Biathlon IBU World Cup 2021 - 2022

[Bohemia 1,411]

2 minutes ago, JonPhi said:

 

And third, it looks to me quite like the Olympic relay, except that Jacquelin will replace Guigonnat and Fillon Maillet just Perrot.

 

And to the third place. I think Belarus and Italy should make up the place. For the Blues team I don't think there will be more than 5th place, maybe a fight against Germany.
 

You think they'll have Claude in the relay and not Guigonnat? 

 

Yeah same, I don't see them doing better than 5th.

[RobtheAggie 340]

6 hours ago, Jan Linha said:

Women's relays and neverending bad luck for Lucie Charvatová 😑😑

I think that was the saddest of Charvatova's long line of unlucky events.

[JonPhi 250]

16 minutes ago, Bohemia said:

You think they'll have Claude in the relay and not Guigonnat? 

 

Yeah same, I don't see them doing better than 5th.

Even though I'm not a fan of Claude in relays because he's extremely shaky shooting, I fear it. Antonin didn't really have a good season and it seems that he won't even get an individual start in Beijing. Claude will have to be totally out of shape like at Pokljuka last year for Antonin to get a relay start.
 

I also don't think that a relay medal is certain for the men at the Olympics. Quentin and Emilien are usually weaker in relays than in individual races and if Claude then has a failure, it will be difficult against Norway, Russia and Germany. I rather trust the ladies to win a relay medal than the men this time.

[RobtheAggie 340]

2 hours ago, JonPhi said:

Yes the final lap of Botet was surprising, overall she did quite well in terms of running. Yesterday she had almost the slowest running time with a gap of more than 5 minutes. Bescond died a lot on the last lap, otherwise it would have been almost the second place. But a podium finish is already a big surprise.
 

When Reid and Sanfillippo left the range at the same time, I thought that the US had a good chance for 4th.  Who knew that Sanfillippo would do her best Meatloaf (the singer) interpretation in honor of his passing.  That was the best that I have ever seen her ski.

[Bohemia 1,411]

16 minutes ago, JonPhi said:

I rather trust the ladies to win a relay medal than the men this time.

Same. The men haven't won a relay medal at the Olympics since 2006, whereas the women's team has won one each time since 2006 (except 2014 where they DNF'd), the statistics speak for themselves.

[heywoodu 15,145]

11 minutes ago, Bohemia said:

Same. The men haven't won a relay medal at the Olympics since 2006, whereas the women's team has won one each time since 2006 (except 2014 where they DNF'd), the statistics speak for themselves.

But that's a sample of like three races, a majority of which was largely done with athletes who aren't even active anymore. The statistics don't really speak at all there  

[Bohemia 1,411]

2 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

But that's a sample of like three races, a majority of which was largely done with athletes who aren't even active anymore. The statistics don't really speak at all there  

"Party" pooper  good point though. 

If we look at this season's results for both relays though the women's relay does have better chances than the men's, although you can obviously never know what happens on D-Day

[JonPhi 250]

6 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

But that's a sample of like three races, a majority of which was largely done with athletes who aren't even active anymore. The statistics don't really speak at all there  

Nevertheless, it has to be said that the French ladies are as strong as a team as they have ever been. We are talking about four women in the top 12 of the overall World Cup at the moment. It has probably been more than 10 years since a nation had so many ladies in front (I think Germany 2010).
The four are all capable of making it onto the podium on their own and with Chloe Chevalier they also have someone who could step in and perform well in the relay if necessary. 
The big question will be how they cope with the conditions in China and whether the form is right this time at the peak (as a team they were not in a good mood at the last three world championships).
But if they are, they have to be counted among the gold favorites together with the Swedes. They have actually already won the relay World Cup and they also lead in the Nations Cup.

[JonPhi 250]

3 minutes ago, Bohemia said:

"Party" pooper  good point though. 

If we look at this season's results for both relays though the women's relay does have better chances than the men's, although you can obviously never know what happens on D-Day

Particularly as the trend in the men's singles is also currently downwards. The ladies are actually doing quite well, especially Braisaz and Simon. Chevalier-Bouchet was a bit tired lately, that's why she skipped individual and relay, let's see what she can show tomorrow. The cold weather in Beijing should suit her very well, if you remember Pokljuka last year. The cold should suit the French anyway more than the warm temperatures last year at the World Championships.

[heywoodu 15,145]

17 minutes ago, Bohemia said:

"Party" pooper  good point though. 

If we look at this season's results for both relays though the women's relay does have better chances than the men's, although you can obviously never know what happens on D-Day

To be fair, I do think both French relays have a more than serious chance for a medal, including gold. The women because of their depth, and the men because if Jacquelin and Fillon Maillet have a good day, they basically only need two 'alright' performances from the rest. If Jacquelin and Fillon Maillet have a good day and the other two are actually good as well, France is nearly unbeatable.

 

In the women's team nobody seems to stick out like Jacquelin and Fillon Maillet can, but their 3rd and 4th athletes seem better than the men's 3rd and 4th athletes, so...