Alpine Skiing and Biathlon 2021/22

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24 Oct 21 - Season Opener – Sölden: Sadly I forgot that this was on, and missed the Women’s race completely! Anyway, congratulations to Mikaela Shiffrin on her 70th World Cup win – according to the FIS “she has won at least one victory in ten consecutive years on the top circuit and she becomes the first athlete ever to win at least one giant slalom in a series of six seasons”. Lara Gut-Behrami was second and Petra Vlhova third – Marta Bassino, who dominated GS last year, lost control of a ski on run 1, which ended her challenge. In the men’s race Roland Leitinger was fastest in run one – the first time he’s done that, 0.19 ahead of Mathieu Faivre with Marco Odermatt in 3rd [+0.21], then Kranjec, Caviezel and Pinturault; Kristoffersen in 11th, +0.89. Charlie Raposo was 41st, so doesn’t qualify for run 2.
Men’s Race – run 2: A lovely day in Sölden – blue sky and sunshine. I’d forgotten just how steep that hill is! Piste conditions are apparently excellent – this course set by a Swiss coach and it’s a bit straighter at the top. It’s started – Riccardo Tonetti the first away – there’s a lot more swing lower down on this set but he’s safely down. Simon Maurberger [ITA] next, the highest bib number [42] to qualify for run 2 – he’s 0.54 faster at the line; that’s a good run! The approach to the steepest section looks tricky – it’s easy to go in too fast, it seems! Cyprien Sarrazin into 2nd, +0.23; Daniel Sette [SUI] making the most of the Swiss course set – he’s into 2nd just 0.04 off the lead. A good run from Erik Read [CAN] to take the lead by 0.08; Rasmus Windingstad [NOR] looked to be right on the ragged edge at times but it’s fast – he goes into the lead by a massive 0.57! Ten away – Windingstad leads from Read and Maurberger. Loic Meillard into 2nd; Lucas Braathen [NOR] is in touch all the way and spot on from inter 2 – he takes over the lead by 0.20. Marco Schwarz [AUT] into 3rd, but only until Justin Murisier [SUI] takes over that spot. Half way through – Braathen leads from Windingstad and Murisier. Manu Feller seems to be free from back pain this season, and he’s into 5th; Matthias Mayer has skied out. Stefan Brennsteiner has fallen at the top of the steep and taken a long slide – he seems OK, thankfully. Now it’s Henrik Kristoffersen – just red at inter 3 but he’s lost 0.44 from there to go 5th. A good run from Luca de Aliprandini – nicely green at 3 but he too has lost a bit from there – even so he’s into 2nd, +0.07. River Radamus [USA] made a great recovery to retain the green light at 3 and he’s kept it too – into the lead by just 0.04! Filip Zubcic [CRO] is just in the green at 2, a bit better at 3 but he’s another one who has lost time from there – just 4th. Alexis Pinturault next – he’s gained to inter 1, but he’s lost some of that time and more to inter 2; his advantage is still drifting away but he’s kept enough to take over the lead by 0.06 – that’s only the 11th fastest time on run 2 though – the best so far is that of Lucas Braathen! Gino Caviezel [SUI] has gained time from 1 to 2, kept it to 3 and he takes over the lead by 0.23. Zan Kranjec [SLO] just red at 1, redder at 2 but back green at 3 and gaining from there to lead by 0.29 – great recovery! Marco Odermatt [SUI] next and keeping in the green all the way – he takes the lead by 0.10! Just two to come – Mathieu Faivre [FRA] is the first of them and he starts with just 0.02 in hand – he’s getting bumped around, he’s red at 1, redder at 2 and just 10th. Just Roland Leitinger left, with a quite healthy 0.21 advantage – he’s apparently looking more tense on this run and he’s red by 2 – it’s a good recovery from 3 to gain time and go 2nd, just 0.07 off the win! That’s still a considerable career best though! Marco Odermatt wins the opening race, from Roland Leitinger [AUT] and Zan Kranjec. Caviezel in 4th, ahead of Pinturault and Radamus. Lucas Braathen fastest on run 2. Nice to be back!!

Åre [Olympia] – Women’s GS, run 1, 11 Mar 22: This first run clashes with the biathlon so not sure how much I’ll be able to see. The course seems to have been set by Alice Robinson’s coach? First away Federica Brignone is a DNF. With 5 away Marta Bassino was leading ahead of Gisin and Shiffrin – Vlhova 0.78 ahead at inter 3 but over the line just 0.03 ahead! Sara Hector into 3rd, Tessa Worley into 5th, ahead of Shiffrin; Liensberger a DNF. Fifteen away, Vlhova leads from Bassino and Hector, then Gisin, Worley and Shiffrin [+0.79]. No changes to the top 6 at present; Ricarda Haaser [bib 23] the highest bib in the top 10, in 10th. That’s how it finished – highest bib number in run 2 is Vivianne Haerri [45] who was 29th in run 1. Apparently the course cut up quite quickly on run 1 so an early start was essential – should make run 2 interesting!
Run 2:  It’s a little warmer, I understand; That’s a pretty impressive run from Vivianne Haerri [SUI] – 2.41 faster than first away Karoline Pichler.  AJ Hurt into 2nd, but +1.27; Tina Robnik has taken over 2nd.  A great run from Franzi Gritsch to lead by 1.03 – best so far on run 2; Andrea Ellenberger into 3rd. Valerie Grenier more in touch but she’s lost a lot from inter 3 to the finish to go into 2nd; it seems that final section is a great place to lose a lot of time!  The course is already getting rutted – quite deep in places. Simone Wild into 2nd, but +0.87; Steph Brunner still in touch at 3 but it’s gone away from there and she’s 6th. That’s half way – Gritsch leads from Wild and Grenier. Tviberg just 0.27 red at 3 but 1.37 off the pace at the finish; Maryna Gasienica-Daniel still just green at 3 and she’s into 2nd, +0.42. Wendy Holdener the first to have over a full second in hand at the start but she’s red at 2 - she’s crashed out, nearly colling with a course worker; she’s back on her feet and being escorted down to the finish. Siebenhofer has missed a gate, another DNF; Coralie Frasse Sombet still 0.46 green at 3 but into 2nd. Ah, Ricarda Haaser still has over a minute in hand at inter 3 and she leads, but only by 0.35; Ragnhild Mowinckel into 6th but again she lost a lot from inter 3. Mikaela Shiffrin next – still green at inter 3 and she takes the lead by 0.23; Tessa Worley can’t match that – into 2nd. Michelle Gisin in touch at 3 but then off the pace and 7th; Sara Hector next – she’s hit a gate and fallen, I hope her knee is OK after she caught that ski on the gate. Two to go – Marta Bassino is only just green at 2but she’s pulled it back to 3 and that’s a great final sector to lead by 0.46! That’s a great recovery. Petra Vlhova has just 0.03 in hand at the start, up to 0.21 ahead at inter 1 and a massive 0.78 at 2 – quite amazing – still 0.57 at 3 and she leads by 1.24! That really was a masterclass, on a very rutted and tricky course – it’s the 3rd fastest time on run 2;  a very well deserved win! So, Vlhova wins, ahead of Bassino and Shiffrin. That leaves Hector on 522 in the giant slalom standings, with Worley on 517 and Shiffrin on 471, 40 ahead of Vlhova. In the overall Shiffrin is on 1261, Vlhova has closed by 40 points to 1139 and Federica Brignone is 3rd on 931. Fantastic stuff from Vlhova tonight!

