that pace Bø has hit all 5 and he’s away; Desthieux has also cleared 5 and out +10.7. Kühn has used 1 spare and out 3rd, +30.1; then Bauer (1), Nelin (0) and Landertinger (1). Krcmar has done a penalty loop; out 7th, but +1:21.3. Exchange 2 – JoBø has pulled out a bit more on both Desthieux and Kühn; Solemdal has 16.1 advantage as she sets out on her 7.5 Km leg – women not only going second today, but doing the same distance as the men. Justine Braisaz (+16.1), is closing a little on the lap, Hettich (+35.5) has lost a little by 0.8 Km. At 1.6 Km Braisaz has very nearly caught Solemdal; Hettich is holding on well. Leaders in for S5 – Solemdal has cleared all 5 and he’s away; Braisaz has used 2 spares which has cost her time – she’s out 2nd but +24.8; Hettich clear and out 3rd, +39.8. Zdouc (AUT), Magnusson (SWE) and Klemencic also clear and out 4/5/6 respectively. Braisaz has caught up again on the lap; Hettich holding on, but remember she will hand over to Vanessa Hinz who, sad to say, seems to be a bit fragile these days. S6 – Braisaz has missed her first, but out after just 1 spare; Solemdal has used 2 spares and out +12.9, poor Hettich needs 2 spares – out 3rd, and luckily Magnusson has used 1 spare, Zdouc 2; Klemencic will be doing 2 penalty loops. Braisaz pulling away form Solemdal on the lap – the rest of the gaps pretty steady initially; Hettich is not losing and Davidova is gaining! Julia Simon takes over a 41.9 advantage over Tandrevold, who is just 5 seconds ahead of Vanessa Hinz! Sweden in 4th (+1:12.3), then the Czechs (+1:13.2) and Russia. Julia Simon is slowly pulling away, Hinz is up with Tandrevold and Högberg has closed a little. Simon is in for S7; she’s missed number 4 but just needed 1 spare. Tandrevold clear, out +43.2, Hinz 1 spare (+47.2). Högberg (1) in 4th, then the Czechs (Kristejn Puskarcikova) and Austria (Innerhofer). Julia Simon in for the last shoot – her last one missed but just 1 spare again and she’s away! Tandrevold has cleared; Hinz has used 1 more spare and out but about 15 seconds back on Tandrevold. Högberg has used 2 spares; out 4th but only 8 seconds ahead of the clean shooting Starykh, with Kristejn Puskarcikova 9 seconds back. I think Hinz is too tired to catch Tandrevold, and this area is over 1,000 meters above sea level. France (0+8) cruise to the second relay win today, Norway (0+4) doing better this time in second with Germany (0+5) getting the final podium place. Starykh has got Russia (0+7) up to 4th, ahead of Sweden (0+6) and the Czech Republic (1+5).
26 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Super G; Bansko: Yet again, no commentary available as Eurosport are so fascinated by tennis! It looks a nice day in Bansko, and that’s a twisty, technical looking course! With 5 away Stephanie Venier leads from, Anna Veith and there have already been 2 DNFs (Marsaglia and Tippler). Marta Bassino is not only safely down – she’s very nearly a full second faster – she leads by 0.96; a couple hairy moments because that was a full-gas run! Lara Gut-Behrami seems to be getting back on form – she’s into 2nd; Nicole Schmidhofer can only manage 5th; only for a few moments too as Romane Miradoli has taken over that place. The first TV break is over, and Corinne Suter is into 3rd; bib 13 is Mikaela Shiffrin - nicely green at inter 1 and 2, a little less at 3 and relatively slow through the gun but she’s done it – Shiffrin leads by 0.29! Tina Weirather into 5th; now it’s Federica Brignone – in touch at inter 1, more so at 2 and just green at 3 – just one risk too many and she’s down. She is standing up – hard to tell if that’s pain or anger; there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of support attending to her? That looks OK – she’s safely down and talking to her coach. Thirty away now – Shiffrin leads from Bassino and Gut-Behrami; then Suter, Weirather and Curtoni; 6 DNFs. TV break over and here comes Petra Vlhova – she’s red at inter 1 and 2 but in touch; still just 0.26 off the lead at 3 – a couple errors lower down but great recoveries and she’s 6th. That’s how it ended – well done Mikaela Shiffrin! That moves her up to the lead in the Super G standings (186 points), a gain of 5 places. Corinne Suter (150) I sup to 2nd, just ahead of Vikki Rebensburg (148)
26 Jan – Alpine – Men’s Slalom; Kitzbühl – run 1: This is supposed to be on Eurosport but they are showing even more tennis – not amused! Andre Myhrer first away; Daniel Yule next and he’s flying; 1.48 faster! Clement Noel into 2nd, Ramon Z 3rd. Next is Henrik Kristoffersen; he’s off the pace a bit – 0.43 red at inter 1, 0.66 at 2 but now he’s getting time back - he goes 2nd, +0.42! Alexis Pinturault is more in touch – he too has gained a bit from 2 to 3, and he goes into 2nd, +0.29. He’s not there long though, as Marco Schwarz has gone just 0.02 faster! At last we have commentary – Michael Matt is very much in touch here – and he’s into 2nd, just 0.09 off the lead. This course apparently set by a Scottish coach, currently working with the Norwegians! Bib 13 is Dave Ryding – he’s lost time from inter 1 to 2; into 10th, +0.80. Good run from Alex Vinatzer into 5th. Amazing late run from bib 34, Lucas Braathen (NOR) to take over the lead by an impressive 0.33; I was out of the room and thought it was an FIS timing/data glitch at first when I came back! Good run by Anton Tremmel (GER, bib 50) as well, to get into 7th place!
