What is the best material for use in extreme cold conditions (-15f to 30f)? I am building a biathlon rifle and am planning on designing and printing my own chassis based of the chodin. I was planning on using cf or gf pa6 like I have for other durable builds, but I thought I should ask the hive mind what would be best. So what’s the best polymer for freezing temps?

So I’m a life long x-country skier and marksman, but have never had the opportunity to combine the two outside of hunting. I recently found a biathlon club in my region and want to get involved in the sport. All I found on the IBU website was the rules for events and how they are organized. Where can I find regulations about equipment, the rifles specifically?
Ps. I can’t afford an Anschutz so I’m trying to figure out what I can use and be compliant with. If anyone has experience with the Volquartsen Summit please let me know as that’s what I am considering at the moment.

What’s the process for accomplished biathletes to join (and find) a biathlon club that offers rifle rental for training? In the US we have clubs and teams that athletes can do this- how about in Europe?

I recently had a map approved which is a Biathlon style game. No players are killed or can be killed. It's strictly racing with 3 target areas and a rifle. Nothing else in the game is kid unfriendly.
Does a map with ANY gun or weapon preclude it from being E for Everyone even if it's only meant for target practice? I'm inclined to say yes but I can't find the answer in the FAQ. If this is true though, my map is currently published as E for Everyone and I'm trying to make MINOR update to it, and it's been rejected twice with IARC / "The content within your creative island" which leads me to believe E for Everyone slipped through? I'm totally fine changing it. I'm here to follow the rules.
FOUND IT, my bad. It's confusing due to different answers from submission process but FYI for others.
IARC Overview and FAQs Epic Developer Community (epicgames.com)
Scroll down to: Many games feature weapons, but there is no blood or gore, and the violence is cartoonish. Would we then say yes there's violence even if there's no blood or gore?

Winners of the Individual races this season:

• Oestersund (SWE) - Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) 0+0+1+0
• Antholz-Anterselva (ITA) - Lena Haecki-Gross (SUI) 0+0+0+0
• Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE)* - Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) 0+0+0+0

*points not counted
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4th and final Women’s Individual race of the season including the WCH and that means the Small Globe decider.
Top 10 Individual Cup rankings prior to today's race:

#	Athlete	Nation	Points
1 (+13)	Lena HÄCKI-GROSS 🔴	SUI	117
2 (-1)	Lisa VITTOZZI	ITA	115
3 (0)	Vanessa VOIGT	GER	110
4 (-2)	Franziska PREUSS	GER	109
5 (-1)	Karoline Offigstad KNOTTEN	NOR	90
6 (+25)	Julia SIMON	FRA	85
7 (-17)	Lou JEANMONNOT	FRA	77
8 (-1)	Ingrid Landmark TANDREVOLD	NOR	65
9 (+19)	Juni ARNEKLEIV	NOR	58
10 (-4)	Lise Theresa HAUSER	AUT	58

Courtesy u/Henna1911
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PRE-RACE:
We begin the 3rd trimester of the 2023-24 season with the Women's Individual Race. The event was postponed due to heavy fog at the stadium yesterday. Going into the race, world champion Lisa Vittozzi was the clear favourite with an impressive shooting average of 94.1% this season. After their impressive performance at NMNM, the French duo of Simon and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet would also be bookies' favourites, though the individual is neither of their preferred format. Another thing to watch out for was whether Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold could get over her shooting woes and keep the yellow bib.
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SHOOTING 1:
Most of the top athletes cleared this shoot with ease, with as many as 48 out of 84 athletes shooting 5/5. The exceptions were Jeanmonnot (+52.4), E. Oeberg (+57.6), Simon (+1:00.4) and Haecki-Gross (+1:10.6) each missing one shot, which pushed them down to #46, #47, #48 and #52 position.
The surprise after this shoot was 23 y/o WC debutant Anna-Karin Heijdenberg (SWE) rising to #1, being just +7.5 sec behind Anamarija Lampic in Course Time 1.
https://preview.redd.it/zd3mi5qa0slc1.png?width=429&format=png&auto=webp&s=dfb1a905cfb90e84a2bd60513c810d891228e0bd
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SHOOTING 2:
Unfortunately, Heijdenberg missed a shot and dropped down to #9 (+1:10.5). Fans were also delighted to see Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold shoot clear after her troubles with the stand shoot. We also got a varied top 6 after this shoot in terms of countries with #1 Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, #2 Tandrevold (+3.3), #3 Tereza Vobornikova (+25.1), #4 Aita Gasparin (+34.4), #5 Suvi Minkkinen (+49.0), #5 Lotta Lie (+49.0) and #7 Ekaterina Avvakumova (+55.2).
Jeanmonnot shot clear and rose to #8 (+59.1) as a lot of the athletes above her missed. These include World Champion Vittozzi as she dropped down to #12 (+1:17.4) and Venessa Voight #25 (+1:50.1).
https://preview.redd.it/fl13hfcc0slc1.png?width=426&format=png&auto=webp&s=61a66d90d8b6fdb59371c746a826a47d38e0bb18
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SHOOTING 3:
There were massive changes after this shoot as multiple athletes missed one or two shots. In the preceding lap Braisaz-Bouchet increased her lead on Tandrevold by +12.2 sec. She seemed to suffer because of it as she missed 2 shots and dropped to #11 (+1:46.0).
The top 3 now consisted of #1 Tandrevold, #2 Lie (+58.8 and #3 Minkkinen (+1:05.0). Most of the top competition for the overall World Cup points dropped #11 or lower, which meant unless Tandrevold had a horrible stand shoot she would keep the yellow bib.
A lot of the younger athletes also did well including #5 Lien (+1:25.7), #6 Vobornikova (+1:32.9), #7 Guigonnat (+1:40.6) and #8 Gandler (+1:43.9). Highlight for me in this shoot was seeing Lampic shooting clean (13/15) and jumping to #9 (+1:44.7).
https://preview.redd.it/08q0c3xd0slc1.png?width=502&format=png&auto=webp&s=2bc00f2f9f0df0005332d64da330b527af0b68bc
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SHOOTING 4:
I can't tell the pure bliss I felt as Tandrevold shot 4/5 and was confirmed a Gold Medal. We also got to see Ida Lien secure her first WC podium as she also shot 5/5 and jumped to #2.
Unfortunately, Lie (4/5), Minkkinen (3/5), Magnusson (4/5), Guigonnat (2/5) and Gandler (4/5) missed and failed to capitalise on the opportunity for a podium. A combination of clean and fast shooting (23.2 sec) added with her ski speed saw Elvira Oeberg pipped Vobornikova for #3 despite the latter also going clean.
https://preview.redd.it/eo2faj6f0slc1.png?width=369&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd4c2a4acc494953fc0845835c94e3bebb6347a9
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FINAL LAP:
Tandrevold's superior speed meant she continued to have a commanding position, but the race was silver medal was well and truly alive. Oberg slowly and steadily cut into the lead of Lien and finally overtook her to finish +3.2 sec above.
Vittozzi overtook Vobornikova to finish #5, gaining valuable points to cut into the lead of Tandrevold in the overall points total. With Haecki-Gross finishing #36 it also meant Vittozzi was the winner of the Individual Crystal Globe. She won with 10 points lead ahead of Tandrevold.
https://preview.redd.it/un8hthgg0slc1.png?width=779&format=png&auto=webp&s=76b7ec819d975e784997534d48a4f617c5707a85
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FINAL STANDING

1. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold
2. Elvira Oeberg
3. Ida Lien (PB)

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Notes:

• 0 athletes went clear. The last time happened in this format was at the 2021–22 season's Antholz-Anterselva (ITA) Women's Individual race.
• Top 3 for Yellow Bib after this race - #1 Tandrevold (809), #2 Braisaz-Bouchet (-84) and #3 Vittozzi (-88)
• Small nations watchlist: Lotte Lie (BEL) #14 - 19/20, Tuuli Tomingas (EST) #17 - 17/20, Baiba Bendika (LAT) #21 - 16/20 and Suvi Minkkinen (FIN) #29 - 18/20.
• Most Impressive Player (MIP): Maren Kirkeeide (NOR) #12 - 19/20, Johanna Puff (GER) #18 - 19/20, Lea Rothschopf (AUS) #24 - 18/20 and Anna-Karin Heijdenberg (SWE) #25 - 17/20
• Wholesome moment: Tandrevold being excited for Lein's success and first podium.
• u/Enjyk - French athletes kept in the rifle optic adapted for the fog.