Kranjska Gora [Podkoren 3] – Men’s GS, 12 Mar 22: Run 1 – that’s a steep slope – a long and physically demanding course, set by a Swiss coach! First away is Henrik Kristoffersen – that looked pretty good, but we’ll see. Luca de Aliprandini green at inter 1 and better at 2, a slight line error so he’s red at 3 but he’s green again at the finish by 0.06. Faivre into 3rd, +1.86 – not one of his best; Alexis Pinturault much more in touch and he’s gained time from 2 to 3 - he takes over the lead by 0.22. Filip Zubcic into 4th, +1.34; Zan Kranjec also in the red but less so – he’s into 2nd, just 0.19 back. Marco Odermatt on course but he too is in the red at 1 and 2, redder at 3 and into 5th.  Manu Feller is having an exciting run but he’s losing time – into 6th; Stefan Brennsteiner into 5th. That’s 15 away – Pinturault leads from Kranjec and de Aliprandini, then Kristoffersen, Brennsteiner and Odermatt. Lucas Braathen the first to threaten for a while and he’s green at inter 3 – into 2nd, just 0.01 behind Pinturault! Rasmus Windingstad has the dubious honour of being the first DNF after missing a gate; those upper gates really are sorting out some very good skiers! Raphael Haaser [bib 27] into 14th – highest bib number in the top 15 at present. That’s 30 away – no change to the top 6 since Braathen went into 2nd. Meanwhile the women are gearing up for the slalom in Åre. No late changes to the top 15 – good to see Charlie Raposo in 27th, so he’ll get a 2nd run.
Run 2: This course set by an Austrian coach; sadly this run will clash with the men’s biathlon Mass Start. Klemen Kosi doing the TV run down the course and hurling lots of snow over the cameraman! Anton Grammel has fallen when almost home in his first World Cup 2nd run. Five down, Filippo Della Vite leads from Tommy Ford, Charlie Raposo 4th. Amazing to see Mathieu Faivre so far down after run 1 – he’s into the lead but only by 0.04! And the live data feed has frozen again!  Joan Verdu [AND] has built up his advantage from 2 to 3 and he leads by 0.22! Loic Meillard also further down than expected on run 1 but he’s much better this time – fastest so far and he leads by 1.66! Atle Lie McGrath into 2nd, +0.44; Trevor Philp into 3rd but the track is cutting up a little. Erik Read into 5th; Raphael Haaser into joint 4th with Verdu. Filip Zubcic has taken over 4th; Gino Caviezel has gone into 3rd.  TV break at half way – Meillard leads from McGrath and Caviezel. Marco Odermatt had a massive advantage at the start but he’s losing time all the way – he leads but only 0.36 ahead. Brennsteiner into 3rd; Kristoffersen next and he’s gained to inter 1 greener at 2, less so by 3 but he leads by 0.33. Kristoffersen leads from Odermatt and Meillard. Lucas Braathen just green at 3 but then red at the finish – joint 2nd, +0.33 with Odermatt. Alexis Pinturault red at 1 and in all sorts of trouble – he’s 11th, +1.55! So, today’s podium is Kristoffersen, with Braathen and Odermatt in joint 2nd; ahead of Meillard, Brennsteiner and de Aliprandini. Well done to Henrik Kristoffersen – that moves him up to 2nd in the GS standings but Odermatt is now on 560 to Kristoffersen’s 353 which gives him the GS crystal globe; Odermatt also now on 1319 in the overall with Kilde still on 1050.

Åre [Olympia] – Women’s Slalom, run 1, 12 Mar 22: Run 1 set by a Slovenian coach, but we seem to have lost commentary again! Ah, he’s back. A few absentees today – Sara Hector not racing after her crash yesterday - Wendy Holdener, who had a bad cut from her crash,  and Camille Rast also not starting. Lena Dürr first away and a big error low down on the course. Mikaela Shiffrin is bib 2 and she’s well red at inter 3 but better on the final sector – even so just 2nd, +0.25 – not her best! The timing isn’t showing on the screens so there’s a delay, although the live data feed is fine. Petra Vlhova on course and she’s 0.72 red at 3 as well; Dürr made a big error here so Vlhova has made up time -  into 2nd +0.08. Katharina Liensberger into 4th; we have time on the video screen but now the live data feed has gone offline! Anna Swenn Larsson into 3rd; Michelle Gisin into 6th. That’s bib 15 down, although the three DNS are in that group, so only 12 actually down the hill – Dürr still leads despite that late error, ahead of Vlhova, Swenn Larsson and Shiffrin. Mina Fuerst Holtmann [bib 21] goes 9th – the highest bib number in the top 10 at present. Erin Mielzynski [22] into 10th; Charlie Guest into 21st at present. Now, that’s better – Aline Danioth [bib 27] into 7th! Not sure what is happening to Matt’s commentary – the background noise is getting louder as he starts to fade out! Franzi Gritsch into 20th! I see Brignone and Bassino will not get a second run – pity. However, Charlie Guest is 27th at the end of run 1 and will get a second run – both UK racers today are Charlie and both 27th in run 1!  Just seen the big final of the snowboard cross – well done Charlotte Bankes who not only won the final but also takes the crystal globe in the discipline!
Run 2: Charlie Guest safely down, but it wasn’t that fast! Five away and Melanie Meillard leads from Jess Hilzinger with Nastasia Noens going into 3rd. Good run from Amelia Smart [CAN] into 2nd and the course is already cutting up.  Katharina Huber has gained to inter 1 but red at 3 and into 2nd, +0.77! Franzi Gritsch has also gained to 1 but lost time to 2 and red by 3 – she takes over 2nd, +0.59. Martina Dubovska into 4th; there seems to be a pattern of gaining to inter 1, losing to 2, red at 3 and losing more from there! Leona Popovic still green at 3 but she’s fallen; that’s half way – Meillard still leads, ahead of Gritsch and Huber. At last, Katharina Truppe takes the lead but she’s lost a huge amount on the course – she leads by just 0.04, having been 0.85 ahead at inter 1! Ali Nullmeyer still in touch at 3 but into 4th; Andreja Slokar is building all the way to 3 but she’s lost over half a second from there to go 3rd. That’s a good run from Mina Fuerst Holtmann – green all the way and she leads by 0.55, ahead of Truppe and Meillard. We seem to be losing Matt again?  Ana Bucik into 3rd; Michelle Gisin still in touch at 3 and she’s into 2nd, just 0.07 off the lead. Katharina Liensberger has gained to inter 1 and is still green at 3 – she leads by 0.16; Mikaela Shiffrin next with just 0.10 in hand – she’s just red at 1 and 0.49 off the pace at 2 – she’s 7th – what is wrong today? Anna Swenn Larsson down and a DNF; Petra Vlhova has lost a bit to 1, just red at 3 and she’s into 4th. Just Lena Dürr to come – steady to inter 2 but just red at 3 and she’s lost time – into 5th, behind Vlhova but ahead of Shiffrin. So, well done Katharina Liensberger who takes the win, ahead of Mina Holtmann, her first WC podium [?], and Michelle Gisin. Vlhova 4th with Shiffrin 9th. Vlhova already has the slalom globe, but in the overall she gets 50 points today to Shiffrin’s 29 – Shiffrin leads on 1245 to Vlhova’s 1189!