Run 2: Set by a Swiss coach and it’s more turny and technical; icy too and it’s getting colder! Five away – Sebastian Holzmann leads; Laurie Taylor safely down and he will get points today. Timon Haugen (NOR) into the lead by an impressive 0.65; Adrian Pertl (AUT, bib 73!) is going well too – he leads; only his 5th World Cup too! Now, here comes Dave Ryding – red at inter 1, holding it to 2, lost time to 3 – a disappointing final section and he’s only 5th, +1.05. Manu Feller is keeping nicely green at inter 1 and 2, but he’s lost time to 3 and goes 3rd. Reto Schmidiger (SUI) came close – into 2nd; we’re halfway – Pertl leads ahead of Schmidiger and Haugen. Foss-Solevaag into 3rd, +0.08; Eurosport have decided to swap channels – except it hasn’t happened, so I missed Giuliano Razzoli taking the lead! Clement Noel is oscillating between red and green – he’s got it right and he’s green at the finish! Kristoffersen next – green at 2 but then red and he’s into 2nd, +0.12. He’s not a happy bunny! Now, Alexis Pinturault – he’s straddled and he’s out! That’s a pity – a chance to gain points missed. Marco Schwarz is going well – lost a bit to inter 1 but then got it back and gained a little between 3 and the line – he takes the lead by 0.25 – that’s popular! Michael Matt has gained a little to inter 1; he’s losing a bit at 3 and he’s only 4th. Now Daniel Yule – he’s 0.38 ahead at inter 2; losing a bit from there with some great recoveries and he’s done enough to keep the lead; just Braathen to come – Kristoffersen off the podium. Lucas Braathen has gained to inter 1, but then a few errors are costing him time – he’s joint 4th! It’s 52 years since a Swiss racer won this race- quite a wait until Daniel Yule put that right! A massive amount of prize money too, so well done him! Marco Schwarz in 2nd, Clement Noel 3rd. Braathen in 4th, tied with Kristoffersen with Matt 6th. Dave Ryding ended up 20th.
26 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start: Five from Norway, five French and 6 Germans in the field; no surprise then that at 1.4 Km the top 10 includes just 1 from another nation – Alex Loginov in 6th! JoBø has taken the lead as they head for S1 – he has missed 1 as has local hero Jakov Fak; Jacquelin has missed 2. Simon Desthieux leads out, ahead of QFM and Martin F – then Christiansen, Tarjei Bø, and Doll – all clear. JoBø is 18th, +21.1; Erik Lesser is back from the IBU cup and clear, out 13th. The French are setting a good pace to make Johannes work to catch up! Only 4.7 between the top 10 at the next split; they are coming in for S2, with JoBø almost back up with them. Desthieux has missed 3 here, JoBø clear this time. Martin F (0,0) leads out, ahead of QFM (0,0), Christiansen (0,0), Dale (0,0), JoBø (1,0) and Nawrath (0,0), +8.3. Tarjei and Doll among those who missed 1 this time; Jacquelin now 2,1 and Eberhard is 1,3. QFM is setting the pace at present as they head in for S3 – the wind has picked up a little. QFM and Fourcade have missed 1 each; JoBø clear and out just in front of Christiansen (0,0,0) with Nawrath (0,0,0) in third, +14.8, then QFM, Fourcade and Hofer. Poor Jacquelin has missed 2 more (2,1,2) and Eberhard (1,3,1) is with him on 5 total. On the lap the two leaders are sharing the lead, the two French chasers are closing, but have Dale and Bjøntegaard with them. Nawrath is dropping back, not sure if something happened or he’s just tiring? JoBø in for his final shoot – Bø has missed his 2nd, Christiansen has missed his 5th! QFM is clear this time (0,0,1,0) and out; Martin F (0,0,1,0) a little slow on the range and out 7.0 behind QFM. Benedikt Doll (0,1,0,0) in 3rd, +12.9 but he has JoBø on his tail, +17.0, with Christiansen just 0.5 behind and Eder (20/20) in 6th. At 13.4 Km QFM has pulled out 10 seconds; Martin F is with Doll, JoBø and Christiansen. At 14.1 QFM is away, but there’s a real battle behind – currently it’s Doll, JoBø, Fourcade, Christiansen with Bjøntegaard also closing. Quentin Fillon Maillet is over the line for a very well deserved win; Doll has out sprinted JoBø – Christiansen has just pipped Fourcade. QFM wins, ahead of Doll, Bø, Christiansen, Fourcade and Bjøntegaard. Simon Eder in 8th and Lukas Hofer in 10th the only “outsiders” in the top 10! Horn (0,1,1,1) in 12th, ahead of Peiffer (1,0,0,0) and Lesser (0,1,0,0).
