Men’s biathlon in the new season is fire! A sensational winner in the sprint, but Bo failed
Mikhail Chesalin December 2, 2023, 18:43 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Philippe Navrat wins his first personal medal. And immediately gold!
If last season biathlon disappointed you due to the constant victories of Johannes Boe in the absence of the Russians, quickly return to the screens.
Live streams of World Cup races are available on Okko.
The start of this season brings surprise after surprise. The first sprint of this winter surprised: Johannes Boe was alone in 18th place, the bronze went to the Norwegian Vebjørn Sørum, who competed in only six races in the World Cup, and the German Philipp Navrat, who had never won medals before. personal at the top. level, earned.
For women, the start of the season is also unpredictable:
The French biathlon team has an unexpected leader. Jeanmonneau already won his second race!
First about Johannes Boe. The shots (2+1) ruined everything in the race, but the Norwegian’s plays were not the best. Boe has fifth gear, 30 seconds behind Swede Sebastian Samuelsson. But don’t be fooled: Boe lost 15 of those 30 seconds on the third lap, where he clearly didn’t push with all his might. The result is disappointing: 18th place. This is Boe’s worst result at the World Championships since January 2022, when he came 21st in the pursuit in Oberhof.
As for Samuelsson, who made the best move, he only got fourth place because he failed twice in the stands. If he had made fewer mistakes, he would have finished second. If he had shot clean, he would have won, of course.
Well, the trio turned out to be non-standard: Philip Navrat, Tarjei Boe, Vebjorn Sørum. All winners worked perfectly at the shooting range: 10 out of 10.
In terms of pure speed, Navrat was the best after Samuelsson, so it would be difficult to call this victory by a German who had never been on the podium in individual races in the World Cup, World Championships or Olympics an accident. . But sensationalism is possible.
Overall, the Germans’ start is a big surprise. The German press describes it as the best of the last decade. This is understandable: after two races, the first three places in the overall World Cup standings are occupied by biathletes from Germany: Navrat, Strehlow and Res. It seems that these guys want to snatch the title of the main competitors of the French from the French. Norway.
But the Norwegians, of course, also have something to answer for. Johannes’ problems don’t last forever, but even when he’s not at his best, they ensure that. His older brother Tarjei Boe is not aging and the young generation is also opening up. Vebjorn Sørum is a new name in world biathlon, remember that. The boy went on the World Cup stage for the second time and has already reached the podium. It looks like it won’t be the last time.
