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The biathlon season began in complete limbo as to who would win the crystal globe at the end of the season. Johannes Thingnes Bø and Julia Simon, the two winners of the 2022-2023 season, are suffering from either physical or psychological problems that diminished their performance in the first World Cup race in Östersund, Sweden. This situation will soon attract the interest of their competitors. Already 8 different biathletes have reached the podium in three men’s and 6 women’s races. The competition is off to a great start!
Bø: A year Without?
While he won two individual gold medals in three events during the first stage of the 2022-2023 edition, and directly occupied first place in the World Cup rankings, which he will hold until the end of the season, Johannes Thingnes Bø completely missed the start of his World Cup in Sweden with disappointing results: 3rd in the individual (66th time in shooting! ), 18th in the sprint with a 7/10 time in the shooting, finishing 1’35” behind the winner, and 15th in the pursuit despite the best time on skis. He finished 8th overall.
There’s no need to panic: the Norwegian biathlete, winner of 19 races last year, has the necessary resources to refocus and set the record straight. The answer could come as early as this week in Hochfilzen, Austria.
The first two weeks were dominated by two Germans: Roman Rees and Philipp Nawrath, both of whom won their first World Cup individual and sprint races respectively. But the most impressive biathlete was Sweden’s Sébastien Samuelsson, who won the pursuit on home soil. Largely dominant on skis, a little more clumsy in shooting, he can reasonably play the leading roles for the rest of the season. The big losers of these first two weeks are France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet, who is far from his 2022 level, and Sturla Holm Lægreid, the great hope of Norwegian biathlon, who seems to be lagging behind at the start of the competition.
Women: Places up for Grabs
On the women’s side, the winner of the Crystal Globe, Julia Simon, was below her usual level, clearly disturbed by the cases in which she is implicated. In the summer, she was questioned as part of an investigation into bank card fraud. The case shook the biathlon world and the French women’s team in particular, as the other main protagonist was her team-mate and Olympic champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, the holder of the aforementioned card. What an atmosphere! Simon, who maintains her innocence, admitted in Sweden that she was mentally exhausted, which does not bode well for the rest of the competition. The biathlete is only 14th in the overall rankings.
So, who are the favorites for the big globe after the retirements of Norwegian giants Marte Olsbu Røiseland and Tiril Eckhoff? We’re still waiting for the Swedish sisters Hanna and Elvira Oeberg to click, as they haven’t performed well over the last two weeks at home, too clumsy with their shooting. This could be Liza Vitozzi’s year. The 28-year-old Italian, who won the individual last weekend by a hundredth, is still chasing her first big globe after a second-place finish in 2018-2019 and a third-place finish last year behind her compatriot Dorothea Wierer, who is close to retirement.
But the big surprise could come from this weekend’s double winner, France’s Lou Jeanmonnot. At just 25 years of age, she has set her sights on a top-6 finish this season, and is likely to raise her ambitions. Last but not least, Franziska Preuß, overall leader, can logically look forward to the final win thanks to her consistency.
It’s been an exciting start to the season for a discipline that remains one of the most beautiful sports to follow, offering so many emotional elevators and incredible turnarounds. And the season has only just begun!