My head is spinning from all these posts asking about physically smaller martial artists taking on larger joe-sixpack opponents, so here is my scenario.
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A clumsy klutz who is legally blind but has reached 4th dan in Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and kenpo gets mauled and crippled by moose while on a ski trip. The ski trip was in Wyoming where they were training for the ski & shoot winter biathlon but the moose stomped this klutz hard enough to put them in a coma for 3 days. Their rifle is left beside next to the IV stand in the hospital.
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Down the hall from them in a hung over frat bro who came to the hospital to check on a pledge who drank too much during rush and is having their stomach pumped. The frat bro has fallen asleep in the waiting room and is drooling on his shirt from Urban Outfitters. He has no martial arts training but is practiced at beer pong and darts.
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WHO WINS THIS FIGHT?

Thought it would be a shame to not have the home team preview this year, so I took it upon myself to write a summary. I hope you enjoy it. Obligatory apologies for grammar and weird expressions.

INTRODUCTION

The season before the long anticipated NMNM championship, the Czechs found themselves mostly struggling this year, especially on the range. From an outsider's perspective, it’s hard to judge whether this is because of the pressure of the upcoming home event, wrong training choices or an unfortunate coincidence.
Czech team has been waiting for a medal since Davidova’s win in the individual at Pokljuka 2021. The best result last year in Oberhof was 5th place in mixed relay (some 15 seconds behind 3rd) and the amazing men’s relay that finished 4th after leading at exchange 2 and 3. Some notable results in individual disciplines were Davidova’s 6th place in sprint, Vobornikova’s 7th in pursuit and Krcmar’s 8th in individual.
This is year's championship is historically the second one taking place in Nove Mesto. The first one was held in 2013 and the Czech team managed to cling a bronze in mixed relay in front of the homecrowd.
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MEN’S TEAM

MICHAL KRČMÁŘ Ranking: 28th Points: 174 PB: 2nd (Olympics ‘18, sprint) SB: 8th (Mass start, Lenzerheide) Shooting: 80/86% Skiing: +4.7
33 year old Krcmar still appears to be the best chance at a good result in the men's category this year. Last year, he managed to finish in the top 10 a couple of times, this year he made it only once - in the Lenzerheide mass start. It’s worth noting that he contracted a dreadful virus during the summer preparations and had to rest for about a month. This caught up with him during the second trimester and he skipped Antholz to focus solely on the WCH preparations. He could *possibly* medal in a 4 shootings race, but everything would have to go right for him and a lot would have to go wrong for the better competition. Realistic expectation is getting some top 20s and qualifying for the mass start. Top 10 would be great.
JAKUB ŠTVRTECKÝ Ranking: 58th Points: 32 PB: 8th (22’ Hochfilzen, sprint) SB: 30th (Lenzerheide, sprint) Shooting: 78/66% Skiing: +6.1
He can be a very fast skier when on form (won one world cup race last year in isolated skiing time and finished the season amongst the top 15 fastest), but the shooting is… not good. He’s amongst the slowest shooters and not exactly accurate either. If he hits all targets by some miracle, he could be a dark horse. But the odds are not high.
JONÁŠ MAREČEK Ranking: 59th Points: 28 PB: 28th (Oestersund ‘23, individual) SB: same Shooting: 81/82% Skiing: +5.9
23 year old former junior world champion, who’s looking to find a place in the adult category. Unfortunately, he has not been as successful as many of his peers yet. He improved his skiing speed by a lot from last year, but the shooting is preventing him from better results. If he finally finds some luck at the range, he might get some top 20s. Cool fact: he’s the first competitor born in NMNM to compete at the home world championship.
TOMÁŠ MIKYSKA Ranking: 89th Point: 1 PB: 14th (WCH Oberhof ‘23, individual and mass start) SB: 40th (Oberhof, sprint) Shooting: 91/74% Skiing: +9.0
After a breakthrough season last year and good showing during the summer, Mikyska tore his ACL and meniscus and that was it for our hopes and dreams this year. He had to undergo a difficult surgery and it’s a miracle that he recovered enough to compete at this point of the season. His form on skis has been slowly going up, but I don’t expect magic in NMNM. Any point finishes will be great. It’s expected he won’t participate in all races.
VÍTĚZSLAV HORNIG Ranking: 88th Point: 1 PB: 40th (Ruhpolding ‘24, pursuit) SB: same Shooting: 93/92% Skiing: +10.2
His shooting is comparable with the best in the World cup, but his skiing is not quite there. Just like Mikyska, any point finishes will be great.
Due to existing health issues within the team, there is a possibility a sixth man will be called up: either KARLÍK or VÁCLAVÍK who are very similar athletes: competitive skiers but non competitive shooters.
I expect the men’s relay to be Mikyska/HornigxStvrtecky/Marecek/Krcmar, depending on how Jakub performs at the range in the previous races. They will want to repeat last year’s success but the chances are not high. The line up in Ruhpolding managed to grab a decent 6th place, but other than that, it has not been good so far this year.

WOMEN’S TEAM

TEREZA VOBORNÍKOVÁ Ranking: 21st Points: 201 PB: 6th (23’ Holmenkollen, sprint) SB: 9th (Lenzerheide, sprint) Shooting: 89/82% Skiing: +6.9
Our highest ranking woman this year is the 23 year old Tereza. Which is not bad by any means. But if there’s a term you would want me to choose to describe her, it would be consistently inconsistent. There are races where she’s fast and shoots well. There are races where she does neither. And most of the time, it’s one and not the other. If she has a great day, she could get top 10 or flowers. Not sure if she’s fast enough for a medal yet, even if at her best.
JESSICA JISLOVÁ Ranking: 22nd Points: 193 PB: 5th (21’ Annecy, mass start) SB: 10th (Hochfilzen, sprint) Shooting: 89/87% Skiing: +9.5
She started the season with improved skiing but then it got a bit worse again. She’s mostly a stable shooter and a great addition to the relay. Top 10 is possible if she's back to better skiing performances, especially in individual. She will want to qualify to mass start.
MARKÉTA DAVIDOVÁ Ranking: 24th Points: 179 PB: 1st (most notable at WCH Pokljuka 21, individual) SB: 9th (Lenzerheide, pursuit) Shooting: 80/76% Skiing: +5.2
I think we can all agree that this is not what we are used to seeing from Marketa. Not sure what happened, but she slowed down her skiing this season and the unicorn rifle has not been the most accurate either. She won the isolated pursuit in Ruhpolding and got one top 10 in Lenzerheide. Otherwise, it has not been going well. Maybe she can put it together for the home championship, which would certainly be a fairytale. But I am not really sure what to actually expect. We know she's good enough to win races, even though it has not been smooth sailing lately.
LUCIE CHARVÁTOVÁ Ranking: 35th Points: 110 PB: 3rd (20’ WCH Antholz, sprint) SB: 8th (Ruhpolding, sprint) Shooting: 79/61% Skiing: +4.4
In her own words, when everyone goes left, she goes right. Lucie is certainly the most improved czech racer this year compared to the last and our fastest skier. Her prone seems more consistent as in she mostly shoots well while laying down and then she blows it from time to time. The standing however… remains a problem. Is she going to shock the biathlon world with another WCH medal or will she flop? Remains to be seen. It’s worth noting that she surprisingly tends to perform well at championships and had good races in NMNM before.
KRISTÝNA OTCOVSKÁ Ranking: 35th in IBU cup PB: 14th in IBU cup Shooting: 81/75% Skiing: +11.1 in IBU cup
She’s a world cup level debutant. But she’s probably going to be the bench warmer here and won’t get to race unless someone gets sick or injured. She’s a very slow skier and an average shooter. The most consistent performer in the Czech B-team though.
The women’s relay has a medal potential, if everyone has a good day. The girls are fast enough on paper. However - Lucie and Marketa both looped in 50% of the relays they participated in this year and Tereza had one unfortunate incident as well. Tereza and Jessica can have a really bad day on skis too. I would put them down as the dark horse for this race though.