Kranjska Gora [Podkoren 3] – Men’s GS 2, 13 Mar 22: Missed this completely as I was out at a geocaching event – another win for Henrik Kristoffersen, this time ahead of Stefan Brennsteiner and the almost unstoppable Marco Odermatt! Lucas Braathen had another good day to finish 4th, ahead of Alex Schmid and Gino Caviezel. Alexis Pinturault down in 12th; great to see Charlie Raposo in 16th! The FIS report is HERE

Otepää – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 10 Mar 22: I missed this live – Sturla Holm Laegreid [bib 9] cleared all 10 targets and was obviously the man to beat – however the amazingly on form Quentin Fillon Maillet was among those who also cleared all 10 and although he was behind Laegreid’s time as he left the range, a blistering final lap gave him another win! Laegreid held onto 2nd ahead of Benedikt Doll, also a 10/10! Christiansen in 4th, then Rees and Strolia – Tarjei Bø in 10th, so perhaps not yet fully fit? The full IBU report is HERE

Otepää – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 11 Mar 22: A lazier day today so I was able to watch this one live, although not from a hot tub! Justine B-B first away today, ahead of Linn Persson and Marta Olsbu Røiseland. J B-B at S1, she’s missed the first 2 and 1 more; Persson has missed 2. Røiseland has missed 1 and she was a bit lucky with another! Anais Bescond has also missed 1; the wind has got up too – Preuß also 1 miss and at last Anais C-B has shown how it’s done by clearing all 5. Hanna Öberg in – missed the first but cleared the rest at speed; Vanessa Voigt clear but that was a slow shoot – out +16.7. Elvira Öberg has missed her first and last; Davidova confused by the wind and she’s missed 4. Røiseland has missed her first in the stand as well; Tandrevold clear at S1. Tiril Eckhoff has missed her last shot at S1; Justine B-B [3,2], Persson [2,3]. Franzi Preuß [1,1] but Anais C-B [0,1] is away from S2 in the lead by 12.9 ahead of Røiseland. Hanna Öberg clear at S2 and out just 1 second off the lead. Voigt shooting well again – all 10 down and 6.7 ahead of Anais C-B but has she got the ski speed to exploit that? Doro Wierer clear at S1; Elvira Öberg clear at S2 after 2 misses in the prone. Denise Herrmann has missed 1 in prone but a little slow; Tandrevold has missed 1 in the stand. Tiril at S2 and she missed the last one; out just behind Røiseland’s time. This is amazing – Voigt is at 6.9 Km and still 9.4 ahead of Hanna Öberg who is steaming for the line. That’s a brilliant last lap for Vanessa Voigt – she’s over the line 12.0 ahead of Hanna Öberg! Back at S1 Julia Simon is clear and fast; Doro has missed 2 at S2. Stina Nilsson has missed 3 at S1; Tandrevold over the line in 2nd! Denise Herrmann is clear at S2 and out 6th, +12.4. At the finish, at present, it’s Voigt, Tandrevold, Hanna Ö, Anais C-B, Elvira Ö and Røiseland. Tiril over the line 7th, just ahead of Preuß. Julia Simon at S2 and she’s got 4 down – long pause and she missed the final shot. But, she’s out 2.6 ahead of Voigt. At 6.2 Km Herrmann is flying – up to 2nd, +7.6. The gap is down to 5.4 at 6.9 Km, but it’s downhill from there! Herrmann over the line in 2nd, +5.1 – a good final lap! Now, where is Simon – at 6.2 Km she’s 5.1 ahead of Voigt; that’s up to 9.7 at 6.9 – Simon over the line 11 seconds ahead of Voigt – great run! However, at S2 Karoline Offigstad Knotten is 10/10 and out 11.1 ahead of Simon! At 6.2 Km that lead is down to just 3.0; Knotten is +5.3 at 6.9 Km – over the line in 3rd, +12.8, behind Voigt but pushing my favourite Denise Herrmann off the podium! I think that’s pretty much it – well done to Julia Simon, taking the wine despite 1 miss in prone, Voigt taking a superb 2nd place with 10/10 just ahead of Knotten, who also cleared all 10 – I think that might be a PB for both in World Cup races? Denise Herrmann in 4th, ahead of Tandrevold and Hanna Öberg. Røiseland in 10th, Eckhoff 11th. Well done to all – a good result for Germany with 2nd and 4th. Certainly that is Voigt’s first WC podium – well done her!

Otepää – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 12 Mar 22: Beautiful conditions, light winds at present – race on! A tough pace early on; Jacquelin has gone to the front, no one seems keen to go with him at present! He’s eased off a bit – probably wise? In for S1 with the wind still light – lots of clear shooting and it’s Bakken who leads out ahead of Eder and Fabien Claude – QFM 4th ahead of Jacquelin and Doll – all 5/5; Tarjei Bø, Bormolini, and Leitner have missed 1; Laegreid, and Ponsiluoma among those missing 2. The pace has slowed on lap 2; in for S2, more good shooting and Bakken leads out ahead of Christiansen, QFM, Doll, Lesser and Guigonnat – all 10/10. Top 10 separated by only 8.3 seconds. Laegreid is 2,1, Ponsiluoma 2,2. At 8.5 Km QFM is moving into the lead; first prone coming up and the wind is pretty much zero – QFM has missed his 5th, Jacquelin leads out, ahead of Christiansen and Guigonnat – all 15/15. QFM in 4th, +18.0, fastest of those with 1 miss – Doll has missed 2, Ponsiluoma [2,2,1] down in 27th. Christiansen is pulling away slightly on the lap; QFM up to 3rd but +13.9. Christiansen is over 10 seconds ahead as he comes in for the final shoot – that was quick, all 20 down and he’s away, 7.4 ahead of QFM who was clear again this time. Bakken in 3rd, +16.0 just ahead of Guigonnat with Lesser in 5th. At 13.3 Km Christiansen is just 4.0 ahead of QFM with Bakken still in touch. At 14.5 Km the gap is 2.9 but only 500 metres to go. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen takes a very well deserved win with a perfect 20/20; QFM [0,0,1,0] over the line 2nd which I think might give him the overall globe? Bakken [0,0,1,0] in 3rd ahead of Guigonnat [0,0,0,0], Lesser [0,0,1,0] and Hofer [0,0,1,1]. Samuelsson in 9th, Laegreid 10th, Tarjei Bø 13th and Doll 14th so he’ll lose the Mass Start red bib.

Otepää – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 12 Mar 22: A bit warm perhaps – looks like the Öbergs are setting the pace early on. – top 10 only 2.6 seconds apart. In for S1; Herrmann has missed 1, so have Simon, Anais C-B, Hanna Öberg, Davidova and Tandrevold among others. It’s Røiseland who leads out 3.4 ahead of Elvira, Franzi Preuß, Elisa Gasparin, Doro Wierer and Linn Persson [+5.1] – all clear. Røiseland setting the pace on the lap. In for S2 – Røiseland clear and out first, ahead of Persson, Preuß, Hauser, Hanna Öberg and Voigt – Hanna the only one with a miss. Elvira among those who missed here, so are Doro, Herrmann, Anais C-B, Hinz, Lien and Simon. Was that Tandrevold who was tangled up with another athlete? At 6.9 Km Røiseland leads from Preuß and Persson, then a gap to Hanna and Hauser. In for S3 – all change – Preuß clear and away, Elvira clear this time and out 2nd, +13.6 ahead of Voigt [15/15], Brorsson [15/15], Persson [0,0,1], and Røiseland [0,0,1]. Hanna Öberg [1,0,1] in 9th just ahead of Eckhoff who has the same shooting score. That’s a good lap from Preuß – at 9.4 Km she’s 16.0 ahead of Røiseland, with Justine B-B and Elvira close behind. Herrmann up to 6th, +18.6. Preuß in for her final shoot, she’s missed 1. Elvira clear this time and out, just 2.2 ahead of Røiseland, then Persson and Herrmann, +3.8 with Preuß in 5th, +8.1. At 11.2 Km Elvira is away – she doesn’t seem to suffer from fatigue? She’s 7.4 ahead of Røiseland, then Herrmann [+8.2], Persson, Preuß and Voigt, who seems to be the only one to hit all 20 today. They surely aren’t going to catch Elvira, but there’s a great fight for the other 2 podium places. Elvira Öberg cruises to the win, Denise Herrmann sprints to 2nd with Marte Olsbu Røiseland in 3rd. Persson in 4th ahead of Preuß and Voigt – nice to see 3 Germans in the top 6. Tiril in 8th, just ahead of Hanna Öberg. Good race!