26 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start: Now Tandrevold was in the relay yesterday, Røiseland wasn’t! They’re in for S1; Herrmann, Simon and Wierer among those missing – Öberg leads out, ahead of Braisaz, Røiseland, Davidova, Bescond and Vittozzi (+10.2) – all clear. Haecki, Innerhofer and Lunder have all missed 2; 15 of 30 are clear. Braisaz seems to have good skis! In for S2 – Öberg clear again and leads out, fractionally ahead of Røiseland with Vittozzi +6.9 – all 3 are 10/10. Kaisa M in 4th, ahead of Tandrevold and Hojnisz (again all 10/10) – just 9 with 10/10 after S2. Justine Braisaz has missed 1 and out 10th. Denise Herrmann clear this time but shooting slowly; 11th but +37.3 – she’s not really closing on the lap either. Leaders in for S3; Öberg and Røiseland have missed 1 each, as has Kaisa M but Vittozzi is 15/15 and she leads out. Røiseland (0,0,1) in 2nd, +9.9 ahead of Tandrevold (15/15), Öberg (0,0,1), Wierer (1,0,0)and Bescond (0,0,0). Braisaz (0,1,1) in 9th, +37.0. Kaisa has missed 2, so has Herrmann – only 4 with 15/15 now. Final shoot – Lisa Vittozzi clear but so is Öberg, and it’s the Swede who leads out, just 1.7 ahead of Vittozzi (20/20), with Bescond (also 20/20) in 3rd. Hojnisz (0,0,1,0) up to 4th, ahead of Røiseland (0,0,1,2) and Braisaz (0,1,1,1), ++51.7. Wierer has missed 2 here, so have Tandrevold , Kaisa and Herrmann, among others. Hanna Öberg is pulling away a little, Vittozzi looks fairly safe in 2nd, and Bescond is holding off Hojnisz. Öberg takes the win, with just 1 miss, Lisa Vittozzi in 2nd and Anais Bescond gets the final podium place. Hojnisz-Starega in 4th, ahead of Braisaz and Røiseland. Doro in 9th, Kaisa 12th, Herrmann 15th.
23 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Men’s 20 Km Individual: Well, it seems Johannes hasn’t stayed at home with new baby as long as expected! Obviously he decided he was losing too many points to Martin F – so he’s back! This must have been a good one – JoBø (0,0,0,0) won it, but only by 11.4 seconds from Martin Fourcade (0,0,0,0) with Fabien Claude in 3rd (also 20/20). A very good effort by Philipp Nawrath (0,0,0,0) to get 4th, ahead of Johannes Dale (1 miss) and Tarjei Bø (1 miss). QFM in 7th, ahead of Kühn, Christiansen and Doll – 4 Norwegians, 3 Germans and 3 French equals the top 10! The first finisher not in one of those nations was Jakov Fak in 12th! IBU report HERE
24 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – women’s 15 Km Individual: This was a bit more varied as regards nations in the top 10, but for me the result was a real, but very pleasant, surprise! In some massive shift to the space time continuum, Denise Herrmann shot 20/20 and won the race! Apparently that’s the first time she’s shot clean in her career! Hanna Öberg (0,1,0,0) was second, +59.2 [Individual events – no penalty loop, just a full minute added for each miss], with Anais Bescond (0,0,0,0) in 3rd. Lisa Vittozzi (20/20) in 4th ahead of Franzi Preuß (20/20) and Clare Egan (20/20) – well done her – surely that’s a PB? Hauser in 7th, ahead of Starykh, Aita Gasparin and Emma Lunder (CAN). Tiril Eckhoff missed 3 and ended up 18th, Doro Wierer missed 4 (0,2,0,2) and was 23rd! IBU report HERE
24 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Downhill; Bansko: Tricky conditions for this one, not helped by only 1 training day and poor visibility. Mikaela Shiffrin took her second career downhill win here, 0.18 seconds ahead of Federica Brignone, with Joana Haehlen in 3rd. Elena Curtoni was 4th, ahead of Marta Bassino and Petra Vlhova. Quite a group of DNFs including Gisin, Goggia and Gut-Behrami. Shiffrin leads the overall standings (1,075) ahead of Brignone (795) and Vlhova (766). FIS report [url=https://www.fis-ski.com/en/alpine-skiing/alpine-news-multimedia/news-multimedia/news/test2/mikaela-shiffrin-claims-second-career-downhill-victory ]HERE[/url]