MIXED RELAY TEAMS

SINGLE MIXED
So, let’s just get this down real quick. Czechia actually historically sucks (not sorry for that harsh judgement, hah) in this discipline since the beginning of time. If the team finishes in top 10, it’s a celebration worthy moment.
It will be interesting to be see, whether the coaches actually put the best we have (Krcmar and Davidova/Vobornikova) or those who have the ability to shoot fast and accurate, while not being fast enough to challenge for medals but enough to actually get at least a decent result (Hornig and Jislova) or use it as a throw away race to rest the better racers for gender specific relays and mass starts (Hornig/Mikyska and Otcovska).
MIXED RELAY
This one, on the other hand, is probably the best and most consistent discipline for the czech team. The teams finished 5th and 6th this year and they weren’t far from the medal in the first race. Wouldn’t be far either in the second one, if Marecek didn’t loop.
Last year, they finished 5th too, not far from the medal. I would say this the best czech chance to medal at the home soil.
Predicted line up: KrcmaMarecek*/Vobornikova/Davidova
*Could be Mikyska, if he feels good before the race. But I think they will prefer Jonas.
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FINAL THOUGHTS

Biathlon is the most watched winter sport (not named Ice Hockey worlds) in Czechia and these championships taking place at home means the athletes will be under a public microscope in the following weeks. They have faced some harsh criticism from the fans and journalists this year and this is their chance to redeem themselves. The pressure however might cause the opposite effect. Looking forward to see what the czech team has in store.