Otepää – Relays, 13 Mar 22: I missed the Mixed Relay completely as I was out at a geocaching event. A very dominant showing by the Norwegians to take the win with just 7 spares used; Sweden in 2nd [8 spares] and France [6] in 3rd. Germany in 4th, ahead of Czech Republic and Slovakia. The full IBU report is HERE

Single Mixed Relay: Erik Lesser and Franzi Preuß for Germany! However Seb Samuelsson and Hanna Öberg are surely going to be hard to beat; Norway didn’t do the last of these so today they are bib 12 – Laegreid and Røiseland; quite a team. Hmm, at 1 Km Laegreid has got up to the front of the pack – quite an impressive start. In for S1 – Laegreid on lane 12 has cleared and he’s away, 1.6 ahead of Eder then Lesser, Samuelsson, Trsan and Christian Gow [+3.5] – all clear. Belgium [Florent Claude] on the penalty loop; Bartko [SVK] is doing 2 loops. Quite a fast pace on the next lap too, they are already in for S2 - somehow Lukas Hofer, who used 1 spare at both shoots is ahead, then Eder [0], Trsan [0], Lesser [1], Samuelsson [1] and Kaukenas. Straight to exchange 1 – ITA/AUT/SLO/GER/SWE/LTU. Lisa Vittozzi in the team today vice Wierer who is being rested – away fast! She’s in for S3 ahead of Hauser, Hanna Öberg and Preuß. Hanna leads out ahead of Røiseland – both with no spares then Nika Vindisar [SLO], Ushkina [ROM], Hauser, Dunklee and Preuß [2 spares] – poor Vittozzi is doing 3 penalty loops – she really does have problems with the prone shoots this season. Hanna and Røiseland are opening up a gap as they head for S4 – Røiseland clear and away, Hanna has used all 3 spares; Vindisar clear and up to 2nd, ahead of Dunklee and Preuß, Hanna in 5th. Exchange 2 – NOR/SLO/USA/GER/SWE/ROM. At 7 Km Laegreid has an 18 second gap to Schommer who is just fractionally ahead of Lesser and Samuelsson. Laegreid in for S5 – that was good shooting, a bit lucky with the last but all down and away. Lesser clear and away 2nd, just ahead of Samuelsson who was also clear. Trsan in 4th, then Shamaev [ROM] and Schommer [2 spares, USA]. Lukas Hofer has Italy up to 9th. Final shoot for the men - Sturla Holm Laegreid has them all down fast – beautiful shooting! Samuelsson clear and out 2nd + 18.2 ; Lesser has used 1 spare and 3rd, +27.9. Final exchange – NOR/SWE/GER/SLO/ROM/FRA. On the lap Anais C-B has got France up to 4th; Røiseland in for her final prone shoot – clear and away before Hanna has settled; she too is clear and out. Preuß has cleared too and out +27.7 with almost 30 seconds to Vindisar, Anais C-B in 5th after 2 spares. Hanna losing a little on the lap. Final shoot – Røiseland clear again and that was nice; Hanna and Franzi Preuß also clear and out in that order. Anais C-B is clear too but 1:03.8 behind Norway. Emma Lunder has Canada up to 5th, ahead of Slovenia. Marte Olsbu Røiseland is cruising to an impressive double for Norway [0+1] in these relays; Sweden [0+4] get another 2nd with Germany [0+4] taking the final podium place – well done Franzi and Erik – he’s having a great final end of season. France [0+7] in 4th ahead of Italy [3+10] and Canada [0+5]. Some very impressive shooting today.

Downhill - Courcheval/Meribel: A busy day today so I missed what seem to have been 2 very exciting downhill races. The FIS report is HERE. Firstly congratulations to Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Sofia Goggia for winning the discipline crystal globes, especially as Goggia had such a difficult season at times. In the men's race it was good to see Vincent Kriechmayr take the win ahead of the amazingly versatile Marco Odermatt with Beat Feuz third; Kilde's 4th place was enough for him to take the downhill globe by 13 points but he is now out of contention for the overall. I was very happy to see Mikaela Shiffrin back on form, taking the downhill win in the women's race, ahead of Christine Scheyer and Joana Haehlen - as Corinne Suter was off the pace Goggia just had to finish to claim the globe and did so in 12th! Petra Vlhova was 16th. In the overall points Odermatt is now on 1459 to Kilde's 1,100, while in the women's standings Mikaela Shiffrin is on 1345 to Vlhova's 1189! What a time for Shiffrin to win a downhill and claim 100 points!

World Cup Finals – Courchevel/Meribel [Eclipse] – Super Gs, 17 Mar 22: Well, happy St Patrick’s Day! Women’s race first - Sofia Goggia has opted not to race today after wrapping up the downhill globe yesterday. The slope has been salted – course set by an Italian coach; Romane Miradoli will be first away and seems happy with that, as her other option was bib 17 – she presumably expects the course to cut up? Miradoli safely down and it looked good. This is a completely new piste so the French are really the only ones who have had a chance to practice here – quite legal too! Michelle Gisin nicely in touch and she’s green all the way to lead by 0.35; Ragnhild Mowinckel right on the pace, just green from inter 2 and now she leads by 0.13. Federica Brignone has already won the Super G globe – into 7th today, at present. Jasmine Flury into 4th; Elena Curtoni into 7th, probably not what she hoped for. Tessa Worley just green at inter 2, just red at 3 and into 3rd, +0.34, pushing Miradoli off the podium. Quick break and now Mikaela Shiffrin is on course, just green at 1, just red at 2, redder at 3, then the fastest time on the final sector gets her into 2nd, +0.05. There’s an upset – Lara Gut-Behrami 0.30 ahead at inter 1 but she’s missed a gate after the jump. Corinne Suter into 6th; fifteen away and Mowinckel leads from Shiffrin and Gisin. Marta Bassino in touch at inter 1 but getting redder as she goes – into 7th and that pushes Curtoni down to 13th – only the top 15 get points in these races. Although Brignone already has the globe the other positions in the Super G standings are still fluid and that will be important for next season. Joana Haehlen into 11th, Curtoni down to 14th. Mirjam Puchner is just green at 1, just red at 2 but she’s lost a lot on the final sector and just 13th. Kira Weidle out of the top 15 in 19th; Petra Vlhova next and this will be crucial for the overall standings – she must be in the top 7 – she’s quite red all the way and into 17th; no points today! That means Mikaela Shiffrin wins the overall title for the 4th time – well done her and well deserved after such a torrid year at times – Covid and a difficult Olympics! Elena Curtoni has held on to 2nd in the Super G standings by just 10 points; Shiffrin up to 3rd place ahead of Mowinckel, who has the compensation of a Super G win today – it seems that’s her first Super G win?! Mowinckel in first today, Shiffrin 2nd and Gisin 3rd, then Worley, Miradoli and Suter; Elena Curtoni in 15th!
Men’s race: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has already won the crystal globe for both downhill and Super G; Marco Odermatt already has the overall globe. Max Franz will not be racing today – back problems. James Crawford first away and down; Gino Caviezel green all the way and he leads by 0.27. Vincent Kriechmayr slow through the first speed gun but he’s green at both inter 1 and 2, greener at 3 and that’s a superb final sector to lead by 0.75! Kilde perhaps a little brutal for the soft snow – into 3rd; Alexis Pinturault getting a great reception from the crowd and into 5th. The snow seems to be softening, Matthias Mayer into 6th; Ryan C-S red all the way and 5th, +1.36. Huge jump for Marco Odermatt and he’s in touch at inter 3 – into 2nd + 0.53, that’s Kilde off the podium. Beat Feuz on course but off the pace today – apparently with a sore knee which can’t help - and just 9th. That’s 15 away, Kriechmayr leads from Odermatt and Caviezel, then Kilde, Crawford and Bailet. Dominik Paris isn’t enjoying this soft snow – he’s 14th; I think that might be it for today – conditions aren’t helping the later starters. Blaise Giezendanner into the nets but he seems OK; Christof Innerhofer is the last racer today – huge jump and he’s losing time - into 19th. That’s the racing done for today – well done to Vincent Kriechmayr for the speed double in these final races; Odermatt in 2nd and Caviezel 3rd – then Kilde, Crawford and Bailet. That means Odermatt moves up to 2nd in the Super standings with Kriechmayr up to 3rd – Mayer drops to 4th.

