Werloc

I see that  participation is continuing, I'll let Bearas have this one 

Gabija Galvydytė  became the second Lithuanian athlete after Mykolas Alekna, to qualify to these championships through a qualifying mark.
 
4:00.71 in 1500m, nearly an NR.
 
Things to take away, she is actually a 800m runner, but she started running 1500m more and more and I can't say anymore where she has better potential.
Second thing, the qualifying marks have become insane lately, I remember the simpler times where more of our athletes would qualify directly, not only though rankings.

Gabija Galvydytė  became the second Lithuanian athlete after Mykolas Alekna, to qualify to these championships through a qualifying mark.
 
4:00.71 in 1500m, nearly an NR.
 
Things to take away, she is actually a 800m runner, but she started running 1500m more and more and I can't say anymore where she has better potential.
Second thing, the qualifying marks have become insane lately, I remember the simpler times where more of our athletes would qualify directly, not only though rankings.

Gabija Galvydytė  became the second Lithuanian athlete after Mykolas Alekna, to qualify to these championships through a qualifying mark.
 
4:00.71 in 1500m, nearly an NR.
 
Things to take away, she is actually a 800m runner, but she started running 1500m more and more and I can't say anymore where she has better potential.
Second thing, the qualifying marks have become insane lately, I remember the simpler times where more of our athletes would qualify directly, not only though rankings.

Like, all of these nations in the super league will never understand a country like Lithuania.
 
Our shot putter is our discus thrower
Our 5000m runner is our marathon runner
Our 800m runner only runs 800m for fun
Our triple jumper is a long jumper by trade
Our steeplechase runners are lucky to be here, because nobody else in the country was running, same for our women's hammer thrower
Our 100m Hurdler is our top heptathlete
Our women's 800m runner has to double up with 1500m as well
Our 400m women's hurdler is only good at 400 metres
 

I mean, I am ready to bet my house that there is surely somewhere some lady in Romania who can throw the javelin further

Well, for some smaller nations, it's actually very important to keep more athletes in swimming, because 20-23 is that age where you don't really find yourself on a team anymore and you don't have many options for funding your sports career.
 
The A qualifying times are really tough and you can't start with a B qualifying time if for example athletes like Rapšys, Šidlauskas and Meilutytė/Teterevkova are blocking 200/400m Freestyle and 100/200m Breaststroke for 7 years. It is a small stepping stone that might keep some athletes hungry, because not everyone is destined to peak at 21.
 
Luckily, we had enough hungry athletes that we now have 6-7 really capable male 200m Freestyle swimmers and they can start at worlds in the relay, even qualified to the Olympics, but we couldn't even field our normal relay due to qualification rules... 
 
So yeah, I think this championship is necessary to ease the transition for those athletes that want a longer swimming career, that don't necessarily explode during their youth career, like Meilutytė or Popovici.

Finally some good news, a small one, but a PB for Rupšytė

Like, all of these nations in the super league will never understand a country like Lithuania.
 
Our shot putter is our discus thrower
Our 5000m runner is our marathon runner
Our 800m runner only runs 800m for fun
Our triple jumper is a long jumper by trade
Our steeplechase runners are lucky to be here, because nobody else in the country was running, same for our women's hammer thrower
Our 100m Hurdler is our top heptathlete
Our women's 800m runner has to double up with 1500m as well
Our 400m women's hurdler is only good at 400 metres
 

As a progressive Lithuanian that doesn't care about Russian at all, I have no idea what you wrote here  

Like, all of these nations in the super league will never understand a country like Lithuania.
 
Our shot putter is our discus thrower
Our 5000m runner is our marathon runner
Our 800m runner only runs 800m for fun
Our triple jumper is a long jumper by trade
Our steeplechase runners are lucky to be here, because nobody else in the country was running, same for our women's hammer thrower
Our 100m Hurdler is our top heptathlete
Our women's 800m runner has to double up with 1500m as well
Our 400m women's hurdler is only good at 400 metres
 

If there were 40 more laps of this, Žūsinaitė would destroy them 

Basically everything is very strict in Spain and Discus Throw Call Room time happened earlier than Ieva had the chance to throw a third attempt. 

Well, her star pupil was Andrė Ožechauskaitė, breaking some junior 100m and long jump records, but injuries kinda stopped her progress.
 