Hello! This will be a short overview of the Latvian team for the 2024 WC. Our squad is not the biggest one out there, and it’s rarely in the spotlight, but we always have a chance to punch above our weight, which is what I’m hoping for this year as well! Let’s get into it.
(Disclaimer – at the time of writing the lineup hasn’t been announced yet, however, I can assume who is going, since, well… we don’t really have that many options.)
Men
Andrejs Rastorgujevs Ranked #18, 280 points, shooting stats – 96% prone, 81% standing, season PB – 4th, Oestersund invidivual.
Starting off with our leading athlete, both in the men’s team, and the national team in general, we have the 35-year-old Andrejs Rastorgujevs, our biggest hope for a podium for a long time. After missing several seasons due to some legal/substance related issues and struggling with consistency in his comeback season of 22/23 (though he did get that brilliant 3rd in the single mixed relay in, you guessed it – Nove Mesto), he has been quite good so far in 23/24. His best result of the season up to this point is a 4th place in the Oestersund individual, and he has scored points in every race he entered. His results have shown an upward trend, and he managed three top 15 results in Ruhpolding and Antholz, along with solid relay performances, including a superb fifth place in the single mixed relay. The European championships in Orsblie were a bit of a disappointment, not managing to podium in any of the races (closest was a 4th in the sprint), but it’s worth noting that his pace on the snow was solid, even if the shooting was below par. On the topic of shooting, apart from the EC’s, he’s done well with the rifle this season as well. He might have sacrificed a bit of speed, which used to be his calling card, for the shooting gains, and frankly – he’s a much more stable and reliable competitor for it. All in all, he seems to be either hitting the peak of his physical form, or he’s at his peak right now, so if there is no drastic fall off, he’s our best shot for a podium once again.
Renārs Birkentāls Ranked #55, 33 points, shooting stats – 82% prone, 88% standing, season PB – 27th, Oberhof sprint (10th in the European Championship pursuit).
Moving on from our current and longtime hope to our new hope, the 23-year-old Birkentāls is probably the one to carry the torch for the Latvian men’s team, when Rastorgujevs decides to retire. 23/24 is his first full season at the World Cup level, and it’s been a steady one for the youngster. The season started with a couple of poor performances, only hitting 21 of 30 targets in the Oestersund individual and sprint competitions, and finishing 97th and 82nd respectively. From there on, though, he’s had steady improvement. A clear shoot in the Oberhof sprint got him to 27th, and he also got 29th in the Antholz short individual, missing only one target. It’s worth noting that in the European championships in Orsblie, after a poor individual and a lackluster sprint, he managed to be one of the best climbers in the pursuit, hitting 19 out of 20, and coming home 10th, outperforming Rastorgujevs, who started 4th, while Birkentāls had bib nr. 36. From these results it’s obvious that his weak point is the pure pace, but there is time for improvement in that department. As for his shooting, the poor start of the season skewed those stats, but if he can quickly improve on his prone, and keep the standing at the current level, I think it would open up opportunities to focus on his pace on track. Overall, I think a top 20 would be the best Renārs could achieve in Nove Mesto, but more so, this should be a learning experience, getting used to the pressure of the biggest yearly stage in biathlon – an experience that will come in handy when the next Olympics come around.
Aleksandrs Patrijuks Unranked, shooting stats – 75% prone, 59% standing, season PB – 86th, twice (37th in the European Championship individual).
Edgars Mise Unranked, shooting stats - 67% prone, 72% standing, season PB – 83rd, Hochfilzen sprint.
Finally, for Patrijuks and Mise there is very little to say, to be honest. Both guys have been struggling towards the back end of the pack in World Cup racing, and they are mostly there to fill the ranks for the relays. Patrijuks has seen a steady decline in his shooting scores, losing a percentage point or two across the last several seasons, and his skiing form has also been subpar for the top tier in biathlon. This is reflected in his PB for this year - a couple of 86th places in the sprint in Lenzerheide and the short individual in Antholz, missing 4 targets in both races, though he did manage a top 40 in the European Championships, getting a 37th in the individual with 18 hits out of 20. As for Mise, his pace on the tracks has been even slower, but the real issue has been a drastic drop-off in shooting form, going down from a 79% overall average last season to a 69% average this year. His PB for the season it a bit better than Patrijuks, 83rd in the Hochfilzen sprint, but he has participated in relatively few races, and he hasn’t cracked the top 60 in any of them, including a couple of races in the European Championships, and an IBU cup race. At the time of writing, it’s unknown how many solo races these athletes will do, as their services will most likely only really be needed for the relays.
Relay team Ranked #15, 97 points, season PB – 12th, Ruhpolding.
Looking at the team overall, I would say that the current ranking is justified, but there is potential to maybe look at an improvement of a place or two, compared to the standings. Obviously, Rastorgujevs is the main man in the team, and if he manages to get in the race, he’s expected to at least maintain the status quo against all but the very best, Birkentāls is the clear second option now, who could stay within 30-45 seconds of the leaders on his day, but with Mise and Patrijuks, there is no guarantee that the team overall won’t be lapped at some point. Fortunately, with two athletes who can hold their own, the right order can compensate for the lack of speed from the other two. Across the season, the order was changed for every race, with varying results across the four relays. The team managed very good 14th and 12th place finishes in Hochfilzen and Ruhpolding, but faltered in Oestersund and Oberhof, getting lapped and finishing 20th and 21st. While the problems in Sweden were caused by Birkentāls having to do a penalty loop in the first leg, Oberhof really showcased the issue of trying to have a big team mentality. In that race, Patrijuks and Mise were the first two on track, and managed to combine for 8(!) penalty loops, getting lapped before the second leg was completed – an anomaly, but even on a good day, it would be a struggle to stay with rest of the pack. With Rastorgujevs and Birkentāls in the first two legs, and without going on the penalty loop, things worked out well, so if the coaches decide to stick to this approach, and the athletes perform at their best, a top 10 might be possible.
Women
Baiba Bendika Ranked #81, 6 points, shooting stats – 73% prone, 63% standing, season PB – 36th, Oestersund sprint (7th in the IBU Cup, Sjusjoen pursuit).
Moving on to the ladies, I’ll actually start with our second-best athlete, according to the World Cup rankings, but anyone in the know will immediately see that this column is about our women’s nr. 1, and that’s Baiba Bendika. This season can only be characterized as rough for the 32-year-old, with a significant dip in shooting form, and poor performances across the board. However, this comes with the caveat that she gave birth in September, so it’s a massive achievement to already be back on the track and competing at the highest level. As I mentioned before though, it has been a rough season, with her best result on the tour being 36th in the Oestersund sprint, and only picking up points again in the Ruhpolding sprint, finishing 40th. However, I think Latvian fans might be cautiously optimistic after her performance in Antholz. True, she did finish only in 91st in the short individual, with 12(!) missed targets, but at the same time, she had the 11th best course time, which is encouraging for an athlete in her circumstances. I did mention the shooting, and that’s definitely something she needed to look at, both in the break before the World Championship, and in the summer, and I also have a personal opinion that she tends to overwork herself on the tracks, working hard right up to the range, which can explain her subpar shooting, not just this year, but in the previous seasons as well. However, if her resurgent pace on the tracks stays on, and she does hit the targets, I believe she will have an outside chance of a top 10, maybe even a podium.
Sanita Buliņa Ranked #67, 19 points, shooting stats – 66% prone, 81% standing, season PB – 30th, Oestersund pursuit.
The rest of our athletes have had fairly similar results, but I thought it was worth giving a separate column to our best ranked female athlete at the moment, Sanita Buliņa. The more successful of the Buliņa twins this year managed a very positive outing in Oestersund, getting PB’s of 33rd in the sprint, and 30th in the pursuit, with some decent shooting and top-30 pace on the tracks. However, she didn’t get a chance to continue this run of form, as illness ruled her out of the races in Hochfilzen and Lenzerheide. After returing in Oberhof, she was clearly off the pace again, but, at least in comparison to her sister, she has been improving. Speaking of improvement, while her shooting overall has been pretty consistent, it’s worth noting that her pace is improving from season to season, and, since she (and her sister) will only be 23 this year, there is hope for the future for our ladies’ team. It remains to be seen if the break before the World Championships will help her rediscover some of her lost form, but if she can manage to get back to her best (and tidy up the prone shooting), a few points and an appearance in the pursuit race might be achievable.
Sandra Buliņa Unranked, shooting stats – 72% prone, 66% standing, season PB – 63rd, Ruhpolding sprint.
Annija Sabule Unranked, shooting stats – 82% prone, 73% standing, season PB – 75th, Hochfilzen sprint (48th in the European Championship individual).
As for the other two ladies in our team, it’s a similar story to the men, with them mostly just making up the numbers for the relays. Sandra Buliņa did almost manage to qualify for the pursuit in Ruhpolding, but a missed target cost dearly, dropping her to 63rd in the sprint. In other races, she has been towards the back of the pack, and she also had a miserable European Championship, placing 90th in the individual, and not participating in the sprint. Statistically, while her standing shooting took a dip this year, it’s worth noting that’s she has also been steadily improving her pace (at a slower rate than her sister, though), so there is still potential for her to develop into a solid midfield biathlete, with decent points finishes on her better days. Finally, Annija Sabule is probably our weakest athlete at the moment. A decent shot, considering her typical results in the World Cup races, she really struggles on the track, giving up around 3-to-4 minutes to the leaders in sprint races. This shows in her PB this season – she managed 75th in Hochfilzen, but that was only with one missed target, and a smaller field of athletes in the race itself. Granted, she has also been improving her ski speed, but since she’s coming up to her prime, at 26-years-old, it’s questionable how much better she can get. Overall, for both Sandra Buliņa and Annija Sabule, it would be great to reach the pursuit competition, and, perhaps, get a top-50 result in the individual, if they can shoot 20/20.
Relay team Ranked #17, 72 points, season PB – 16th, Oestersund.
Looking at the women’s relay team, the biggest positive is that it’s on the grid regularly this season, because, since the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, we had a team in this particular competition for a grand total of five races. As for the results – they are as good as they could be, considering the quality of the athletes. Bendika can hold her own, especially when she hits the targets, but the rest of the ladies do lose a lot of time on their respective legs. Unfortunately, the shooting has been quite poor in the three relays that the Latvian team participated in, with penalty loops coming in all those races, and Oberhof being a particularly painful example (just like the men), where Bendika, had a meltdown on the range, leading to four penalty loops, with six in total, before being lapped. PB for the team this season is 16th in Oestersund, where Sandra Buliņa was lapped on the first lap of the final leg, and both her sister Sanita, and Annija Sabule had to go on the penalty loop. However, there is reason to be optimistic for the following seasons, if Bendika gets back to her old self, and the Buliņa sisters keep improving at the same rate. As for these World Championships, I think the ladies would be glad to just reach the finish and not be lapped, as would any reasonable fan.
Mixed relays Ranked #14, 108 points, season PB – 5th, single mixed relay, Antholz.
Finally, we arrive at the mixed relays. While the ranking doesn’t reflect it, this discipline is probably our best shot at success in these World Championships, specifically – the single mixed relay. Looking at the results, we’ve had four mixed relays in total this season, and in three of these races, things haven’t gone well. In Oestersund, it was Rastorgujevs and Sabule in the single mixed relay, with the former who went on the penalty loop, and, coupled with the slow pace from Sabule, it was 20th place in the finish. The mixed relay went a bit better – though Sandra Buliņa went on the penalty loop at the last shoot, the team of Birkentāls, Patrijuks, and the Buliņa sisters finished a decent 17th. In Antholz, on the other hand, the mixed relay was very poor. The coaches decided to give Annija Sabule the first leg, but, with a penalty loop on the first shoot, she arrived at the exchange over 5 minutes behind the leaders, and subsequently, Sanita Buliņa never even got to the range, finishing 23rd and last. But the single mixed relay was a whole different proposition – our top team of Bendika and Rastorgujevs managed a brilliant 5th, only 10 seconds behind Austria in 3rd. But even more encouraging was the fact that the result was achieved even after Bendika did a penalty loop after the first standing shoot, which means that the ski speed is quite good right now, at least for our top athletes. Looking forward to the races in Nove Mesto – it all depends on how much strain the coaches want to put on the leading athletes. In the race schedule the mixed relay is the first race, and athletes have a day off before the sprints, which is good, but the single mixed relay is in the next day after the men’s 20km individual, which could be a problem for Rastorgujevs, if the coaches want to put our optimal team in that race. I already mentioned that the single mixed relay is an opportunity for a podium, as for the mixed relay team – I think a top 10 would be possible, if both Rastorgujevs and Bendika would participate, maybe a bit higher, but top 5 would probably be too high, considering the top teams might also use their best athletes in these races.
That’s my look at team Latvia, their season, and their chances in the World Championship this year. If you made it this far – thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

