Men's individual race unfolded according to a fairy tale scenario. It seems that Sylvester Stallone wrote it, in his old age again decided to stretch his bones in the ring.
From the first minutes, when the heroes of the 90s Ricco Gross, Sven Fischer and Rafael Poiret left the race one after another, nostalgia swept through the avalanche. How fast time flies! It seems that just recently no podium could have been imagined without these brave guardsmen. And now…
Gross ran an encore, for the last time. Most likely, he will no longer have a chance to hook a medal in a personal race. All hope for the baton, in which the legendary Ricco will fall. Do not doubt!
Fisher visibly passed - a shoulder injury at the home stage in Ruhpolding failed. At the World Cup, the four-time Olympic champion so far, to put it mildly, does not shine. Shooting does not go well, and confident skiing has long been a thing of the past.
And finally, Poiret. Conversations that he was in crisis were long and not unfounded. However, in fact, the Frenchman proved that retiring him early and even somehow uncomfortable. However, we ran ahead ...
The Russians, who won two medals in Anterselva, in this race decided to hide two aces in their sleeves. The pursuit hero Maxim Chudov and the iron relay participant Dmitry Yaroshenko received a rest. Instead, 34-year-old Sergey Rozhkov came to the start, for whom the current season is not easy, and Philip Shulman, who appeared in the team after the New Year. The layout was simple: give leaders a break and check the reservists ...
Let Captain Rozhkov forgive, for such a term sounds insulting to him. But the reality is harsh: Sergey is far from a favorite today. He began very calmly, trying to save his strength in shooting. Only impeccable work at the firing lines left him a chance at high places. But, alas, the stable shooter Rozhkov missed twice and instantly dropped out of the leaderboard.
It was long led by Michal Schlesinger, Nikolai Kruglov, Ivan Cherezov, Mickey Grice and Rafael Poiret. The young Czech could not concentrate on the second “lying”. Grice missed once on even firing lines. The nerves on the last “stand” by Tomasz Sikora and Simon Fokar could not stand it.
Only two of the favorites were shot at zero: Poiret and Kruglov. Unlike the Russian, who ran mediocre (which is to blame: the physical form or miscalculation in the selection of the ointment, go figure it out), Rough did not slow down the pace and eventually extended his impressive series. Since Holmenkollen 2000, the French biathlete has invariably won medals in world championships. This year, few people put it on him: Poiret took shape half a season, spent a lot of time with his wife, who in January gave birth to his second daughter. In addition to winning the stage in Hochfilzen, there is simply nothing to remember. And such a success!
The struggle for the remaining medals continued until the last participant. Grice and Schlesinger threatened to catch up with jet Frude Andresen. He knew the time of the competitors very well, the coaches actively led him to the podium. But at the finish, the Norwegian stalled and lost to the bronze medalist a little more than a second. It's a shame! For the Norwegians doubly.
Idol of the nation Ole Einar Bjoerndalen lost his eye and smeared, scary to say, six times. For the five-time Olympic champion, the race ended after the first turn: three misses on the “prone” were accompanied by the deathly silence of the stands and the smile of the Scandinavian coaches. It was not Bjorndalen's day. Individual races at the world championships remain enchanted for him.
The best of the Russians, Nikolay Kruglov, is the fifth, Ivan Cherezov, a line below in the final protocol. In anticipation of the relay race, such stability is certainly pleasing. That's just a shame that there are no medals. It’s somehow sad without them ...