Now she also has Simona Lantuchaitė, that is starting in heptathlon, with some decent potential in the 100m Hurdles and the long jump. And u18 Nojus Grigaitis, with potential in discus and javelin. 

Cute, that the organisers let Vasiliauskas throw from the position he's going to finish in

Well, for some smaller nations, it's actually very important to keep more athletes in swimming, because 20-23 is that age where you don't really find yourself on a team anymore and you don't have many options for funding your sports career.
 
The A qualifying times are really tough and you can't start with a B qualifying time if for example athletes like Rapšys, Šidlauskas and Meilutytė/Teterevkova are blocking 200/400m Freestyle and 100/200m Breaststroke for 7 years. It is a small stepping stone that might keep some athletes hungry, because not everyone is destined to peak at 21.
 
Luckily, we had enough hungry athletes that we now have 6-7 really capable male 200m Freestyle swimmers and they can start at worlds in the relay, even qualified to the Olympics, but we couldn't even field our normal relay due to qualification rules... 
 
So yeah, I think this championship is necessary to ease the transition for those athletes that want a longer swimming career, that don't necessarily explode during their youth career, like Meilutytė or Popovici.

Something that Germany desperately needed, because they're getting destroyed by Norway and France. Sweden is also moving ahead with capable athletes like the Oebergs, Samuelsson, Ponsi and new Swedish improvements like Halvarsson, Heijdenberg, plus it's probable that Andersson comes through next year as well.
 
With the level that Norwegian men and French women have, I don't really see Germany being ready to challenge next year. 
 
Have a feeling it's gonna be Perrot, Giacomel and a handful of Norwegians battling it out next year. 
 
As for the women, I think it looks like a French year, with Jeanmonnot + Michelon and Richard getting more time to get better, it's tough to see who could be consistent enough to challenge. Although, I would love for the Oeberg sisters to have a season where they're both healthy throughout. It's also uncertain what kind of Vittozzi we're getting, if Grotian has enough time to become a challenger and in what kind of form will Preuss come back to, after her first ever season with no health issues.

So, JTB and Tarjei had 19 podium finishes in 2024/25, seeing as they're retired and won't be competing next season, thought it would be fun to do a completely unnecessary and inaccurate simulation of what breakthroughs next season might have:
 
The most decorated biathletes of this season without Boes would be as follows:
 
Laegreid: 6-6-3
Perrot: 4-2-2
Jacquelin: 3-1-1
Samuelsson: 2-2-2
Stroemsheim: 2-0-2
Wright: 2-0-1
Fillon-Mallet: 1-5-2
Giacomel: 1-5-1
Uldal: 1-0-3
Soerum: 1-0-2
 
Some interesting things happen, for example, Wright becomes sprint and pursuit world champion, Mandzyn gets a very rare podium for Ukraine at the start of the season. Horn and Frey get their first ever podium in world cup and Riethmueller gets a world cup victory.
 
For the nation medal table, Norway still convincingly takes first place:
 
Norway: 10-7-11
France: 8-11-5
 
And then everybody else fighting for scraps:
 
Sweden: 2-2-3
United States: 2-0-1
Italy: 1-5-1
Germany: 1-0-2
Slovenia: 1-0-0
 
Even without the Boes, only 9 countries on the podium, but Pidruchnyi for Ukraine comes in 4th for three times, other than that, only Finland and Switzerland were close to getting onto the podium. With how things are going, seems like it's going to be Norway's year next year too with all the hungry youngsters with two extra spots on the Norwegian team. 

Something that Germany desperately needed, because they're getting destroyed by Norway and France. Sweden is also moving ahead with capable athletes like the Oebergs, Samuelsson, Ponsi and new Swedish improvements like Halvarsson, Heijdenberg, plus it's probable that Andersson comes through next year as well.
 
With the level that Norwegian men and French women have, I don't really see Germany being ready to challenge next year. 
 
Have a feeling it's gonna be Perrot, Giacomel and a handful of Norwegians battling it out next year. 
 
As for the women, I think it looks like a French year, with Jeanmonnot + Michelon and Richard getting more time to get better, it's tough to see who could be consistent enough to challenge. Although, I would love for the Oeberg sisters to have a season where they're both healthy throughout. It's also uncertain what kind of Vittozzi we're getting, if Grotian has enough time to become a challenger and in what kind of form will Preuss come back to, after her first ever season with no health issues.