As an expert skier, I'm a little dumbfounded as to why I keep seeing non-experts on expert terrain. The terrain is clearly marked "expert only", and yet I consistently see non-experts ruining it for everyone. I see little kids going down it without even turning - don't they know that you are supposed to turn? Clearly they are not experts, despite using the terrain clearly designated for experts only. Today, as I was expertly skiing some very expert terrain, someone skied past me BACKWARDS! How is it possible that someone who does not even know the correct direction to ski thinks to themselves "Yeah, I must be an expert, let me ski this expert only run"? Were they high on marijuana, or just a complete moron? It's pretty obvious which way you are supposed to face while skiing. Even worse, I see more and more snowboarders on expert only runs - how can someone who doesn't even ski be an expert skier?? They can't. Surely there must be some kind of ski police or ski FBI that I can call to clean up these slopes - these damn gapers have gone too far and someone needs to take our mountains back. If it were up to me, I'd carry my biathlon rifle with me and take care of these rapscallions myself, but unfortunately ski patrol won't let me up the lift with my Anschutz 1827 F, and have informed me that shooting the bad skiers is illegal. Surely there must be some workaround in the constitution. Why doesn't ski patrol understand that I'm just trying to help them do their jobs?

The incident

Let's talk about it first. Sturla Holm Lagreid had not been permitted to start at the mass start after the Norwegian team reported a shooting incident in his hotel room. Nobody was hurt.
I support this decision. Gun safety must come first. Shooting in a building is dangerous because you may not see what you will hit. You can find videos on YouTube showing how easy it is for 0.22-long rifle rounds, as used in Biathlon, to pierce through multiple drywalls.

Situation before the race

Order had returned to the overall World Cup ranking before the race. Johannes Thingnes Boe was in the lead, followed by four athletes from his team. Consequently, 7 Norwegians could have been started at the mass start. According to the regulation, start quotas don't apply to mass starts.
Zobel and Leitner benefitted from Sturla's accident and Sebastian Samuelsson's continuing illness. For Zobel, this was a chance to prove that he belongs in the World Cup team after Phillipp Horn had two top-ten results.

Lap 1

After the start, Ponsiluoma crashed with Giacomel and lost his stock. He fell back to the end of the field, got another stock, and exchanged it later for another with the right length and brand. He still was in the race.
The field reached the shooting range together. JTB missed one target. Emilien Jaquelin took an incredible 19.3 seconds to shoot. But Justus Strelow also took only 21.3 seconds. Doll and Nawrath missed two targets and found themselves at ranks 27 and 28, leaving the range.

Lap 2

Emilien Jaquelin led the field and kept 7.1 seconds before Johannes Skale-Skjevdal at the entry of the shooting range. He hit all five shots again, but not as fast as the first time. T. Boe, Dale-Skjevdal, and JTB followed him. After those, we had Stalder (SUI), Bionaz (ITA) and Zobel (GER).

Lap 3

Emilien tried to stay in front, but the three Norwegians passed him. Jaquelin and JTB missed a shot. Tarje Boe led Dale-Skjevdal and Soerum out of the range, followed by JTB at 12.6 seconds. Ponsilouma hit all targets and found himself back at 9, followed by Philipp Nawrath.

Lap 4

Johannes Thingnes-Boe successfully closed the 12-second gap to his teammates. Ponsilouma and Nawrath wanted to maintain their chances on the podium and passed Bionaz and Jaquelin. Emilien had enough and allowed even David Zobel to pass.
So, as always, the result of the race was decided on the last shooting. JTB showed how it is done and hit all targets, while Tarje Boe and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal missed one, and Vebjoern Soerum missed two. Martin Ponsilouma missed one but followed the three leaders out of the range. Philiüpp Nawrath had to pay the price for following Ponsi and missed three times.
Krcmar, Rastorgujevs, Jaquelin, and Zobel hit all five and left the range together, followed by Giocomel.

Last Lap

Dale-Skjevdal almost immediately eliminated the 8.1 seconds gap to Tarje Boe, recovered, and passed Tarje easily. Emilien Jaquelin couldn't follow the speed of the group around him. Rastorgujevs, Krcmar, Giacomel, and Zobel reached the curve before the finish area together. When I watched it, I feared there would be a crash. Zobel was first out of the curve and won the race for place 7.
JTB won the race, followed by Dale-Skjevdsal and his brother Targe Boe. Martin Ponsilouma finished fourth after he ranked 29 after the first shooting. Imagine he had hit all targets in the first shooting.

World Cup Ranking

After this win, JTB has a lead of 73 points ahead of his brother. There are 6 Norwegians under the first 10 of the overall World Cup ranking. Ponsilouma exchanged places with Sebastian Samuelsson at 9 and 10.
The German coaches will have to decide who will start at Oberhof. Philipp Horn showed three good races. Zobel was the best German today. I really can't imagine that they take out Strelow, who is ranked at place 11 of the world cup ranking.
The best U25 athlete is Tomasso Giacomel, who ranks 13th in the World Cup. The French men disappointed so far. Their best is Quentin Fillot Maillet, at rank 14. I hope they can improve; we need more competition for the Norwegians.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I wish everybody in the Reddit Biathlon community a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to the next World Cup at Oberhof on 4 January in the New Year.

Hello, I typically travel to Rocky Mountain House to go shooting as it provides the best services for the values. However, it being so far away I was wondering if there is anything close by that is around the 100-50m range?
I want to shoot more often with my 22.Lr biathlon rifle so I don't need a long range or anything with a roof but I do prefer a place where I can shoot lying down.
I am looking for the cheaper options here as well so if anybody has any suggestions I would really appreciate them.
Thank you!

Welcome to another freezing day in Ostersund. Today, it's the Men's 10km Sprint. Will JTB finally get a gold medal and the yellow bib? Will the Germans maintain dominance, like their women did?