24 Jan – Alpine – Men’s Super G; Kitzbühl: This was a good day for the Vikings; Kjetil Jansrud took his 13th World Cup Super G victory – his first podium since November 2018! Aleksander Aamodt Kilde tied in 2nd with Matthias Mayer (+0.16), Mauro Caviezel was 4th, ahead of Mattia Casse and Vincent Kriechmayr. Alexis Pinturault was 9th. In the overall standings Kristoffersen still leads (691), ahead of Kilde (671) and Pinturault (642). FIS report [url=https://www.fis-ski.com/en/alpine-skiing/alpine-news-multimedia/news-multimedia/news/test2/jansrud-masters-the-streif-again ]HERE[/url]
25 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Downhill; Bansko: Yes, another one (one was a replacement for a cancelled race – not sure which!) – sadly Eurosport is wall to wall tennis, so no commentary available for the skiing! Vikki Rebensburg will be first away, Shiffrin bib 5 and Vlhova bib 31. Vikki away; conditions look pretty good but there seems to be a lot of variation between light and shade along the course and it looks very bumpy! Joana Haehlen has fallen – quite a long slide and one ski popped off, but she’s back on her feet and skiing down, with company. That coverage of her slowly going down the mountain gives a much better feel for just how steep that course is! Ester Ledecka into 2nd; Marta Bassino is flying – red initially but she’s gained a massive amount between inter 2 and 3 and she leads by 1.85! Mikaela Shiffrin next and just green – faster through speed gun 1 but she’s lost time to inter 3, where Bassino gained; green again at 4 but slower through the final gun and into 2nd, +0.25; looking a bit tired by the end, and no wonder! Miradoli into 3rd, just 0.01 faster than Rebensburg; good run from Kira Weidle into 3rd. Ten away, Bassino leads from Shiffrin and Weidle; so far just the one DNF. Ramona Siebenhofer was green early on, but lost time in the middle section – into 4th; Lara G-B was also green at inter 2 but slower through the first gun – she’s taken over 4th, which is good after a DNF yesterday – a couple good recoveries though! Bib 20 is Federica Brignone, who was runner up to Shiffrin yesterday – she’s more in touch today, and into 2nd by just 0.04! Now that’s impressive – Breezy Johnson into 4th; no wonder she said “I’ll take that one” – good effort! However, here comes Elena Curtoni – relatively slow through the first gun, green at inter 3, red at 4 but a great run to the line and she leads by 0.10! Even the “ambient sound” coverage has now ended, just as Petra Vlhova starts – she was just green at inter 2 but slow through the gun – she’s 10th at present. I’m about to go out – Curtoni leads from Bassino and Brignone; Shiffrin 4th ahead of Johnson and Weidle. The only late disturbance to the top 10 was Elisabeth Reisinger (bib 33) who went into 7th, dropping Vlhova to 11th. In the downhill standings Corinne Suter leads (243), ahead of Shiffrin (206) and Ledecka (193); in the overall Shiffrin is now on 1125, ahead of Brignone (855) and Vlhova (790).
24 Jan – Alpine – Downhill; Kitzbühl: Missed it, so a resumé – Bryce Bennett first away, Kilde (bib 5) into 2nd, then Beat Feuz takes over the lead. Vincent Kriechmayr records the same time as Feuz; Johan Clarey goes into 3rd and then Matthias Mayer (bib 13) takes over first place. Later Muzaton went into 5th and Jansrud 6th. Final results – Mayer takes the win, ahead of Kriechmayr and Feuz, tied in 2nd; Clarey in 4th ahead of Max Muzaton and Jansrud; in the downhill standings Feuz (480) still leads ahead of Paris (384) and Mayer (300). In the overall Kilde now leads on 700, ahead of Mayer (692) and Kristoffersen (691).