So, JTB and Tarjei had 19 podium finishes in 2024/25, seeing as they're retired and won't be competing next season, thought it would be fun to do a completely unnecessary and inaccurate simulation of what breakthroughs next season might have:
 
The most decorated biathletes of this season without Boes would be as follows:
 
Laegreid: 6-6-3
Perrot: 4-2-2
Jacquelin: 3-1-1
Samuelsson: 2-2-2
Stroemsheim: 2-0-2
Wright: 2-0-1
Fillon-Mallet: 1-5-2
Giacomel: 1-5-1
Uldal: 1-0-3
Soerum: 1-0-2
 
Some interesting things happen, for example, Wright becomes sprint and pursuit world champion, Mandzyn gets a very rare podium for Ukraine at the start of the season. Horn and Frey get their first ever podium in world cup and Riethmueller gets a world cup victory.
 
For the nation medal table, Norway still convincingly takes first place:
 
Norway: 10-7-11
France: 8-11-5
 
And then everybody else fighting for scraps:
 
Sweden: 2-2-3
United States: 2-0-1
Italy: 1-5-1
Germany: 1-0-2
Slovenia: 1-0-0
 
Even without the Boes, only 9 countries on the podium, but Pidruchnyi for Ukraine comes in 4th for three times, other than that, only Finland and Switzerland were close to getting onto the podium. With how things are going, seems like it's going to be Norway's year next year too with all the hungry youngsters with two extra spots on the Norwegian team. 

So, JTB and Tarjei had 19 podium finishes in 2024/25, seeing as they're retired and won't be competing next season, thought it would be fun to do a completely unnecessary and inaccurate simulation of what breakthroughs next season might have:
 
The most decorated biathletes of this season without Boes would be as follows:
 
Laegreid: 6-6-3
Perrot: 4-2-2
Jacquelin: 3-1-1
Samuelsson: 2-2-2
Stroemsheim: 2-0-2
Wright: 2-0-1
Fillon-Mallet: 1-5-2
Giacomel: 1-5-1
Uldal: 1-0-3
Soerum: 1-0-2
 
Some interesting things happen, for example, Wright becomes sprint and pursuit world champion, Mandzyn gets a very rare podium for Ukraine at the start of the season. Horn and Frey get their first ever podium in world cup and Riethmueller gets a world cup victory.
 
For the nation medal table, Norway still convincingly takes first place:
 
Norway: 10-7-11
France: 8-11-5
 
And then everybody else fighting for scraps:
 
Sweden: 2-2-3
United States: 2-0-1
Italy: 1-5-1
Germany: 1-0-2
Slovenia: 1-0-0
 
Even without the Boes, only 9 countries on the podium, but Pidruchnyi for Ukraine comes in 4th for three times, other than that, only Finland and Switzerland were close to getting onto the podium. With how things are going, seems like it's going to be Norway's year next year too with all the hungry youngsters with two extra spots on the Norwegian team. 

Not only a new PB for our resident 39yo grandma (who would have guessed it, in a sprint even), but also the third best performance for Žurauskaitė.
 
The first ever time that two Lithuanian women get points in the same race.
 
The first time that three Lithuanian women qualify for a pursuit.
 
Nations cup record for women as well.
 
And mostly this result happened, because yesterday they got the news that Sara Urumova made world cup qualification at the IBU, we will have a women's relay after a 5 year hiatus and our chances to qualify our first historical women's relay squad to the Olympics is looking much much more likely now.
 
The men might struggle to keep their 20th place a bit more tbh  

Not only a new PB for our resident 39yo grandma (who would have guessed it, in a sprint even), but also the third best performance for Žurauskaitė.
 
The first ever time that two Lithuanian women get points in the same race.
 
The first time that three Lithuanian women qualify for a pursuit.
 
Nations cup record for women as well.
 
And mostly this result happened, because yesterday they got the news that Sara Urumova made world cup qualification at the IBU, we will have a women's relay after a 5 year hiatus and our chances to qualify our first historical women's relay squad to the Olympics is looking much much more likely now.
 
The men might struggle to keep their 20th place a bit more tbh  

Perrot was 11th, a mere 60 points behind Giacomel and he won a race as well.
 
It was already kinda clear he was aiming to be a world class athlete.
 
What's stopping Giacomel right now? He's missing targets, just like Ponsiluoma. If they shoot well, they're definitely podium material, so I really don't understand your negativity  

Ingrid Tandrevold skips mass start and Hochfilzen due to her heart issues.