Race Recap

Bibs 1-20
#1 Justus Sterlow (GER) - As the first on the race, he'll serve as a reference point for many. He clears all prone targets with a swift, 24.4s shooting. He misses once on the standing shooting, and will it be enough for a good position? We'll have to wait and see.
#3 Roman Rees (GER) - the current total yellow bib owner, will he be able to replicate the individual success today? He shoots slower than Sterlow and hits 5/5 in the prone, exiting the range 12s behind of his teammate. He runs quite a lot slower than Sterlow, 12s behind him, and misses his second, third AND fourth shots! This is a disaster and a bye-bye to the yellow bib.
#6 Simon Eder (AUT) - Slower on the skis, he also misses an unusual target on the prone - the last. He also misses once in the standing shooting. A sad day for Biathlon Reddit.
#7 Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA) - Will a race finally 'go right' for him? His race starts with him crossing the 2.1km mark 12 seconds ahead of the Germans (including the yellow bib wearer!). He approches the range with the same 12s advantage over the Germans and hits 4/5, missing the fifth by a fraction (the target was shaking but didn't fall!). He hits misses once in the standing shoot and finishes the race with an unremarkable 8/10. He misses twice but finishes just 2s behind Sterlow - we'll see how it holds.
#9 Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE) - doesn't has his top form for now, possibly as he's still recovering from an illness just before the season opening. He skis his first lap a bit slower than QFM, but for now he is second. He too has a miss (despite the bullet quite literally splattering all over the target!). He clears all 5 with rapid fire shooting, and becomes the first after the standing shooting - just ahead of Sterlow, and as he exists the range he meets up with Boe - and the difference in tempo is striking... Despite having the same number of misses as Sterlow, he takes first place at 8.8km with a 19s safety margin. He runs towards the finish and grabs the first place from the German, 18.1s ahead of him.
#10 Andrejs Rastorgujevs (LAT) - after a fantastic individual last weekend, will he be able to replicate a flower ceremony position? He too has an advantage over the Germans, hits 5/5, but leaves the range 6s behind Sterlow - taking the 2nd place. He misses once.
#12 Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (NOR) - he too, like a few other teammates, failed to show an individual striking result in the individual. He crosses the 2.1km mark just 0.1s behind QFM. He keeps in tempo with QFM and hits 5/5, taking the first position after the prone shooting with a 8.6s advantage over Sterlow. He is 43s ahead of Ponsiluoma entering the range, and he shoots very slowly (9-10s between shots), trying to hit them all. He seems to have a Dorothea Weirer moment, taking 25s to shoot the fourth - but hits it and immediately releases the fifth for a perfect 10/10 just 1.4s ahead of Ponsiluoma. He keeps that margin at the 8.8km. He finishes just 1.8s ahead of Ponsi, and the top spot is back in Norwegian hands.
#13 Didier Bionaz (ITA) - just a few second short of Christiansen when he reaches the range, he hits 5/5 and takes the 3rd place. He too hits 5/5, just after Christiansen, and he shoots fast and grabs the first place, 6s ahead of Christiansen! Despite his best efforts, he loses 4.5s in the last lap and finishes just 3.5s behind Christiansen. Still, an amazing result from Bionaz! His PB was 13th place, and I believe he'll be able to get a new one today!
#14 Emilien Jacquelin (FRA) - continuing from last season, Jacquelin seems to be one of the more volatile athletes on the field. Will he be able to perform today? While he is the fastest on the skis, he misses the first two shots and hits only 3/5. He adds another miss in the standing and loses his chances for anything of note.
#16 Niklas Hartweg (SUI) - high expectation for this guy, despite a lucklaster performance in the individual. He is 10s behind Christiansen and misses his first and third prone shoots, leaving the range with an unsuccessfull 3/5. He pushes Bionaz down to 4th, just 2.4s behind Christiansen. He ends finishes in the temporary 13th place, but will be pushed down as he's over 1:30m behind Christiansen.
#18 Sebastian Stalder (SUI) - His a slow prone shooting but hits 5/5, but leaves 20s behind Christiansen. He is only 11s behind Bionaz entering the standing range, and has a stunning shooting - finishing the competition with a 10/10. He overtakes his fellow youngster and becomes first!
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Bibs 21-40
#22 Tommaso Giacomel (ITA) - At the 2.1km mark, he becomes the fastest athlete - just a few seconds ahead of Jacquelin. He stays ahead of the pack by the time he reaches the range, but he misses once. Despite a miss, he enters teh range ahead of Stalder and shoots a quick, but 4/5 standing shooting. He reaches the 9.6km mark in 4th place (despite two misses!), 16s behind Christiansen (with a zero!). He loses a few seconds and finishes just 0.4s ahead of Sterlow, 5th at the moment.
#24 Sturla Holm Laegreid (NOR) - today too, he doesn't have his speed - he is 16s behind Christiansen when he approches the range, and misses once. He clears 5/5 in the standing but is only 8th after the standing, not keeping up with the ski speed. He finishes just (9s) ahead of Jacquelin, despite the former having 2 more misses.
#26 Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) - at 2.1km, he quickly runs ahead of Giacomel and gains 6s just in the firts kilometers. He enters the range 12s ahead of Christiansen, and misses TWICE! So far, nobody went clear on all two ranges, so we'll have to see where he ends up. He doesn't seem as explosive as last season. He is only 6s behind Stalder enterting the range, and could be first if he hits all 5!... but he misses once. With three misses, he finishes just ahead of Laegreid, 37.5s behind Christiansen.
#30 Sebastian Samuelsson (SWE) - at 2.1km, HE becomes the first (feeling so repeptitive!), 4s ahead of Boe. He hits 5/5 in the prone with a rapid fire shoot. He, however, misses twice in the standing. However, his ski speed seems to be out of the world, as he is 29.3s AHEAD of Bionaz (0 misses) at 8.8km! As Boe finishes, Sebbe approchaes the finish line - and he takes the first place with an unbelievable margin of 30.8s.
#32 Benny Doll (GER) - Hits 5/5 in the prone, but is 20s behind Samuelsson as he exists the range. Despite having a zero in the prone, he is 40s behind enterting the range - and he misses once. He finishes at 3rd place, 0.8s ahead of Ponsiluoma (he too has 1 miss), so not a bad ski speed, it seems.
#34 Endre Stoemsheim (NOR) - the former IBU cup winner is 23s behind Samuelsson entering the range, but has a relatively dynamic (exclusing a small hiccup of 6s), clear prone and keeps himself in the race. He hits 5/5 in the standing the exists the range in 2nd place, 7.4s behind Christiansen. He is the 2nd at 9.6km, but 18s behind Sebbe. He will not take first place, but he just might push Christiansen down to 3rd place - and he does, 9s ahead of Christiansen and 21s behind Sebbe.
#40 Fabien Claude (FRA) - Misses once in the prone shooting, but hits 5/5 in the standing. He will not overtake Samuelsson at the finish line, but might just squeeze ahead of Stroemsheim - he eventually finishes just 0.5s behind the Norwegian and cements himself as the best French of the day.
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Bibs 41 onwards
#43 Tarjei Boe (NOR) - Doesn't runa s fast as Sebbe, but clears 5/5 and exists the range. If he hits all 5 in the standing, he'll be first - will he do that? He hits first, second, third, and freezes - but hits fourth, and hits the fifth as well! He passes 8.8km -13.5s ahead of Samuelsson, increasing his margin and definitely seems to be a candidate for the gold. At 9.6km, he is still 10s ahead. Will he finish ahead of Samuelsson? He does, but only 8s behind - so the pursuit will be very, very close.
#45 Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (NOR) - Following the rest of his team, misses once in the prone. He seems to have a bit of a slwoer ski day, with one miss he is 8th after the second shooting. He is 4th at the 8.8km mark, and pushes himself one spot ahead to 3rd as he finishes.
#51 Philipp Nawrath (GER) - His ski speed is good, and he hits 5/5 in the prone in 26.8s. He hits 10/10 and exists the range FAAAAAAAAAR ahead of everyone else (Boe, Sebbe) - he is 16s ahead of Tarjei and 27s ahead of Sebbe. Will he be able to maintain these results despite Sebbe's lightning-fast skiing and Tarjei's results? He does, he is still 16s ahead of Christiansen and increases his margin by 2s comapred to Sebbe. Tarjei's gold seems to be quite short-lived... He finishes 18.7s ahead of Tarjei and takes the first place! German domination, anyone?!
#63 Vebjoern Soerum (NOR) - hits 5/5 in the prone, and exists the range in 8th position - 30s behind Sebbe. He is losing time on the skis to Nawrath, but he hits 5/5 in the standing in 21.9s and is behind Samuelsson as he exists the range. Podium seems too much, but a flower ceremony can definitely be possible! He finishes just a fraction behind Tarjei, and is the 2nd Norwegian of the day - and a podium!
#100 David Zobel (GER) - has problems with his rifle, unable to shoot his bullets for some reason, and he ends up ejecting a few of his rounds and uses spares. This is a shame, as his start wasn't bad at all. He hits 5/5 despite all of these.