25 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Single Mixed Relay: Missed this one too – great win by Anais Bescond and Emilien Jacquelin; just 5 spares used! Estonia’s Regina Oja and Rene Zahkna were 2nd and Austria’s Lisa Theresa Hauser and Simon Eder were third – if you had predicted that result and bet on it. You’d have made a tidy profit!! Canada in 4th, ahead of Ukraine and Switzerland. Norway (0+7) in 10th, Germany (0+6) in 11th! IBU report HERE
25 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Mixed Relay: Eurosport is still wall to wall tennis, so I’m watching this on the IBU feed, which does have commentary. Men away first – 2 x 7.5 Km loops – Norway have the Bø brothers on these two legs; Tarjei going first. A couple trips and broken poles early on; Lukas Hofer just in the lead. There seems to be a lot of missing going on at S1; quite a few needing 2 spares, but no penalty loops! Dolder (SUI, clear) leading out, ahead of Tarjei (0 spares), Moravec (0), Fak (1 spare), Smolski (BLR, 0) and Horn (0), +4.1. QFM (1) in 9th. In for S2 – Bø has eased off; he’s clear again but shooting slowly. Horn has cleared and he is the one who leads out, ahead of QFM (clear this time) and Fak (1 more spare). Tarjei in 4th (+7.1), then Moravec, Hofer and Leitner. Dolder is doing 1 loop, and Burnotte (CAN) is on 3 loops! Fak is losing time on the last lap before exchange 1 – QFM, Horn and Bø are the leading 3; then about 17 seconds to chasing pack. At exchange 1 it’s France, Germany (+6.2) and Norway (+6.7) then Slovenia (+27.5), Austria and the Czechs. This time it’s Desthieux against JoBø and Kühn, then Bauer, Landertinger and Krcmar; Kühn is being dropped by the leading 2; +7.7 at 1.6 Km. That’s quite a tough looking hill! In for S3 – France and Norway have both missed 2 each. Johannes Kühn is clear and he leads out ahead of JoBø (0+2, +0.9), Desthieux (0+3, +1.5), Krcmar, Bauer and Landertinger (+34.4). Doherty (USA) is doing 2 loops, Hiidensalo (FIN) is on 3. Bø is pulling away on the lap, 5.1 ahead of Desthieux at 4.1 Km. Leaders in for S4 – despite that pace Bø has hit all 5 and he’s away; Desthieux has also cleared 5 and out +10.7. Kühn has used 1 spare and out 3rd, +30.1; then Bauer (1), Nelin (0) and Landertinger (1). Krcmar has done a penalty loop; out 7th, but +1:21.3. Exchange 2 – JoBø has pulled out a bit more on both Desthieux and Kühn; Solemdal has 16.1 advantage as she sets out on her 7.5 Km leg – women not only going second today, but doing the same distance as the men. Justine Braisaz (+16.1), is closing a little on the lap, Hettich (+35.5) has lost a little by 0.8 Km. At 1.6 Km Braisaz has very nearly caught Solemdal; Hettich is holding on well. Leaders in for S5 – Solemdal has cleared all 5 and he’s away; Braisaz has used 2 spares which has cost her time – she’s out 2nd but +24.8; Hettich clear and out 3rd, +39.8. Zdouc (AUT), Magnusson (SWE) and Klemencic also clear and out 4/5/6 respectively. Braisaz has caught up again on the lap; Hettich holding on, but remember she will hand over to Vanessa Hinz who, sad to say, seems to be a bit fragile these days. S6 – Braisaz has missed her first, but out after just 1 spare; Solemdal has used 2 spares and out +12.9, poor Hettich needs 2 spares – out 3rd, and luckily Magnusson has used 1 spare, Zdouc 2; Klemencic will be doing 2 penalty loops. Braisaz pulling away form Solemdal on the lap – the rest of the gaps pretty steady initially; Hettich is not losing and Davidova is gaining! Julia Simon takes over a 41.9 advantage over Tandrevold, who is just 5 seconds ahead of Vanessa Hinz! Sweden in 4th (+1:12.3), then the Czechs (+1:13.2) and Russia. Julia Simon is slowly pulling away, Hinz is up with Tandrevold and Högberg has closed a little. Simon is in for S7; she’s missed number 4 but just needed 1 spare. Tandrevold clear, out +43.2, Hinz 1 spare (+47.2). Högberg (1) in 4th, then the Czechs (Kristejn Puskarcikova) and Austria (Innerhofer). Julia Simon in for the last shoot – her last one missed but just 1 spare again and she’s away! Tandrevold has cleared; Hinz has used 1 more spare and out but about 15 seconds back on Tandrevold. Högberg has used 2 spares; out 4th but only 8 seconds ahead of the clean shooting Starykh, with Kristejn Puskarcikova 9 seconds back. I think Hinz is too tired to catch Tandrevold, and this area is over 1,000 meters above sea level. France (0+8) cruise to the second relay win today, Norway (0+4) doing better this time in second with Germany (0+5) getting the final podium place. Starykh has got Russia (0+7) up to 4th, ahead of Sweden (0+6) and the Czech Republic (1+5).
