Werloc

Leščinskaitė probably sounds extremely pronouncable to everyone here, what are you talking about???

I don't know, Scandinavian names and surnames are easier for me to pronounce than Eastern ones. Perhaps it's because those languages have germanic roots and are somewhat similar to English.

Our relay is really gonna feel the absence of Tomas Kaukėnas. Hopefully we get him back for stage 3

I would appreciate if you kept Szczurek out of the team though, he is causing me the same amount of pain as people like Stvrtecky or Fratzscher.

A small startlist rundown, with less effort this time Belarus: Labastau out, Yaliotnau in Canada: Burnotte out, Millar in Czech Republic: Mikyska out, Krupcik in Estonia: Raenkel out, Siimer in France: 6 > 5 starters, Perrillat Bottonet out Italy: 3 > 5 starters, Windisch and Bormolini back in the team Japan: Ozaki out, Kobonoki in Latvia: Birkentals out, Slotins in Moldova has joined the party with two starters: Magazeev and Usov Poland: Szczurek out, Szwajnos in Romania has joined the party with two starters: Buta and Oskin Russia 5 > 6 starters, Babikov in Slovakia: Bartko out, Baloga in Slovenia: Cisar out, Trsan in Switzerland: Stalder out, Hartweg in Ukraine: Lesiuk out, Dudchenko in 101 > 107 starters As for the women, Belarus: Kruchinkina I. out, Sola in Canada: Moser out, Sepandj in Czech Republic: Tepla out, Vobornikova in Estonia: Lethla out, Gaim in Japan: Hachisuka out, Tanaka in Kazakhstan: Kondratyeva out, Kolomiyets in South Korea: Mun out, Kim in Latvia: 2 > 1 starters, Puce out Moldova joins the party, Stremous is in Norway: just thought it was somewhat funny that Eckhoff was kicked to the worst group with a bib 88 Poland: Piton out, Jakiela in Russia: Kuklina out, Goreeva in Slovakia: 2 > 3 starters, Smerciakova joins the team Sweden: 7 > 6 starters, goodbye Hogberg, you will be missed, see you in 2021 Ukraine: Vita Semerenko out, Bekh in Exact same number of starters at 104

Makes sense why they made it U25. There are a lot of teams where you don't really get to make the team in your early twenties and those youngsters that do make it, are usually not high scorers.

Camera men sabotaging Lithuania today

So is Gabrielė

Don't forget about bib number 104. We're coming for a shocking Top 10 too.

My captain is winning!

Lithuania still 13th in the nation cup for now and Vytautas Strolia is 21st in the World Cup. That's the best start we've ever had to a World Cup season.

Nice, Vytautas Strolia might start qualifying for mass starts if he keeps this momentum going Karol is looking faster than any other season, in the top 60 with 3 misses, that's a first for him. Linas Banys needs to work on the skis, but his first lap was somewhat salvagable. Fomin probably expected a better debut in World Cup, but he has still a lot of room to grow. I wonder if Tomas will make it to the second Kontiolahti stage.

Damn, Karol threw it all away, but the result from Vytautas Strolia was much better than expected, he might even remain in the top 30 with that

Yeahhh, pretty poor effort from Vytautas Strolia today. I don't see him getting into the top 40 with these two misses.

What's up with the French though

Samuelsson flying

Already quit. so she joins the lovely list of these ladies that left the team during their junior/youth career Lina Kreivenaitė Liudmila Kolosova Anastasija Baranovskaja Aliona Sabaliauskienė Olga Tatarinova Olga Derendiajeva Gabrielė Keinaitė Karolina Banel Marija Kaznačenko Gaudvilė Nalivaikaitė Kotryna Vitkūnaitė Alina Tuzikaitė Vitalija Kutkauskaitė Nadezda Derendiajeva Rūta Banytė Darija Jankauskaitė Kamilė Jakubauskaitė Raminta Dindaitė Ana Jesipionok Viktorija Augulytė So yeah, the only female biathlete that we have from the past 12 years of junior and youth competitions that is still active today is Gabrielė Leščinskaitė and that's why our women's team absolutely imploded.

I don't think he was ever yours to begin with? Born and raised in Lithuania and did all his junior and senior races for Lithuania. Just because he has a Polish surname, doesn't mean you can claim him

Question to @Wumo Will there be updates regarding how many points did a single athlete collect during a stage so that we have some stats we can work with if we're planning a transfer?

