Biathlon 2020 - 2021 Discussion Thread

[RobtheAggie 340]

One of the major figures in the history of biathlon in the United States passed away on Thursday.  Bill Spencer, athlete, coach, official and all around good guy died.  He was involved in the 1960 Olympics (first Olympic biathlon) all the way to the 2002 Winter Olympics in SLC.  

 

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2020/12/04/utah-biathlon-standout/

[Grassmarket 3,625]

  On 12/5/2020 at 12:29 PM, RobtheAggie said:

One of the major figures in the history of biathlon in the United States passed away on Thursday.  Bill Spencer, athlete, coach, official and all around good guy died.  He was involved in the 1960 Olympics (first Olympic biathlon) all the way to the 2002 Winter Olympics in SLC.  

 

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2020/12/04/utah-biathlon-standout/

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Great old-time photo there.

[RobtheAggie 340]

Interesting behind the scene look at the two weekends in Finland.  

[RobtheAggie 340]

Anfisa Reztsova, the former Soviet biathlete who won 2 medals in the 1988 Olympics, and is the mother of Darja Virolainen, stated that she "she agreed to have an abortion in exchange for a two-room apartment in Moscow region which was given to her by the national sports bosses" prior to the 1988 Olympic Games."

 

Granted this is only her side of the story, but wow!

[RobtheAggie 340]

Some of the teams for the Christmas Biathlon race at Ruhpolding

 

Belarus - Dzinara Alimbekava and Anton Smolski

Russia - Evgeniya Pavlova and Matvey Eliseev

Germany - May include Denise Herrmann and Benedikt Doll.

Ukraine - Ukrainian team - Vita Semerenko and Dmytro Pidruchnyi

[Grassmarket 3,625]

  On 12/9/2020 at 2:43 PM, RobtheAggie said:

Some of the teams for the Christmas Biathlon race at Ruhpolding

 

Belarus - Dzinara Alimbekava and Anton Smolski

Russia - Evgeniya Pavlova and Matvey Eliseev

Germany - May include Denise Herrmann and Benedikt Doll.

Ukraine - Ukrainian team - Vita Semerenko and Dmytro Pidruchnyi

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Oh this us on!  

 

Top news, thought it had been cancelled, but in fact it’s just moved to Ruhpolding from Gelsenkirchen.  

[JonPhi 250]

Here is the full line up

https://www.deutscherskiverband.de/detail_news_de,500,1370734,detail.html 

[RobtheAggie 340]

It will be interesting to see what the course looks like.  For this, I will miss the sharp turn at the bottom of the hill in the course in the city. 

[heywoodu 15,353]

  On 12/9/2020 at 2:33 PM, RobtheAggie said:

Anfisa Reztsova, the former Soviet biathlete who won 2 medals in the 1988 Olympics, and is the mother of Darja Virolainen, stated that she "she agreed to have an abortion in exchange for a two-room apartment in Moscow region which was given to her by the national sports bosses" prior to the 1988 Olympic Games."

 

Granted this is only her side of the story, but wow!

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That would be incredibly unsurprising from the Soviets

 

By the way, Virolainen...wow, now that's a name who was doing quite well in the World Cup for a bit not even that long ago and has completely and totally disappeared into oblivion, hadn't heard that name for ages  

[RobtheAggie 340]

  On 12/9/2020 at 5:29 PM, JonPhi said:

Here is the full line up

https://www.deutscherskiverband.de/detail_news_de,500,1370734,detail.html 

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So the list from the DSB is this:

Denise Hermann/Benedikt Doll (GER)
- Franziska Preuss/Simon Schempp (GER)
- Dorothea Wierer/Lukas Hofer (ITA)
- Marekta Davidova/Michal Krcmar (CZE)
- Lisa Theresa Hauser/Julian Eberhard (AUT)
- Evgeniya Pavlova/Matvey Eliseev (RUS)
- Vita Semerenko/Dmytro Pidrushnyi (UKR)
- Elisabeth Hoegberg/Torstein Stenerson (SWE)

 

Add Belarus to the list

• Dzinara Alimbekava - Anton Smolsky - Belarus

 

There will also be one more team.  I say make is a combo US/CAN team.  No one is heading back to the NA this Christmas.  What I might think that we will see is either a French or Norwegian team, or maybe a combo Baltic Team.  I am thinking about ratings which this is about.