FINAL POSITIONS

1. Phillip Nawrath (GER) 0+0 24:02.0
2. Tarjei Boe (NOR) 0+0 +18.7s
3. Vebjoern Soerum (NOR) 0+0 +19.8s
4. Sebastian Samuelsson (SWE) 0+2 +26.7s
5. Johannes Dale Skjevdal (NOR) 1+0 +46.6s
6. Endre Stroemsheim (NOR) 0+0 +48.2s
7. Fabien Claude (FRA) 1+0 +48.7s
8. Johannes Kuehn (GER) 0+1 +57.2s
9. Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (NOR) 0+0 +57.5s
10. Benedikt Boll (GER) 0+1 +58.5s

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TOP ATHLETE FROM EACH COUNTRY

• Germany - Phillip Nawrath (1)
• Norway - Tarjei Boe (2)
• Sweden - Sebastian Samuelsson (4)
• France - Fabien Claude (7)
• Switzerland - Sebastian Stalder (12) 0+0
• Italy - Didier Bionaz (13) 0+0
• Lithuania - Vytautas Strolia (21) 0+0
• Moldova - Pavel Magazeev (23) 0+1
• Czechia - Michal Krcmar (25) 2+0
• Austria - Felix Leitner (26) 0+0
• Slovenia - Anton Vidmar (27) 0+1
• Belgium - Thierry Lander (28) 1+0
• Latvia - Andrejs Rastorgujevs (31) 0+2
• Kazakhstan - Alexander Mukhin (33) 1+0
• Poland - Jan Gunka (37) 0+2
• Ukraine - Anton Dudchenko (38) 0+0
• Bulgaria - Vladimir Iliev (43) 1+0
• Canada - Adam Runnalls (44) 0+2
• Estonia - Rene Zehkna (47) 0+1
• USA - Sean Doherty (48) 2+0
• Finland - Tero Seppala (52) 2+1
• Romania - Dmitrii Shamaev (57) 0+1

All other teams are lower than Top 60 and will not have a representative in the pursuit.
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CLEAN SHOOTERS
A total of 14 clean shooters today. The highest ranking is Nawrath (Germany, in 1st place) and the lowest ranking is Mihail Usov (Moldova, at 70th place).
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THE PURSUIT
The Top 60 are seperated by +2:58.2m. The top 10 are seperated by +58.5s.

Hi everyone ! The 2023/2024 Biathlon season has officially started and I couldn't be more excited !
A reminder on today's format : the Individual is biathlon's oldest and longest race, with 5 loops of 4k each for a total of 20km. It is a time trial race in which each missed shot adds one minute to the athlete's time (no penalty loop!). The shooting stages proceed in this order : Prone, Standing, Prone, Standing. It's also the most difficult race to recap in my humble opinion ^^'. Let's get this season started !
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THE RACE
Quick note on the conditions : the sun had completely set, with barely any wind throughout (spoiler alert : it did not equal to a lot of great shooting scores). It did start to snow a little mid-race.
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Recap of the favorites (in bib order)
- Emilien Jacquelin (FRA) : He had a perfect prone shoot and one of the top ski speeds today, but his standing shooting let him down with 4 total mistakes, 2 on each stage. A final P27 below his usual standards.
- Sebbe Samuelsson (SWE) : The fastest man today by quite a big margin, but not the best shooter. With 3 mistakes total (2 in standing, 1 in prone), he crosses the finish line just one second shy of the flower ceremony. I'll note a clean final shoot that made the crowd very happy. P7
- Vetle Christiansen (NOR) : As the previous winner of the Individual small globe, Vetle was wearing the red bib today ! He shot clean on 3 of the 4 stages, but missed twice on his first standing shoot. His ski speed wasn't his best either and didn't allow him to make up for those mistakes. Still a solid result for him. P13
- Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE) : Ponsi's race had a pretty good start: he had 2 mistakes after the first 3 shootings and a chance at a good final rank thanks to his ski speed, but everything went south at the last standing shoot with 3 mistakes. 5 misses total, too many to place well in this format. P47
- Quentin Fillon-Maillet (FRA) : A race a bit similar to Ponsi's, but in reverse. QFM started with 3 mistakes in the prone, and made 2 more along the way. The only "good news" in his race was his ski speed : he was among the top10 fastest, even though he's quite renowned for being a slow starter. Still a bad result for his standards. P42
- Sturla Laegreid (NOR) : After one mistake on the first prone shooting, Sturla kept his focus and cleared every shot. However, despite an excellent 19/20, he could not get into the top10 because of his struggle on the skis, especially in the last loop. P12
- Johannes Boe (NOR) : Wearing his usual yellow bib, Johannes delivered a very interesting first race. He made two mistakes total, and skied very fast as usual. But he was not the fastest ! Hard to say what that means for the future, but for today's race two mistakes and great skiing was not good enough to win. He still lands on the podium, in third place. P3
- Benedikt Doll (GER) : Very solid first race for Benni : after 2 mistakes at the halfway point, he kept it together and didn't miss again. Thanks to his usual great ski speed, he manages a top10 despite those mistakes. P9
- Johannes Dale-Skjevdal (NOR) : The fastest man on the track today, unfortunately not the most accurate with his rifle. After 4 mistakes in the first half, he shot clean in the second half and skied himself to a top20 spot, being the highest ranked athlete with 4 mistakes. P20
- Tarjei Boe (NOR) : Tarjei could have aimed for the top spots right until the end, being quite fast and 14/15 before the last shoot. Unfortunately, he made 2 more mistakes in the final standing shoot that put him out of contention. P26
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Notable performances, "outsiders", etc
- Roman Rees (GER) : If you've read this far, you might be wondering... wait, but who won ? That's right, no "big favorite" won today even with good conditions and an all-winning JTB last year, and that's why we love biathlon ! Rees started in the middle of the pack and cleared target after target, slowly but surely making his way to the top. A miss in the last shooting did not stop him from giving his absolute all in the final loop to claim his first ever World Cup Victory! P1
- Justus Strelow (GER) : If you've read this far, you might also be wondering... wait, but who made second place ? For a while we believed we would have a big surprise winner : with one mistake, Strelow came out of the last shooting in first place and skied a very solid final lap, even gaining time on his closest rival Rastorgujevs. Even JTB, who had a 15ish second gap with him before the final lap, couldn't catch up... In the end, his teammate Rees surpassed him, but Strelow still got himself his first ever World Cup podium today ! P2
- Andrejs Rastorgujevs (LAT) : At 35, he's still showing a great form and a much improved shooting since last season. He was known for his speed for a while but couldn't get the shooting right. Today he definitely did, missing only one bullet at the final stage and getting into the flower ceremony. P4
- Simon Eder (AUT) : Listen, I have a soft spot for Eder so I will mention him. He has more motivation to train than I ever will lol. Today could have been his day : every fast "youngster" was missing bullets here and there and he was still clean after 3 shoots. Unfortunately for him, his final 2 bullets went wide and so went his chances at a top result. P21
- Emilien Claude (FRA) : Our youngster and French savior today ! Delivering his first 20/20 on the WC, Emilien fought very hard on the track to get his first ever WC top 10. He was under a lot of pressure to get selected for this final WC team spot and delivered right off the bat, yay ! P10
- Endre Stroemsheim (NOR) : After getting locked out of the world cup all of last year despite being miles better than his IBU Cup rivals, he can finally show his full potential and did not wait around to do so ! With a decent ski speed and signature lightning fast and precise shooting (19/20), Stroemsheim earned himself his second best result ever on the WC. I think he was the only one actually looking happy on the finish line and not completely dead :'). P6
- Niklas Hartweg (SUI) : With the blue bib on his shoulders and great performances on this format last year, the pressure was quite high for Hartweg. Unfortunately, his race started quite bad with 3 mistakes at the halfway point, but he cleared the final 2 shootings to finish with 17/20 and a P46.
- Sebastian Stalder (SUI) : The other swiss young gun to watch ! He lived up to his reputation of excellent shooter, only missing once in the final shoot. Thanks to a good ski speed, he equalled his PB and earned his second ever flower ceremony. P5
- Tommaso Giacomel (ITA) : Last year we saw great progress from Tommy and a tough fight for the blue bib against Hartweg, so the expectations were high today. His ski speed was great and he scored a solid 18/20, which earned him another top10 and looks very promising. P8
- Didier Bionaz (ITA) : Even though he had a meltdown in the final shoot with 3 mistakes, his race is worth highlighting because he was fighting for a top spot for most of it. His ski speed seems to have tremendously improved and is on par with Giacomel's, which is promising for team Italy. P32
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PODIUM

