JonPhi

Covid positive

Didn't surprise me to be honest. She is never really good at altitude and in addition she had done a lot of basics and long sessions this week. The shooting went much better. But what Braisaz has conjured up today in the cross-country is already enormous. 35 seconds faster than the second fastest . If she can offer this form at the Olympics, she is definitely one of the medal candidates.

And Eric Perrot does the Anais Bescond, only he goes completely blue. But fourth place is still acceptable. Simon Desthieux with a weak round must be said. Antonin and Fabien with very strong performances. I would have seen the Russians closer to the Norwegians, after all that was almost the line-up.

Whereas I have to say that the French men have rather weakened in the last games 14 and 18. Sure, Fourcade outshone everything, but except Beatrix 14 in the Pursuit the others were really weak and in the relays they were far away from the medals. The women are actually quite reliable at the Olympics. Especially Bescond somehow always manages to be top fit at the Olympics. But Marie also came somewhat surprisingly in 2018 with her fourth place in the sprint.

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.

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.

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.

Bescond I think ran the second loop a bit too fast today, her run time itself was good. I could imagine that there are three reasons why Eric runs on four. One is that Johannes is running on three and if France and Norway would come to the change at the same time, it would be quite destructive for him and he would start much too fast. Secondly, it is possibly hoped that he will have a head start on fourth and thus be able to run his race and not get stressed out like in Ruhpolding. 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.

Christiansen seems to have much problems on the attitude. If Russia stays in contact to the anchor leg, they could have a chance. 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. I think Eric Perrot will be quite nervous tomorrow too

Relay Men https://ibu.blob.core.windows.net/docs/2122/BT/SWRL/CP07/SMRL/C51B2_v1.pdf

(B) Team for tomorrow Claude - Guigonnat - Desthieux - Perrot The women's team was surprisingly strong, maybe the men will also manage a surprise.

That Sprint course Team Sprint will be brutal https://medias2.fis-ski.com/pdf/homologations/CC/CHN/CHN_Zhangjiakou_WC21_52-01_1-5.pdf

Top 20 in a World Cup standing: Italy Paris (DH, SG) Innerhofer (DH) Casse (SG) De Aliprandini (GS) Razzoli (SL) Vinatzer (SL) Total: 6 Athletes, Quotas: 7 = Where is the problem? France Clarey (DH) Pinturault (SG, GS, SL) Bailet (SG) Faivre (GS) Noel (SL) Total: 5 Athletes, Quotas: 9 = Where is the problem? The Olympic Games are also for the small nations. That’s it what the Olympics are standing for. And in the big nations, a top 20 place in the World Cup ranking should be the requirement for participation in the Olympics (France was also nominated according to this criterion). Athletes who are not in the top 20 would also be very big surprise medal winners then.

Austria also understood today that they have only 9 quota places in the men's competition. Are of course totally pissed off and see it as the task of the FIS to create them another 2 quota places. Likewise one assumes that the ranking list is still changed after Kitzbühel. It could also not be that nations like Italy and France have only 9 places, but more podium riders. Where do France and Italy have more than 9 podium riders? Austria doesn't either this season. France has currently even nominated only 5 athletes for Beijing, because they do not really have more. https://www.laola1.at/de/red/wintersport/olympia-2022/oesv-herren-zittern-nach-olympia-kalkulation-um-zwei-startplaetze/

A typical pre Olympics relay start list in some teams Belarus vs Norway vs Russia I think https://ibu.blob.core.windows.net/docs/2122/BT/SWRL/CP07/SWRL/C51B2_v1.pdf

The question is what happened to Skottheim? 56. with only two misses! They need her for the Relay, I think.

Brilliant stuff from her. Especially 9/10 in the standing shoot

Emilien Jacquelin is out for Mass Start and Relay. He is really tired.

That middle section

On Sunday evening

Anais Chevalier-Bouchet will miss the Individual and probably the Relay, to do more training before the Olympics.

Wright looks like Top 15 and Mass Start Qualifcation

No, there is no one else behind these three women. Edit: I see they accepted two more spots, but the federation officially nominated only these 3 today.

Denise Hermann (WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal) Vanessa Hinz (SC Schliersee) Franziska Preuss (SC Haag) Vanessa Voigt (WSV Rotterode) Anna Weidel (WSV Kiefersfelden) Benedikt Doll (SZ Breitnau) Johannes Kühn (WSV Reit im Winkl) Erik Lesser (SV Eintracht Frankenhain) Philipp Nawrath (Skiklub Nesselwang) Roman Rees (Ski Verein Schauinsland) David Zobel (SC Partenkirchen)

Emma Aicher (SC Mahlstetten) Lena Dürr (SV Germering e.V.) Kira Weidle (SC Starnberg e.V.) Romed Baumann (WSV Kiefersfelden) Josef Ferstl (SC Hammer e.V.) Simon Jocher (SC Garmisch e.V.) Andreas Sander (SG Ennepetal) Alexander Schmid (SC Fischen) Dominik Schwaiger (WSV Königssee e.V.) Linus Straßer (TSV 1860 München e.V.).