PROFILE
The miniature resort Oberhof , hidden in the heart of the forests of Thuringia, traditionally opens the January program of the world cup. Three years ago, the world championship was held there for the first time. A new stadium “Rennstag Arena” was built specifically for it, accommodating more than 20 thousand spectators, and the terrain was altered. This year, the organizers were faced with outlandish snowlessness. At the end of December, the International Biathlon Union seriously discussed the issue of transferring competitions from Oberhof to neighboring Ruhpolding.
POSTER
The Return of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Linda Grubben . For various reasons, the leaders of the Norwegian team missed the third stage of the World Cup in Hochfilzen. Bjoerndalen, dreaming of winning a gold medal at the World Ski Championships, was selected to the national team. Linda Grubben just saved her energy and rested before Christmas. A favorable tournament alignment in the overall World Cup allowed the Scandinavians to resort to such tricks.
Before the New Year, at the traditional Christmas race in Gelsenkirchen, the Björndalen / Grubben star duo won the mixed relay for the second year in a row and received the main prize - more than 30 thousand euros and cars in addition.
CONFRONTATION
Anna Karin Olofsson vs. Andrea Henkel . The duel between them unfolded at the previous stage. Olofsson interrupted the winning streak of Henkel and slightly, at the distance of one tram stop, approached her in the overall standings. Now they are separated by 63 points. A lot, but still not fatal ...
Olofsson, after winning the sprint race in Hochfilzen, wasn’t particularly bothered: she frantically ran the baton and ignored the Christmas race. Apparently, a surge of emotions and results can be expected from her in Germany. Anna Karin connects her main hopes with the sprint and the pursuit. The owner of the yellow jersey of the leader Andrea Henkel rightly considers the stadium in Oberhof the most beloved and happiest. It was here that three years ago she won her first victory at the world championships.
INTRIGUE
The debut of Philip Schulman . Everything is back to square one. In 2004, Philip burst into the world elite with a fearless performance at the World Championships in Oberhof. In the sprint with the fourth result, he lost only to the recognized favorites: Rafael Poiret, Bjoerndalen and Ricco Gross. Then Shulman had growth diseases. He was lost, dissolved among the faceless and average biathletes. And it seemed he would not return. But the impossible, as in the Adidas ad, happened. At the traditional Izhevsk Rifle race, Philip not only quickly ran (which was always inherent to him), but also shot accurately.
“He deserved an invitation to the national team. Philip tried very hard at the beginning of the season, wanted to return to the main team, and we gave him such a chance. He ousted from the composition of the two-time World Universiade champion Andrei Makoveev, who frankly did not get along with the shooting. We decided not to fill the eighth vacancy. We considered it inappropriate to pull the guys playing in the European Cup for a single start in the third or fourth group, ”Vladimir Alikin, the head coach of the Russian men's team, commented on his strong-willed decisions.
Thus, after two and a half years, Shulman returns to the world elite. Ironically, this will happen at Oberhof. The city where Philip once made a pretty noise.
NUMBERS
53 centimeters, 3450 grams . Such height and weight of the first-born Olympic champion Albina Akhatova. Little son Leonid was born on December 24, on the eve of Catholic Christmas. The birth, fortunately, passed without complications. Soon, two of our famous biathletes are preparing to become mothers: Olga Zaitseva and Svetlana Ishmuratova.
QUOTE
“We now have serious problems with the leadership. We are forced to pay sponsor advertising for a penny. We refuse and even sealed all the stripes with tape. Many biathletes will not run with this attitude of the federation towards their athletes. With a high degree of probability, I can finish my performances as well, ”said Maxim Chudov , silver medalist of the third stage of the World Cup, in an interview with the BASHvest online newspaper about the ongoing conflict between athletes and the Russian Biathlon Union.