26 Jan – Alpine - Women’s Super G; Bansko: Yet again, no commentary available as Eurosport are so fascinated by tennis! It looks a nice day in Bansko, and that’s a twisty, technical looking course! With 5 away Stephanie Venier leads from, Anna Veith and there have already been 2 DNFs (Marsaglia and Tippler). Marta Bassino is not only safely down – she’s very nearly a full second faster – she leads by 0.96; a couple hairy moments because that was a full-gas run! Lara Gut-Behrami seems to be getting back on form – she’s into 2nd; Nicole Schmidhofer can only manage 5th; only for a few moments too as Romane Miradoli has taken over that place. The first TV break is over, and Corinne Suter is into 3rd; bib 13 is Mikaela Shiffrin - nicely green at inter 1 and 2, a little less at 3 and relatively slow through the gun but she’s done it – Shiffrin leads by 0.29! Tina Weirather into 5th; now it’s Federica Brignone – in touch at inter 1, more so at 2 and just green at 3 – just one risk too many and she’s down. She is standing up – hard to tell if that’s pain or anger; there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of support attending to her? That looks OK – she’s safely down and talking to her coach. Thirty away now – Shiffrin leads from Bassino and Gut-Behrami; then Suter, Weirather and Curtoni; 6 DNFs. TV break over and here comes Petra Vlhova – she’s red at inter 1 and 2 but in touch; still just 0.26 off the lead at 3 – a couple errors lower down but great recoveries and she’s 6th. That’s how it ended – well done Mikaela Shiffrin! That moves her up to the lead in the Super G standings (186 points), a gain of 5 places. Corinne Suter (150) I sup to 2nd, just ahead of Vikki Rebensburg (148)
26 Jan – Alpine – Men’s Slalom; Kitzbühl – run 1: This is supposed to be on Eurosport but they are showing even more tennis – not amused! Andre Myhrer first away; Daniel Yule next and he’s flying; 1.48 faster! Clement Noel into 2nd, Ramon Z 3rd. Next is Henrik Kristoffersen; he’s off the pace a bit – 0.43 red at inter 1, 0.66 at 2 but now he’s getting time back - he goes 2nd, +0.42! Alexis Pinturault is more in touch – he too has gained a bit from 2 to 3, and he goes into 2nd, +0.29. He’s not there long though, as Marco Schwarz has gone just 0.02 faster! At last we have commentary – Michael Matt is very much in touch here – and he’s into 2nd, just 0.09 off the lead. This course apparently set by a Scottish coach, currently working with the Norwegians! Bib 13 is Dave Ryding – he’s lost time from inter 1 to 2; into 10th, +0.80. Good run from Alex Vinatzer into 5th. Amazing late run from bib 34, Lucas Braathen (NOR) to take over the lead by an impressive 0.33; I was out of the room and thought it was an FIS timing/data glitch at first when I came back! Good run by Anton Tremmel (GER, bib 50) as well, to get into 7th place!
Run 2: Set by a Swiss coach and it’s more turny and technical; icy too and it’s getting colder! Five away – Sebastian Holzmann leads; Laurie Taylor safely down and he will get points today. Timon Haugen (NOR) into the lead by an impressive 0.65; Adrian Pertl (AUT, bib 73!) is going well too – he leads; only his 5th World Cup too! Now, here comes Dave Ryding – red at inter 1, holding it to 2, lost time to 3 – a disappointing final section and he’s only 5th, +1.05. Manu Feller is keeping nicely green at inter 1 and 2, but he’s lost time to 3 and goes 3rd. Reto Schmidiger (SUI) came close – into 2nd; we’re halfway – Pertl leads ahead of Schmidiger and Haugen. Foss-Solevaag into 3rd, +0.08; Eurosport have decided to swap channels – except it hasn’t happened, so I missed Giuliano Razzoli taking the lead! Clement Noel is oscillating between red and green – he’s got it right and he’s green at the finish! Kristoffersen next – green at 2 but then red and he’s into 2nd, +0.12. He’s not a happy bunny! Now, Alexis Pinturault – he’s straddled and he’s out! That’s a pity – a chance to gain points missed. Marco Schwarz is going well – lost a bit to inter 1 but then got it back and gained a little between 3 and the line – he takes the lead by 0.25 – that’s popular! Michael Matt has gained a little to inter 1; he’s losing a bit at 3 and he’s only 4th. Now Daniel Yule – he’s 0.38 ahead at inter 2; losing a bit from there with some great recoveries and he’s done enough to keep the lead; just Braathen to come – Kristoffersen off the podium. Lucas Braathen has gained to inter 1, but then a few errors are costing him time – he’s joint 4th! It’s 52 years since a Swiss racer won this race- quite a wait until Daniel Yule put that right! A massive amount of prize money too, so well done him! Marco Schwarz in 2nd, Clement Noel 3rd. Braathen in 4th, tied with Kristoffersen with Matt 6th. Dave Ryding ended up 20th.