After today, it's only the twelth time that a Lithuanian biathlete makes it into the top 20. A lot of it is still dominated by Diana, but Vytautas and Tomas still have a career ahead of them. 1. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 8th place, 2011/12 season, Oberhof Sprint 2. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 10th place, 2009/10 season, Oberhof Sprint 3. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 11th place, 2008/09 season, Pyeong Chang WCH Sprint 4. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 11th place, 2006/07 season, Pokljuka Sprint 5. Tomas Kaukėnas, 13th place, 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympic Games Pursuit 6. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 15th place, 2011/12 season, Khantiy-Mansiysk Sprint 7. Vytautas Strolia, 16th place, 2020/21 season, Kontiolahti Individual 8. Tomas Kaukėnas, 17th place, 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympic Games Sprint 9. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 18th place, 2006 Turino Olympics Games Sprint 10. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 18th place, 2013/14 season, Ostersund Individual 11. Diana Rasimovičiūtė, 19th place, 2009/10 season, Rupholding Sprint 12. Vytautas Strolia, 20th place, 2019/20 season, Oberhof Sprint There are further three Lithuanians that have made top 40 in the past 25th Karol Dombrovski, 2018/19 season, Pokljuka Individual 27th Natalija Kočergina, 2018/19 season, Ostersund WCH Sprint 39th Gabrielė Leščinskaitė, 2014/15 season, Kontiolahti WCH Individual A humble history for Lithuanian biathlon, but yes, only six athletes have made it into the top 40 at least once and we're in this for like 20 years. Only Diana Rasimovičiūtė is no longer active.

I'm just saying that these swaps are not because of coaches considering athletes after a 15/20km run. It's a mix of underperformers getting replaced as well, as some youngsters coming in that don't have the legs for 20k yet and some teams are putting forward their faster skiers that don't shoot as well.

Those that were replaced were definitely not replaced because of their tired legs after a 15/20. Nearly all of them finished between 70-100 and the teams don't usually consider the well being of their weakest athletes that much.

Not all them, Russia and Germany just took out their worst placed performer, but it's mostly done so the younger athletes don't run the full 20k, which is why a lot of younger athletes are in in the sprint.

Less than 24 hours between the races, you'd probably expect the teams to not go too crazy and not switch around the athletes during a Covid year, but it happened. Oryashkov (101st) for Bulgaria out, Todev, 19yo in Millar (98th) out for Canada, Burnotte, 23yo in Krupcik (76th) out for Czech Republic, Mikyska, 20yo in Siimer (85th) out for Estonia, Raenkel, 30yo in Ranta (66th) out for Finland, Hiidensalo, 29yo in Beletskiy (95th) out for Kazakhstan, Sirik, 26yo in Balodis (58th) and Slotins (96th) out for Latvia, Matjuhins 19yo, Birkentals 19yo in Skorusa (94th) out for Poland, Szwajnos, 22yo in Trsan (69th) out for Slovenia, Cisar, 20yo in Hartweg (54th) out for Switzerland, Tambornino, 34yo in Baloga (92nd) out for Slovakia, Bartko, 24yo in Dudchenko (99th) out for Ukraine, Lesiuk, 24yo in Women, imagine that, have 104 starters compared to 101 men. Which sport can actually boast about that? Sola (66th) out for Belarus, Kruchinkina I., 25yo in Vobornikova (82nd) out for Czech Republic, Tepla, 21yo in Lehtonen (79th) out for Finland, Laari, 30yo in Weidel (68th) out for Germany, Schneider, 23yo in Kolomiyets (86th) out for Kazakhstan, Klimina, 31yo in Ko (100th) and Kim (101st) out for South Korea, Mun 32yo, Frolina 36yo in Puce, 21yo is in for Latvia, moving them up to two starters Goreeva (56th) out for Russia, Mironova, 26yo in Selina Gasparin did not start in the individual for unknown reasons, but she is in the startlist for the sprint Bekh (64th) out for Ukraine, Valj Semerenko, 34yo in Phaneuf (75th) out for United States, Irwin, 28yo in So remember, you have to do good or you might get replaced by an IBU cup athlete.

Stina Nilsson taking out the pins out of Magnusson's voodoo doll