Biathlon World Cup moved to Ruhpolding, Germany this week. The first race in Ruhpolding was the women’s relay on Wednesday.
Franskala won before Sweden (+8.7) and Germany (+46.7). Finland’s team Suvi Minkkinen, Venla Lehtonen, Noora Kaisa Keränen and Sonja Leinamo was 12th, difference to the top 3.51.2.
The collapse of Norway became the biggest topic of conversation. Norway was 10th. The difference to the leader was more than three minutes (+3.16.0).
The last time the Norwegian team finished as poorly in the women’s relay was in 2017. That time, the foursome Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Hilde Fenne, Synnöve Solemdal and Marte Olsbu Röiseland fell to 13th place as the shooting performances went completely downhill.
Opening stage fiasco in Norway
It was the fourth relay race of this season. From the previous three, the Norwegian women had won two and took second place. Now Sweden is the only one that has placed on the podium in all the women’s relay events this season, but it has not managed to win.
As recently as January 7 in Oberhof, Norway was in the relay with the second group Juni Arnekleiv, Marit Ishol Skogan, Karoline Offigstad Knotten and Tandrevold.
The next relay was contested only three days later, and Norway participated with the same team. Now came the collapse.
– Norway’s message fiasco – Skogan broken after a nightmare, for example the Norwegian media VG titled.
Skogan was Norway’s starter at the World Cup for the first time. He led the competition in the vertical shooting position. Then something went terribly wrong. Skogan used all three spare cartridges, but still had to go around the penalty ring twice.
After the race, Skogan was in tears.
– I feel that I ruined everyone’s race. It’s probably the worst feeling I’ve ever had, Skogan lamented According to VG.
– I just stiffened completely, and shooting is a hundred times more difficult when you try too hard.
for Aftonbladet Skogan opened up about his panic at the shooting. When he had fired the first spare cartridge as well, the spots in his eyes got smaller.
– Hitting seemed impossible.
– At first I was just incredibly angry with myself. I just wanted to do it all over again, but sports don’t work that way. Then I was sad because this affected so many others.
The Swedes also consoled the hard-luck Norwegian. Swedish triathlon skier Mona Brorsson stated that even the best of people have occasional messaging disasters.
– It is so cliché that “we are a family”, but it really is. You want to win because you’ve been better than others, not because someone else has screwed up. That’s the idea, at least for me.
Norway didn’t have the best day on the track either, which could be influenced by the fact that the top had run away.
Finland shot excellently in the competition – in eight shootings, a total of seven spare cartridges and no penalty rings, but the speed of the Finnish women on the track is simply not enough at the moment.
For example, Noora Kaisa Keränen, 22, who competed in the triple section, is taking part in her first season in the World Cup. He missed the lead by 1:30, despite only needing one spare cartridge.
Grumpy Olympic champion
However, the biggest biathlon event was raised in Norway Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, who in Beijing in 2022 celebrated the Olympic gold in the relay and the bronze in the joint start. This uproar speaks first of all about the broad level of Norwegian male biathlon skiers.
Christiansen, 31, is now with Ruhpolding, but the coaching staff dropped him from last week’s games in Oberhof. He didn’t take the decision kindly, but barked at the leadership of his national team on Wednesday.
– I call this incompetent management. They have skipped over one of the most important building blocks. It’s about a precedent, Christiansen boiled for VG.
– I cannot and do not understand such ignoring. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I could not have performed better given the criteria.
This season, Christiansen has finished third in individual competitions at best, chasing Östersund. In his place, he got a screen place at the Oberhof Johan-Olav Botnwho had competed earlier this season only at a lower level, in the IBU Cup.
for NRK Christiansen explained that he only opened up now because he wanted to give Botni a break for his World Cup debut. Botn was 26th in the sprint and 24th in the pursuit.
Christiansen explained that Norway is used to tough competition, and the national team should not be locked from one competition to another.
Instead, he became enraged because he feels that the coaching does not treat its athletes equally and does not act according to the criteria it has set.
NRK’s expert Synnöve Solemdal understood the coaching’s decision, because he thinks it’s important that those who are successful in the IBU Cup get a chance to show off, for example, with the World Championships in mind.
National team manager Per-Arne Botnan considered it natural that athletes disagree with decisions and may find them rude. However, he stated that the old merites do not hold weight.
In Botnan’s opinion, athletes cannot assume that they will always act the same way, because there are so many tough competitors.
– But it will be a new world for many in the future, I think. If you rank in the top six or ten, that in itself is not a good enough criterion.
– It was important for him to open up. He had been keeping a low profile, but now decided to speak up for himself. Now we have to think about whether we should talk to him about it.
The Biathlon World Cup continues on Thursday with the men’s relay race. Live broadcast on TV2 and Areena from 15:25.