PROFILE
Khanty-Mansiysk still seems to be pampered Europeans by Siberian deaf-man. Few people are eager to overcome thousands of kilometers for the sake of three races in the Far North - Germans and French are especially lazy. But this year the tournament alignment leaves no choice for leaders: the fight for Crystal Globes is in full swing. The track in Khanty-Mansiysk is very attractive - a lot of snow, maximum elevation and excellent terrain. The city has hosted international competitions for ten years, and in 2003 was the host of the World Cup.
POSTER
All races . At the final stage of the World Cup there will not be a single race that would not affect the distribution of the final places. The battle for the Big Crystal Globes will be led by Michael Grice, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, Katie Wilhelm, Anna-Karin Olofsson and Andrea Henkel. German biathletes have a chance to usurp awards in both the male and female parts of the program. As always, the focus will be the extravaganza race - the mass start. It is possible that it will determine the best shooting skiers of this season.
CONFRONTATION
Michael Grice vs. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen . The Norwegian so quickly moved away from failure at the World Ski Championships, which once again gave rise to suspicion: he is a robot who is not aware of psychological disorders and physical fatigue. At the home stage in Holmenkollen, Bjoerndalen won two out of three races, approached Mickey Grice, the leader of the World Cup, at arm's length and is now eager to overthrow him from the throne. The five-time Olympic champion relies not only on a heap of his titles, phenomenal speed and accurate shooting, it is not clear where it came from, but also appeals to justice. Due to his participation in cross-country skiing, he missed three stages - in Hochfilzen, Pokljuk and Lahti, he missed a good half of the points, but ... still claims to be the final victory. Grice did not shine during the season, but in every race he steadily stopped in the top ten. At the World Cup, he confidently won the mass start and brightened up a quite ordinary season. After three Olympic victories in Turin, there is no other way to say ...
Intrigue
Will Ivan Cherezov be able to rise to the final podium? Russia has its own interest. For a long time, our men were not pleased with getting on the prize podium at the end of the season. Ivan Cherezov has a great chance to interrupt an unsuccessful series. However, the 26-year-old biathlete from Izhevsk needs to try pretty hard. It is known that Rafael Poiret, who is 86 points ahead of Cherezov, will not come to Khanty-Mansiysk. Too much, but theoretically it is real to win back. Nearby, at a distance of 45 points, and Bjoerndalen. True, it is incredibly difficult to fight him. Painfully good, little devil ...
Will the German national team come? In recent years, the Germans have been trying not to be zealous and extend their holidays instead of competing in the capital of Ugra. Rumor has it that this time one of the leaders may not come: Henkel, Neuner or Hitzer. The turnout of Katie Wilhelm is not discussed. She has to fight for the prestigious Crystal Globe.
QUOTE
“They shouted to me at the finish line:“ Increase! Add! ”- and I feel my legs are empty. The main thing is that the Germans began to go around me on the slopes as if I were going on foot ... Well, nothing - apparently, my day this season will come in Khanty-Mansiysk, ” Ekaterina Yuryeva , prize-winner of the World Cup stages, admitted in an interview to the newspaper Sovetsky Sport it’s hard for her to compete with the strongest biathletes.
NUMERAL
10,000 spectators are able to accommodate the stands of the Khanty-Mansiysk ski center. There is no doubt that all of them will be filled during the final stage of the World Cup, which not only the locals, but also the interns of the northern shifts are looking forward to. Especially for them, officials of the international federation extended a credit of trust to the "oil" city until 2010. This means that right up to the Vancouver Olympics, Russia will have its own World Cup.
Broadcast Schedule (Sport TV Channel)
March 15th
12.20, 21.30 Sprint, women.
15.35 Sprint, men.
March 17
11.55, 22.15 Pursuit, women.
05/14 Pursuit, men.
March 18
12.20, 20.45 Mass start, men.
14.35, 22.30 Mass start, women.