Holmenkollen – Women’s 7.5 Km Sprint, 18 Mar 22: Last sprint of the season for the women! Scott isn’t with Patrick yet – seems to be stuck in a baggage queue? It looks nice in Oslo – much better than last time I visited Holmenkollen when the visibility was just a few metres! Hauser the first away and she’s at S1 – clear and out. Røiseland also clear and out 11.2 faster; amazingly Voigt has missed 1 and so has Tandrevold! Sadly Amanda Lightfoot has missed 2 at S1. Tiril Eckhoff clear at S1 and out 1.9 ahead of Røiseland; Vittozzi has missed just 1, Justine B-B 3 of her first 5. Elvira Öberg has missed 3 as well and they were a good way off to the right. The wind seems to be variable, to put it mildly! Hauser is 10/10 – good shooting! Røiseland has missed her last shot at S2; out 11.1 behind Hauser. Hanna Öberg has missed 4 at S1; Tiril Eckhoff has also missed her 10th, but she’s out just 1.9 behind Hauser. Davidova clear at S1 and in touch, Doro Wierer has also missed 3 at S1 but Denise Herrmann has cleared all 5 – bit off the pace though? On the last lap Røiseland had closed on Hauser to 5.9 Km but she’s lost a bit to 6.9; she’s over the line 2nd, 2.4 behind Hauser. Elvira clear at S2 and somehow out ahead of Tandrevold [1,1]? Eckhoff over the finish line 7 seconds ahead of Hauser – Davidova is 10/10 and nicely in touch after S2. Denise Herrmann has missed 1 at S2; Vittozzi [1,0] which should be a boost to her. Julia Simon has missed 3 at S2; Jislova 10/10 and out from S2 some 11 seconds ahead of Herrmann – Anais C-B also 10/10 and out very close behind Røiseland’s time. At present Tiril Eckhoff leads from Hauser, Røiseland and Davidova [+19.7]. Herrmann over the line in 5th at present; Franzi Hildebrand has joined the 10/10 club but she hasn’t got the ski speed to threaten the podium. Anais C-B into 5th, Jislova 6th. Stina Nilsson won’t be popular with the Öbergs – 2 misses and over the line ahead of Elvira! Hettich also 10/10 but out from S2 +45.5; she’s over the line 12th – good effort. Sad to Doro Wierer [3,3] well down the list. Seems Davidova has won the individual globe and Røiseland has definitely got the sprint globe – her first! That’s this sprint over – Tiril Eckhoff [0,1] takes another win, her 28th, – nice to see her back on form; Lisa Theresa Hauser [0,0] 2nd and Marte Olsbu Røiseland [0,1] 3rd, then Davidova, Anais C-B and Jislova. Herrmann in 7th, Hildebrand 9th, Hettich 12th and Voigt 14th – a good day for the Germans! Elvira down in 17th and Hanna 39th! Norway has also won the Women’s Nations Cup with 6856 points to Sweden’s 6765.

Holmenkollen – Men’s 10 Km Sprint, 18 Mar 22: Quite warm at the start – very springlike so the snow might be even softer by the finish. The shaded part of the track is popular again – Bormolini in for S1 and clear; Johannes Kühn also clear and 16.5 faster. Jacquelin has missed 1 and 5 at S1; Benedikt Doll clear and 9.1 slower than Kühn, but Seb Samuelsson is also clear and marginally faster than Kühn. Christiansen has got all 5 targets at S1 but he was rather lucky with 2 of them - out +2.8; Laegreid also clear and away 14.8 ahead of Samuelsson! Tarjei Bø has missed 1 at S1; Kühn has missed 1 at S2. At S1 Erik Lesser is clear and faster than Samuelsson; at S2 Doll is 10/10 - the only 1 so far. Seb Samuelsson has also just gone 10/10 and he’s 13.2 faster than Doll; back at S1 Ponsiluoma is clear and quicker than Samuelsson, QFM also clear but + 22.8. That was really superb - Sturla Holm Laegreid 10/10 and out 26.5 ahead of Samuelsson! Doll has closed a little on Samuelsson to 8.4 Km but he’s lost a little of it to 9.4 Km. Erik Lesser has missed his last shot; Christiansen is losing time to Samuelsson on the lap. QFM is 10/10 and out 3rd but +31.6; Ponsiluoma has missed 2 at S2. Laegreid over the line 26.5 ahead of Samuelsson with Doll currently 3rd, +39.5. Currently Christiansen is 4th, ahead of Kühn and Tarjei Bø. Simon Desthieux over the line 6th but Lesser is now into 4th! That must have been some final lap from QFM – over the line 2nd, so Doll is off the podium. Philipp Nawrath [0,0] over the line in 6th; back at S1 the highest bib in the top 15 is bib 88, Emilien Claude, clear and +28.3 which puts him with Doll and Nawrath there. At S2 David Zobel is 10/10 and out with Kühn, although he’s a slower skier. Emilien Claude has missed 2 at S2; Zobel over the line in 11th at present. That’s it - Sturla Holm Laegreid back on amazing form and he takes the win by 22.4 seconds from Quentin Fillon Maillet with Seb Samuelsson in 3rd – all of them 10/10. Then Doll [0,0], Lesser [0,1] and Nawrath [0,0] – 3 Germans in the top 6, but none on the podium. Martin Ponsiluoma quickest of those with 2 misses in 10th.