26 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start: Five from Norway, five French and 6 Germans in the field; no surprise then that at 1.4 Km the top 10 includes just 1 from another nation – Alex Loginov in 6th! JoBø has taken the lead as they head for S1 – he has missed 1 as has local hero Jakov Fak; Jacquelin has missed 2. Simon Desthieux leads out, ahead of QFM and Martin F – then Christiansen, Tarjei Bø, and Doll – all clear. JoBø is 18th, +21.1; Erik Lesser is back from the IBU cup and clear, out 13th. The French are setting a good pace to make Johannes work to catch up! Only 4.7 between the top 10 at the next split; they are coming in for S2, with JoBø almost back up with them. Desthieux has missed 3 here, JoBø clear this time. Martin F (0,0) leads out, ahead of QFM (0,0), Christiansen (0,0), Dale (0,0), JoBø (1,0) and Nawrath (0,0), +8.3. Tarjei and Doll among those who missed 1 this time; Jacquelin now 2,1 and Eberhard is 1,3. QFM is setting the pace at present as they head in for S3 – the wind has picked up a little. QFM and Fourcade have missed 1 each; JoBø clear and out just in front of Christiansen (0,0,0) with Nawrath (0,0,0) in third, +14.8, then QFM, Fourcade and Hofer. Poor Jacquelin has missed 2 more (2,1,2) and Eberhard (1,3,1) is with him on 5 total. On the lap the two leaders are sharing the lead, the two French chasers are closing, but have Dale and Bjøntegaard with them. Nawrath is dropping back, not sure if something happened or he’s just tiring? JoBø in for his final shoot – Bø has missed his 2nd, Christiansen has missed his 5th! QFM is clear this time (0,0,1,0) and out; Martin F (0,0,1,0) a little slow on the range and out 7.0 behind QFM. Benedikt Doll (0,1,0,0) in 3rd, +12.9 but he has JoBø on his tail, +17.0, with Christiansen just 0.5 behind and Eder (20/20) in 6th. At 13.4 Km QFM has pulled out 10 seconds; Martin F is with Doll, JoBø and Christiansen. At 14.1 QFM is away, but there’s a real battle behind – currently it’s Doll, JoBø, Fourcade, Christiansen with Bjøntegaard also closing. Quentin Fillon Maillet is over the line for a very well deserved win; Doll has out sprinted JoBø – Christiansen has just pipped Fourcade. QFM wins, ahead of Doll, Bø, Christiansen, Fourcade and Bjøntegaard. Simon Eder in 8th and Lukas Hofer in 10th the only “outsiders” in the top 10! Horn (0,1,1,1) in 12th, ahead of Peiffer (1,0,0,0) and Lesser (0,1,0,0).
26 Jan – Biathlon (Pokljuka) – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start: Now Tandrevold was in the relay yesterday, Røiseland wasn’t! They’re in for S1; Herrmann, Simon and Wierer among those missing – Öberg leads out, ahead of Braisaz, Røiseland, Davidova, Bescond and Vittozzi (+10.2) – all clear. Haecki, Innerhofer and Lunder have all missed 2; 15 of 30 are clear. Braisaz seems to have good skis! In for S2 – Öberg clear again and leads out, fractionally ahead of Røiseland with Vittozzi +6.9 – all 3 are 10/10. Kaisa M in 4th, ahead of Tandrevold and Hojnisz (again all 10/10) – just 9 with 10/10 after S2. Justine Braisaz has missed 1 and out 10th. Denise Herrmann clear this time but shooting slowly; 11th but +37.3 – she’s not really closing on the lap either. Leaders in for S3; Öberg and Røiseland have missed 1 each, as has Kaisa M but Vittozzi is 15/15 and she leads out. Røiseland (0,0,1) in 2nd, +9.9 ahead of Tandrevold (15/15), Öberg (0,0,1), Wierer (1,0,0)and Bescond (0,0,0). Braisaz (0,1,1) in 9th, +37.0. Kaisa has missed 2, so has Herrmann – only 4 with 15/15 now. Final shoot – Lisa Vittozzi clear but so is Öberg, and it’s the Swede who leads out, just 1.7 ahead of Vittozzi (20/20), with Bescond (also 20/20) in 3rd. Hojnisz (0,0,1,0) up to 4th, ahead of Røiseland (0,0,1,2) and Braisaz (0,1,1,1), ++51.7. Wierer has missed 2 here, so have Tandrevold , Kaisa and Herrmann, among others. Hanna Öberg is pulling away a little, Vittozzi looks fairly safe in 2nd, and Bescond is holding off Hojnisz. Öberg takes the win, with just 1 miss, Lisa Vittozzi in 2nd and Anais Bescond gets the final podium place. Hojnisz-Starega in 4th, ahead of Braisaz and Røiseland. Doro in 9th, Kaisa 12th, Herrmann 15th.
