phelps

if it's a Team event, it's Gold for Russia! this time it's the Mixed Team Trap...and they won ahead of Egypt and Spain (who were the pre-competition favourites based on the individual events' results)...

still, there's no chance to see him fighting for a spot in Tokyo 2020, since he can't beat burocracy... hopfully, we will have to wait until Paris 2024 for him to represent Italy at the Olympics...

unfortunately, it's more than 1...among the athletes, so far only ski jumper Jessica Malsiner tested positive, but it also happened to more service- and skimen, so, before the situation goes out of control, our NF decided to withdraw from the rest of the championship in all the 3 disciplines... therefore, no more Italy in Oberstdorf 2021 (not that we had any chance to shine in the remaining races, but still it's a sad end of this campaign, especially for the youngsters that could have done their debut in a global event of this level)...

so, Russia completed the sweep in the Skeet Team events, meanwhile Spain was the dominant nation in the Individual Trap events, thanks to the Gold medal won by Fatima Galvez among the women and Silver and Bronze won by Joan Garcia and Alberto Fernandez among the men (but the Gold Medal in this event went to Croatia, thanks to Anton Glasnovic)...

once again, the qualification results proved to be the true decider... the blue course, in fact, was a lot faster than the red one in the last 3/4 gates and basically helped almost all the riders coming down that side of the slope... still, the great R-Fisch, "captain Fisch" (age 41 in a few months), almost managed to upset Loginov in the final run, losing only by 0.01 seconds... fun fact...in the previous world champs, Loginov vs Fischnaller was the gold medal run in PSL (and Loginov won also in 2019)...

Yes, he's his son

as a team, yes... Nadyrshina is young and talented, but she's a newcomer at this level and I still think that Hofmeister & co. are the main favourites in absence of Ledecka... however, should the Russian win, it wouldn't be a huge surprise...she definitely has good chances, too... and with the single run format, mistakes and/or poor course conditions (which could cause a lot of surprises through the various rounds of the competition) are always behind the corner...

German women and Russian men dominated the qualification runs (as expected)... all 4 Italian men also in and among the top 11... Ledecka didn't show up in the women's event following her injury from last week... women's quali... http://live.fis-ski.com/lv-sbpq6998.htm#/total men's quali http://live.fis-ski.com/lv-sbpq6997.htm#/total

1) I'm pretty sure that most people trust it...for sure, more than those who don't... 2) yes...I'm a true psychopath... p.s. I don't blame/shame anybody...I blame/shame WADA/IOC/FIS for making this sport a joke (like many others...I don't trust almost any "performance" sport)... and as I wrote, in Schwazer's case, I'm making an exception to my general principles because of the crime WA/WADA/IOC did against him, which in my opinion is by far worse than what Schwazer did (and for what it might count, served the punishemnt according to the current rules)...you can't take that story as a general example of what I think and what should be done to doping cheaters, because it has nothing to do with normal doping cases... 3) in Italy we talk about straw tail and dirty conscience when someone feels involved without being named...

Marion Rolland also won a downhill world championship gold medal (Schladming 2013)...

how can people trust a sport where yesterday 2 athletes were part of one of the toughest 30km race of all times and today they're still capable to make the difference in a repeated sprint race? p.s. considering Lampic a fluke...man needs to be a true expert to say something like that...

OK, just a day forget... congrats to the Swiss girls...they're going to race for the cup in the finals in Lenzerheide...

and Weidle is slow, too...

fu*k! it's the worst possible result right now...Gut 1st and Suter 2nd...

this discipline might be irrelevant, but the course and the location are beautiful...maybe the slope is a bit flat and the course would need a couple more banks, but it's still one of the most entertaining of the whole world cup circuit (not that it takes too much to be better than the Idre or Reiteralm of this world, though)...

-1... Johnson out... now we only need Suter out of the podium and Gut not winning... c'mon, owls of this world let's reunite...let's do it for Sofia!

not to mention the fact that those team events are basically a farce most of the times... today we had just 5 teams starting in both the women and the men's division... p.s. and I'd have something to say also about the new format of the finals of these team events, but it's like shooting at the Red Cross...so, I'm skipping the chance this time...

Men's Team Skeet Gold: Russia Silver: Czech Republic Bronze: India

Women's Team Skeet Gold: Russia Silver: Czech Republic Bronze: Kazakhstan

I know...and that was unfair to her, too... by the way, we only need Gut not winning and the Suter/Johnson duo outside the top 3 tomorrow to start the party... with a bit of help from Weidle and the Austrians or even Gisin we might even get it...

yes, of course... I posted yesterday the link to our full squad (post no. 27)...and we have 1 male (Gianmarco Tamberi) and 2 female (Alessia Trost and Elena Vallortigara) high jumpers...

given that she's gonna win easily the last DH at home, Lara is tomorrow's win away from stealing the most improbable DH World Cup title... chances for Suter and even more Johnson to make up 150 points in 2 races imho are slimmer than Gut's 197... in any case, I still hope Goggia can win the most deserved crystal globe of them all...5 races, 4 wins and a 2nd place for her before she got injured in that crazy Garmisch afternoon...

don't take it for granted for all events... also in the past we already had some YT coverage, but not always...it depends on where they hold the competitions...

both 4*400m relays will have only the final, no preliminary round...only 6 teams per gender have been accepted by EAA the women's relay will feature: POL, NED, ITA, UKR, GBR, GER the men's relay field is: POL, BEL, GBR, ITA, NED, CZE Italy will enter 44 athletes (22 women and 22 men) in this championship... the stars are surely Gianmarco Tamberi (men's High Jump), Marcell Jacobs (men's 60m) and teenage sensation Larissa Iapichino (women's Long jump)... Leonardo Fabbri (men's Shot Put), despite being in the start list, is not in good shape because he recently had covid and missed quite a long training period... the rest of the field, frankly is just cosmetic... the full Italian squad can be found here: http://www.fidal.it/content/Euroindoor-gli-azzurri-per-Torun/131185

No Italy in this 1st World Cup event of 2021... But still, some interesting shooting, some big names and some entertaining finals... very unusual but also nice the night finals for the men's skeet...