Holmenkollen – Women’s 10 Km Pursuit, 19 Mar 22: A lovely day but warm! Eckhoff has pulled away a little on the lap – in for S1 – Tiril clear and out but Røiseland is also clear and out just 2.5 seconds back. Anais C-B up to 3rd but +44.6, Davidova has missed 1 and out 4th, Herrmann clear and 5th ahead of Hauser who missed 2. Elvira clear at S1 and up to 10 from 17; Tandrevold 15 from 26 and Preuß 27 from 45. The two Norwegians are in for S2 – Røiseland clear and out, Eckhoff has missed 1. Anais C-B clear, Davidova 1 miss, Herrmann 2. Elvira has also missed 1. It’s Paulina Fialkova who is out 4th with 10/10, ahead of Hauser and Davidova with Hettich up to 7th and also 10/10. Røiseland in for her first standing shoot – 1 miss; Tiril has also missed 1. The gap is about 17 seconds as they leave the range. Anais C-B clear and out +34.6; Fialkova 15/15 and +1:00.0. Hauser [2.0.1] in 5th ahead of Franzi Hildebrand [0,0,0, up from, 9th]; Elvira has missed 1 more [0,1,1]. Franzi Preuß is 15/15 and up to 12 from 45! Røiseland in for her final shoot – 1 miss; Tiril is clear and out 9.7 ahead of Røiseland! What a great race! Anais C-B has missed 1 at last and she’s out 0.7 behind Paulina Fialkova who is 20/20. Hauser [2,0,1,0] out 5th, just ahead of Herrmann [0,2,0,0]. Hildebrand and Preuß are also both 20/20 and 8 and 9 respectively. Tiril Eckhoff is away and she’s pulling out time all the way to 9.3 Km; I think Fialkova is safe in 3rd? Tiril has time to collect a Norwegian flag as she cruises to a very well deserved win! Marte Olsbu Røiseland in 2nd and Paulina Fialkova 3rd from 8th. Anais C-B in 4th ahead of Herrmann and Hauser. Other gainers include Elvira [0,1,1,0; 17 to 8], Preuß [45-10], Tandrevold [26-11], Brorsson [27-13], Elisa Gasparin [30-14], Persson [23-15], Ivona Fialkova [25-18], Justine B-B [42-21], Simon [36-22], Bescond [37-23], Comola [38-26], Lunder [43-27] and Jeanmonnot [55-31]. Among those losing ground are Jislova [6-12], Vittozzi [11-25], Bendika [13-29], Chevalier [10-32], Eder [22-36], Stina Nilsson [16-39], Emma Nilsson [24-40], Knotten [19-43] and Kinnunen [21-46].

Holmenkollen – Men’s 12.5 Km Pursuit, 19 Mar 22: Laegreid seems to be opening up the gap a little? He’s at S1 and all 5 down before the chasing group have settled. QFM and Samuelsson shot for shot – both clear and out pretty much together +28.5. Lesser and Nawrath also clear and out 4 and 5 ahead of Christiansen. Doll has missed 1, Ponsiluoma 2. At 4.2 Km Laegreid has gained about 4 seconds over the chasing 2, who are just about to be joined by Lesser – hope Erik isn’t going too fast? Laegreid in for S2 – 1 low and a miss. Chasing 3 in – QFM has missed 1, Lesser and Samuelsson clear and out with Nawrath also 10/10 and some 13 seconds behind them. QFM is 5th and just ahead of Christiansen who is 10/10. Laegreid is still pulling out time, at 6.7 Km he’s got the gap to Lesser up to 18.9, with Samuelsson on his heels. Laegreid in for the first standing shoot – I think 4 of those would have dropped the prone target! Lesser 15/15 and out +20.1, Samuelsson has missed 2 – QFM clear and out 3rd, +38.7. Christiansen [0,0,1] out 4th, just ahead of Samuelsson [0,0,2] and Doll [1,0,0]. Nawrath has missed 2 at S3, Kühn has missed 4! Lesser and QFM are still losing time to Laegreid, so are Samuelsson and Christiansen. Laegreid in for his final shoot – 2 misses, shots 3 and 4! Erik Lesser is clear and away, 13.1 ahead of QFM who is also clear. Laegreid just over 1 second behind QFM. Samuelsson 4th, +51.8 nicely ahead of Christiansen. Laegreid is past QFM at present – at 10.9 Km the gap from Lesser to Laegreid is 13.1 seconds with QFM 0.6 back. Samuelsson isn’t closing – perhaps he’s realised that the gap is too big to close? At 11.7 Km the gap behind lesser is still 13.0 seconds! QFM has powered past Laegreid on the hill – he’s closing on Erik Lesser too but there’s too much of a gap. Erik Lesser takes the win after starting 5th – what a superb race as he nears retirement! A perfect shooting score too. Quentin Fillon Maillet in 2nd with Laegreid 3rd. Samuelsson a distant 4th ahead of Christiansen with Ponsiluoma 6th from 10th despite 3 penalty loops. Among those gaining places are Strolia [15-10], FF Andersen [19-12], Bjøntegaard [17-13], Hofer [38-14], Eder [23-16], Krcmar [33-18], Jacquelin [30-19], Emilien Claude [27-20], Seppala [35-23], Fratzscher [43-26], Nelin [56-35] and Komatz [52-37]. Going the wrong way the list includes Doll [4-9], Nawrath [6-21], Giacomel [14-22], Kühn [8-25], Uldal [20-27], Stvrtecky [18-31], Doherty [24-34], Windisch [25-43] mand Guigonnat [22-51 with 9n penalties]. Well done Erik!

World Cup Finals – Slalom & GS:

Courchevel/Meribel [Roc de Fer] – Men’s GS, 19 Mar 22: I wonder what the racers think of having to pose with their bib numbers – always looks a bit uncomfortable. The course for run 1 has been set by Filip Zubcic’s coach. Marco Odermatt the first away and he’s already won the overall and GS crystal globes – safely down – it’s quite warm and the commentary team reckon the piste will deteriorate as the race develops. Justin Murisier into 2nd, +0.50; big error from Manu Feller but a good recovery – he’s +2.12. Alexis Pinturault apparently not well; he was just 0.01 red at 2 but then losing time and he’s 3rd, +0.68. Luca de Aliprandini into 4th; Lucas Braathen much more in touch – green  at 1 and 2 and 0.29 ahead at 3 but he’s 0.20 red at the line and into 2nd. Henrik Kristoffersen next - red at 1, green at 2 and he’s skied out – very tricky snow conditions here! River Radamus into 5th; Gino Caviezel has taken over that place. Ten away, Odermatt leads from Braathen and Murisier. Stefan Brennsteiner into 4th which is good from bib 12; Loic Meillard [bib 14] in touch at inter 2 and he’s into 4th, +0.55. Trevor Philp into 9th from bib 21; Kilde is bib 25 today and into 22nd! The last racer on run 1 is Alex Steen Olsen, a double world junior champion and he’s in touch – into 8th! Run 1 over – Odermatt leads form Braathen and Murisier.
Run 2: This pattern set by a Swiss coach; lots of swing and very technical. Kilde first away, apparently he won’t be racing the slalom tomorrow; he’s down. Manu Feller is red at 1 and 2 and into 2nd; Filip Zubcic briefly green at 2 and then into 2nd. Patrick Feurstein [AUT] going well – green all the  way to 3 and the best time in the final sector  gives him the lead by 0.41. Thibaut Favrot looking good at inter 1 but a massive error has dropped him to 6th; not sure what happened to Luca de Aliprandini – he too was nicely in touch at 1 but finished almost 2 seconds off the pace – too much in the soft stuff? Marco Schwarz into 2nd; River Radamus good at inter 1 but a big error has dropped him too – 7th, +1.42. Erik Read is more in touch – dead level at 3 but the final sector has spoilt it – into 4th. Now Atle Lie McGrath has built to inter 1 and he’s still nicely green at 3  - he goes 2nd, just 0.02 off the lead; Kilde off the podium! Trevor Philp still just green at 3 but he’s looking a little tired – into 7th; Alex Schmid has lost a huge amount from inter 3 and ends up 10th. TV break – Feurstein leads from McGrath, Schwarz and Kilde. Alex Steen Olsen is losing time but he had a good advantage – finally red after inter 3 and into 3rd. Gino Caviezel is keeping well into the green to inter 3 – he has lost from there but he had enough in hand to lead by 0.28! Alexis Pinturault red at 1 but he’s better by 3 and he’s actually gained from there to go 2nd, just 0.04 behind! Stefan Brennsteiner just green all the way but crucially he too has gained a little to the finish and he leads by 0.14. Loic Meillard still just green at 3 and he too has gained from there – now he leads by 0.11 – it’s holding up better than expected. Justin  Murisier red at 1 and redder as he goes down the hill – just 7th; Lucas Braathen only just green at 1 but he’s pulled it back to 2 and 3 – he leads by 0.14 – a very impressive run! Just Marco Odermatt to go – he’s gained to inter 1 and is still well green at 3 and he’s gained a bit more from there – he wins by an amazing 0.49! What a run Odermatt wins ahead of Braathen and Meillard, then Brennsteiner, Caviezel and Pinturault. Kilde ended 12th, with the best time on run 2!