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
Garmisch Super G (Women) & updates
by Bleausardv2 Fri 14 Feb 2020, 3:21 pm
9 Feb 20: Garmisch Partenkirchen (Kandehar), Women’s Super G:, Back from my trip around the Nordic cities in time for this one! Very sad news about Mikaela Shiffrin’s father – no surprise that she isn’t competing. Stephanie Venier the first away on what looks like a really impressive Super G course; not the cleanest of runs but she’s safely down. Elena Curtoni was just over a half second faster at inter 2 but she’s lost time on the lower section – into 2nd. Neither of the first two seem happy with their runs! Nicole Schmidhofer is green all the way, and she leads by 0.50. Corinne Suter is going well too – green from the off; slower through the speed gun but that doesn’t seem to matter – she’s gaining time all the way and leads by 0.43! Wendy Holdener into 3rd; Vikki Rebensburg, who won yesterday’s downhill here, was pushing hard but she’s fallen – that looked nasty but she’s sitting up; if she’s got away with bruises, then she’s very lucky – she’s skied down but doesn’t seem too happy with her left turns – hope she’s OK, but she is definitely limping. Joana Hählen into 5th; next is Federica Brignone, the Super G standings leader, but she’s into the red and almost a second off the pace at inter 2 – into 4th. That’s the first 10 away – Suter leads from Schmidhofer and Holdener; Brignone in 4th, ahead of Venier and Hählen. Sofia Goggia is living dangerously – a good recovery but she’s fallen lower down; that also looked nasty and she’s ended up well into the netting and tangled up. There are plenty of people helping but those nets are a real mess as they try to extract Goggia; she’s on her feet but still the wrong side of a layer of safety net. She’s up and moving, and the race is back on – Petra Vlhova into 6th. Michelle Gisin has pulled back time on the final section to go 6th; that’s a tricky mix of sunshine and shadow on this icy course! Romane Miradoli in touch most of the way down – she’ s lost a little lower down and into 7th. Ester Ledecka is bib 22, and was third yesterday, but she’s off the pace today and only 15th at present. Tiffany Gauthier is on course (confusing the commentator as it was supposed to be Delago starting next) and she’s going well – in the red but still in touch – and she’s onto 4th; great effort – pity she has missed the podium by just 0.01!! Nina Ortlieb is in touch at the top and at inter 2 but she’s skied out; that’s 6 DNFs from 28 starters. That’s 30 away – no change to the top 6 since Gauthier. That’s pretty much how it ended – well done to Corinne Suter on what I believe is her first World Cup SG win (?); Nicole Schmidhofer in 2nd and Wendy Holdener getting the final podium place by just 1 one hundredth from Tiffany Gauthier. That means that Suter now leads the Super G standings (300) ahead of Brignone (261) and Schmidhofer (206). Mikaela Shiffrin still leads the overall (1225) ahead of Brignone (1080) and Vlhova (891).
Roundup: I’ve been quite busy recently so missed a few more races; Loic Meillard won the Chamonix Parallel GS (which also wins him the PGS small globe) ahead of Thomas Tumler, with Alexander Schmidt in 3rd. Kilde was 7th, getting more points for the overall than rivals Pinturault (13th) and Kristoffersen (10th). At Saalbach Hinterglemm, Thomas Dressen won the Downhill – his second win in the discipline in a row; Beat Feuz was 2nd and Mauro Caviezel 3rd – in fact the Swiss took 4 of the top 6 places, with Janka 4th and Hintermann 5th! In the Super G (14 Feb) Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was the man on superb form – after waiting 2 hours for the wind to ease, he took his 2nd World Cup career Super G victory. Mauro Caviezel is obviously also going well as he was 2nd, ahead of Thomas Dressen!
Roundup: I’ve been quite busy recently so missed a few more races; Loic Meillard won the Chamonix Parallel GS (which also wins him the PGS small globe) ahead of Thomas Tumler, with Alexander Schmidt in 3rd. Kilde was 7th, getting more points for the overall than rivals Pinturault (13th) and Kristoffersen (10th). At Saalbach Hinterglemm, Thomas Dressen won the Downhill – his second win in the discipline in a row; Beat Feuz was 2nd and Mauro Caviezel 3rd – in fact the Swiss took 4 of the top 6 places, with Janka 4th and Hintermann 5th! In the Super G (14 Feb) Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was the man on superb form – after waiting 2 hours for the wind to ease, he took his 2nd World Cup career Super G victory. Mauro Caviezel is obviously also going well as he was 2nd, ahead of Thomas Dressen!
Bleausardv2- Posts : 956
Join date : 2011-02-03
Location : Not where I really want to be
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