Courchevel/Meribel [Roc de Fer] – Women’s Slalom, 19 Mar 22: I think an Austrian coach set this pattern of gates? Michelle Gisin first away and safely down although I got the impression she wasn’t too happy with the run? Ana Bucik green at 1, less green at 2 and 3 and she’s 2nd, +0.03. Petra Vlhova next, with the slalom globe already hers – just red all the way and into 3rd, +0.11.  Mikaela Shiffrin, with the overall globe wrapped up,  is bib 4 and a bit off the pace – she’s made up a bit on the final sector where she was fastest and into 4th, +0.29. Lena Dürr green all the way and she leads by 0.37 – that was good! Ten away now – Dürr leads from Gisin and Bucik, then Vlhova, Shiffrin and Holdener. Andreja Slokar [bib 13] into 6th; Anna Swenn Larsson [bib 15] into 9th – highest bib number in the top 10 at present. That’s good – Zrinca Ljutic [CRO, bib 25] another junior world champion into 9th! Run 1 over – Dürr leads from Gisin and Bucik. Probably even softer snow for run 2?
Run 2: Nicely timed to start just as the women’s biathlon pursuit ended! I think this course was set by Shiffrin’s coach? Camille Rast the early leader ahead of Chiara Mair. Erin Mielzynski takes over the lead; not for long though as Nastasia Noens has taken the lead by 0.10 – maybe she shouldn’t retire? Paula Moltzan into 3rd; that’s a great run from Ali Nullmeyer [CAN] gaining from inter 2 to lead by 0.81 – best time on run 2 so far! Amelia Smart [CAN] into 2nd;  3 Canadians in the top 4 at present! Laurence St-Germain into third – now 3 Canadians in the top 3! Katharina Liensberger into 4th; Anna Swenn Larsson has gone into 3rd. Zrinka Ljutic is going for it – some great recoveries and she’s into the lead by 0.05! That’s a great debut on the World Cup tour.  Wendy Holdener into 3rd – still no win! Andreja Slokar really has the measure of these snow conditions – she leads by a massive 1.22 seconds! Mikaela Shiffrin off the pace and into 5th; Petra Vlhova into 2nd, +0.81! So, 3 to go – Slokar leads from Vlhova and Ljutic! Ana Bucik is losing time – into 3rd, +1.04. Michelle Gisin gained to 1 but she’s straddled and that’s a nasty bruise at least – hopefully that’s all. Lena Dürr has 0.75 in hand, barely green at 2, just red at 3 and into 2nd! Well done to Andreja Slokar – what a run and a well-deserved win for her, ahead of Lena Dürr with Petra Vlhova 3rd. Bucik in 4th ahead of Ljutic and Nullmeyer, who had the fastest time on run 2. Petra Vlhova has received her slalom globe – congratulations!

Courchevel/Meribel [Roc de Fer] – Women’s GS, 20 Mar 22: Another nice day – 4 possible winners of this crystal globe for giant slalom – Hector, Worley, Vlhova and Shiffrin! Lots of swing, some direct gates and soft snow in places – course set by a Slovakian coach. Ragnhild Mowinckel first away and she’s shaking her head at the finish! Mikaela Shiffrin on course and green all the way – she leads by 0.84! Marta Bassino green at 1 but red at 2 and redder at 3 and into 3rd. Petra Vlhova on course and arguably looking tired at times – into 3rd, +1.08! Tessa Worley red at 1 and getting redder – into 5th, +1.60. Sara Hector pushing hard but she’s possibly suffering from that knee injury from last weekend – into 6th and +2.10. Federica Brignone more in touch and into 2nd, but +0.82. Ten away, Shiffrin leads by 0.82, ahead of Brignone with Mowinckel 3rd; Vlhova 4th, then Bassino and Gasienica-Daniel. Lara Gut-Behrami into 5th; good to see Michelle Gisin racing after her crash yesterday – into 9th. That’s run 1 over – no change to the top 10 since Gisin went 9th!
Run 2: Set by a Swiss coach and maybe more technical? Luckily it’s not quite so warm today. That’s a great run from Magdalena Egger [AUT] a junior world champion and she leads by 0.51 ahead of Holdener and Curtoni! Stephanie Brunner has gained to inter 1 and she’s fast from 2 to the finish to lead by 1.31. Paula Moltzan into 2nd; Ana Bucik into the red at 2 but in touch and a superb final sector gives her the lead by 0.05! Tviberg just red at 3 and into 3rd; Haaser has gained to 1 and more to 2 but she’s out. Ramona Siebenhofer fractionally red at 3 but she’s lost more time from, there to go 4th, +0.59; Liensberger has almost doubled her advantage from 1 to 2 and halved it back to 3 and now she’s 4th, +0.23. Katharina Truppe has also gone well from 1 to 2 but steady to 3 and she takes over the lead by 0.59. Mina Holtmann into 2nd, 0.03 faster than Bucik; Sara Hector in the gate, just red at 3 and despite the injury she’s into 2nd by just 0.09 – that was a superb effort. Thea Louise Stjernesund green all the way and into the lead by 0.39; Coralie Frasse Sombet into 2nd, which is bad news for Hector but a great result for her. Valerie Grenier [CAN] green all the way and now she leads; Michelle Gisin just red at 3 but that’s an impressive final sector to give her the lead. Eight to go – Gisin leads from Grenier and Stjernesund; Hector currently 6th. Now Tessa Worley, racing to try and win the globe – she’s doubled her advantage from 1 to 2 and she leads, but by just 0.18 – she moves ahead of Hector in the GS standings. Maryna Gasienica-Daniel into 3rd; Marta Bassino just red at 2 and 0.06 red at 3 – a good finish and she leads by 0.14. Lara Gut-Behrami red at 2 and redder at 3 – into 5th; Petra Vlhova still just green at 2 and into 2nd, just 0.06 off Bassino’s time. Bad news for Worley, she need to be 4th or better to take the globe if Shiffrin wins. Ragnhild Mowinckel has a good advantage and she still has 0.25 in hand at 3 – but she’s getting bumped around – just 4th which is good for Worley. Federica Brignone next, she’s added a little to 1 and this is looking good – half her lead has gone from 3 to the finish and she leads by 0.31. Shiffrin just red at 2 having lost 0.84 and she’s well red at 3 and just 7th at the finish. She doesn’t seem unhappy? Congratulations to Tessa Worley on winning the GS globe and well done to Brignone for the win, ahead of Bassino and Vlhova. In the end Hector held on to 2nd in the GS standings ahead of Shiffrin.


Courchevel/Meribel [Roc de Fer] – Men’s Slalom, 20 Mar 22: Well, five skiers potentially in the hunt for this globe – Kristoffersen, Braathen, Strasser, Feller and Yule! Dave Ryding first away today on run 1; commentary team sound impressed? Manu Feller just red at 1 and 2 and a little redder at 3 – he’s +0.27 at the finish. Loic Meillard green all the way and he welds by 0.18; Yule has straddled early on – that’s one contender gone! Henrik Kristoffersen green at inter 1 and that was a great run – he leads by 0.53! Lucas Braathen quite red at 1, better at 2 and green at 3 – he leads by just 0.05! Fastest in sectors 2 and 3! Seb F-S off the pace by Norwegian standards and into 7th, but Atle Lie McGrath is more in touch – into 3rd, +0.21. Three Norwegians on the current “podium”. Alex Vinatzer into joint 7th with Feller; Clement Noel into 4th, +0.45. Johannes Strolz a DNF; Alexis Pinturault off the pace today and into 14th – not his season! Kristoffer Jakobsen into 9th from bib 19 – highest bib in the top 10. That’s run 1 over – Braathen leads from Kristoffersen and McGrath!
Run 2: I joined this a little late after watching a really thrilling biathlon Mass Start – the discipline crystal globe was decided by a photo finish. This slalom course set by a Norwegian coach and it’s tricky – with 6 away Albert Popov is leading, ahead of Salarich. Happy Birthday to Alexis Pinturault, but he won’t be celebrating his second run, he’s into 4th – hopefully he’ll be back on form next season. That’s 10 away and Popov is still in the lead, ahead of Salarich and Winters! Timon Haugan had 0.82 in hand at the start but he’s into 3rd, +0.08! From inter 2 to 3 seems particularly technical as it’s obviously a great place to lose time! Marco Schwarz has lost over a full second on his run – into 5th; Manu Feller just red at 3 but he’s pulled it back to lead by 0.16! Alex Vinatzer all over the place and into 12th; Kristoffer Jakobsen has gained to inter 1 but red at 3 and into 8th. Tommaso Sala good on the upper section but then red and 5th; next is Dave Ryding and he’s gained to inter 1 but red at 2 and he’s losing a lot of time – into 17th; well off the pace today. Loic Meillard into 9th; Clement Noel has straddled. Atle Lie McGrath going well – he has lost a little but he had enough in hand to take over the lead by 0.77 – some great recoveries! Henrik Kristoffersen has gained to 1, lost a bit to 2 and only just green at 3 – a massive error and recovery and he’s into 2nd, +0.37. That’s the globe for Kristoffersen, his third one! Just Lucas Braathen to go and he’s slightly red at 2, more red at 3 and a poor last sector drop him to 11th! Well done to Kristoffersen for the globe and second place today, great run from McGrath to take the win and a good podium from Feller. That must be a PB for both Popov [4th] and Salarich [5th]. Exciting stuff but not exactly ideal conditions.

Holmenkollen – Women’s 12.5 Km Mass Start, 20 Mar 22: At the 1.7 Km timing point Elvira Öberg leads from Eckhoff, Hanna Öberg, Herrmann Anais C-B and Røiseland, +1.1! It’s a fairly reasonable pace – Tandrevold has fallen but she’s up and carrying on. In for S1 Elvira clear but Hanna has missed 1, as has Herrmann. Julia Simon leads out ahead of Røiseland Hauser, Wierer, Elvira and Preuß – all clear. Røiseland leading on the lap with Elvira Öberg chasing ahead of Persson and Hauser, Simon in 6th behind Preuß. In for S2 – Røiseland and Preuß have missed 1; Hauser out in the lead just ahead of Persson and Elvira Öberg – all 10/10. Doro in 4th, +5.3 ahead of Hildebrand and Chevalier. Røiseland in 9th just ahead of Preuß and Tandrevold. On the lap Persson, Hauser and Elvira are very close; Doro on her own 15.9 back at 6.7 Km. In for shoot 3 – Hauser clear [15/15] but Elvira and Linn Persson have both missed 1. Hauser leads out 16.6 ahead of Doro Wierer with Røiseland up to 3rd, +20.4. Elvira in 4th, +24.2, ahead of Persson, Hettich [15/15], Preuß and Hildebrand, +27.6 – all very close. At 9.2 Km Hauser is 12.8 ahead of Røiseland, then Wierer 3 seconds back just ahead of Elvira [+17.3] with Tandrevold up to 5th, ahead of Preuß [+17.9]. Final shoot – Hauser has missed her final shot! Justine B-B [1,1,0,0] leads out 5.6 ahead of Hauser with Hettich in 3rd having hit all 20 targets. Røiseland [0,1,0,1] in 4th ahead of Preuß, Wierer [0,0,0,1] and Elvira. At 10.9 Km Justine B-B has the gap up to 15.6 ahead of Hauser, the Hettich, Elvira and Franzi Preuß. At 11.7 Km J B-B is 18.5 ahead of Preuß but Hauser, Hettich, Elvira and Røiseland are all very close. What a race – Justine Braisaz-Bouchet takes the win, ahead of a charging Franzi Preuß with Røiseland getting 3rd. Now, here’s irony or something – Linn Persson over the line 4th ahead of Elvira Öberg with Tandrevold in 6th – it seems that Braisaz-Bouchet has won the Mass Start crystal globe by 2 points, as Persson pushed Elvira down 1 place! Doro Wierer finished 12th to go 3rd in the Mass Start standings. Well done Justine, great to see Franzi Preuß on form again and well done Marte Olsbu Røiseland! Herrmann in 7th, Hettich 9th and Voigt 10th, so 4 Germans in the top 10!

Holmenkollen – Men’s 15 Km Mass Start, 20 Mar 22: Another nice day; not sure about the temperature? Benedikt Doll not racing today – not sure why. That snow does look a touch soft in places. At 2.2 Km the leading 10 are just 2.7 seconds apart, Laegreid in the lead. In for S1 – QFM has missed 2, so has Tarjei Bø; Laegreid leads out ahead of Desthieux, Bakken, Samuelsson, Jacquelin and Seppala – all clear. Ponsiluoma, Lesser and Kühn among those missing 1 target. At 5.2 Laegreid leads from Desthieux and Samuelsson – top 10 just 9.5 seconds apart. In for S2 – Laegreid clear and out ahead of Samuelsson, Jacquelin, Bakken Christiansen and Nawrath [+10.9] – all 10/10. Lesser and Ponsiluoma both [1,1] and QFM is [2,1], as is Tarjei Bø. At 8.2 Km Laegreid, Samuelsson and Jacquelin are in a little group about 10 seconds clear. In for the first stand shoot – Samuelsson clear as Jacquelin misses 2 and Laegreid 1. Samuelsson is 8.1 ahead of Bakken then Christiansen, who stumbled as he got up from the mat, Laegreid, Zobel and Desthieux [+26.5]. Lesser up t 7th, QFM 15th after going clear at S3, Tarjei Bø [2,1,2] down in 30th. Laegreid is flying at present – up to 2nd, +6.8 at 11.2 Km. In for the final shoot – Samuelsson has slowed into the range – Laegreid has missed 1, Samuelsson 3 misses! Bakken is 20/20 and out, ahead of Laegreid [0,0,1,1] and Lesser [1,1,0,0] who is just 0.5 ahead of Jacquelin with Christiansen 2.5 further back. QFM [2,1,0,0] in 9th just ahead of Samuelsson. The maths for the Mass Start globe are a bit too complicated! At 13.4 Km Nawrath is past Christiansen and into 5th; Laegreid is leading with Bakken on his heels, Lesser trying to hold off Jacquelin. At 14.2 Km it’s a fight for 1 and 2 and another battle for 3/4. Bakken takes the win – I think Laegreid might have eased off a little as that win gives Sivert Guttorm Bakken the Mass Start globe, unlike Persson denying Elvira! Jacquelin has sprinted past Lesser to get the final podium place, with Nawrath up to 5th ahead of Christiansen. QFM ended up 7th ahead of David Zobel; Samuelsson 11th.