1. Roman REES (GER) 0+0+0+1, 51:27.2
2. Justus STRELOW (GER) 0+1+0+0, +12.1
3. Johannes BOE (NOR) 1+0+0+1, +25.0

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Top 10 because why not :
https://preview.redd.it/s7u0p3o12q2c1.jpg?width=697&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a29d38817d653ba44cafa6ac4c7d5c6c4b09d0c
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NOTES AND QUESTIONS
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- First race of the season and already a lot of personal best results : Rees (3>1), Strelow (8>2), Claude E. (20>10), Coltea (28>16!), Magazeev (26>18) and more.
- Tuomas Harjula (FIN) DNF
- First race for new-zealander Campbell Wright under the USA flag !
- Yesterday was a great day to be French. Today ? Not so much :')
- Speaking of Frenchs, Guigonnat got handed a charger by an IBU official in the middle of his shooting, which understandably did not make very happy (the video is on his instagram).
- 4/6 podiums for team Germany today, I want whatever they had for breakfast... Lovely to see such a great team result after their "leaders" retired in recent years!
- Interesting mix of athletes in the top ski speed, a striking contrast to last year's season opener which had a huge Scandinavian domination. Do you think the new fluor ban and waxing techniques are the reason ? Or is it because it's still the "fine-tuning" phase? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
- I'm personally not sure with how much salt I should take the results of this race. The Norwegians were not as dominating, the shooting results were confusing, and the usual podium contenders didn't perform well... Do you think this race is setting the tone for the season to come, or will a lot change in the upcoming months ?
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Thanks for reading !

Hi everyone! Hope the first day of Biathlon season was a good one for you. This is a recap of the mixed relay (2M + 2F) that was held on November 25, 2023.
Unlike previous years, the mixed relay is 4X6km: The men are running 6km (like the women) and not 7.5km. Thus the men spend less time on the track and the women's race becomes a little more significant.
This was also an evening race and thus quite dark and cold, at -12c.

Results

1. France - Quentin Fillon-Maillet, Emilien Jacquelin, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, Luo Jeanmonnot
2. Norway - Tarjei Boe, Johannes Boe, Karoline Kanotten, Ingrid Tandrevold.
3. Italy - Didier Bionaz, Tommaso Giacomel, Dorothea Wierer, Lisa Vittozzi.

Race recap

Leg 1 (M)
22 teams are participating in the 4-member team mixed relay! Bionaz from Italy is leading the pack as they start their race. He is followed by Fillon Maillet, Nelin, T.Boe, Rees and the rest of the pack all close by.
As they enter the range, Bionaz falls back and QFM takes the lead for Lane 1.
Bionaz starts with a miss, QFM misses once, while Nelin (SWE), T.Boe (NOR), Rees (GER), Stalder (SWI) all hit 5/5 and exist at the top 4, followed by Germain (US), Dyussenov (KZA), Pryma (UKR) who also clear 5/5. QFM has rifle issues but eventually manages and exists 18s behind, along with Bionaz. No penalty rounds for all 22 teams so far.
During the 2nd lap, Nelin keeps the top spot, all teams sliding down the hills in a similar speed. Bionaz, surprisingly, pushes ahead of QFM.
Stalder takes the 3rd spot ahead of Rees as they enter the range. Stalder shoots extremely fast and hits 5/5, taking the first spot while all the rest are missing at least once. QFM shoots 5/5 and takes the 2nd spot, followed immediately by Tarjei (+1 miss), followed by Krcmar (+1), Rees (+2), Bionaz (+2), Nelin (+3), Pryma (clear), Siimer (+1) all within 30s.
Tarjei runs away from QFM, catching up on Stalder very quickly (winning 11s in 0.8km) and overtaking him a with a kilometer to go.
Stalder hanging on to Tarjei at 5.6s, while the rest are 9-10s behind the two.
Nelin gains 20s over the leaders in the last lap.
Fastest course times:

1. Didier Bionaz (ITA) - 13:37.9
2. Tarjei Boe (NOR) - +1.5s
3. Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA) - +4.3

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Leg 2 (M)
Tarjei and Stalder exchange at the same time, to JTB and Finello. QFM exchanges to Jacquelin, Rees to Nawrath, followed by the Czech (Karlik) and Italians (Giacomel). Sweden exchanges at 7th place.
JTB runs far ahead of Finello by the 6.8km mark, winning +5s in this short time. The top 7 are within 25s, and the rest are over 50s behind JTB.
By 7.6km Jacquelin takes the 2nd spot, overtaking Finello. The top6 are all within 12s, while Ponsiluoma is falling behind and is 30s behind.
JTB enters the range alone, followed by 5 teams all together, and Ponsi far at 7th. JTB shoots first and misses the 3rd, while Jacquelin misses 1st, Nawrath 2 and 5, Finello 3rd.
Jacquelin leaves ahead of JTB, who leaves immediately after him. They are followed by Nawrath, Karlik and Giacomel. Ponsiluoma misses three times and falls further behind, eventually clearing all. Strolia, Seppala and Raenkel are all ahead of Ponsiluoma who is 10th, followed by Austria's Leitner.
Jacquelin has an issue with his 1st hit/miss - it seems like he hit, but the target didn't fall immediately but rather a while later, after he put his spare bullet in. Not sure yet if he took it out, but he hasn't been DSQ so he must have shot it or taken it out.
JTB takes the first place, but Jacquelin stays close, and Nawrath stays close at 1.4s behind. Giacomel leads Karlik at 8s behind. Finello is 36s behind, followed by Strolia, Ponsiluoma, Raenkel within 1 minute.
Nawrath skis ahead of JTB and Jacquelin on the downhill (revenge of the German skis?!), and stays first as they go up and down the hill towards the range. Nawrath takes Lane 1 at the standing shooting.
Jacquelin hits first, Nawrath and Jacquelin miss, while JTB hits 5/5 after having to adjust/re-load his rifle. Nawrath exists 2nd, 7s behind, while Giacomel has a penalty loop. Jacquelin loops as well, after a slow shooting.
Giacomel, 3rd, is 32s behind. Karlik is 4th - 40s behind, while Jacquelin is 47s behind. Ponsiluoma is 6th at 52s behind, despite a clean shooting.
JTB increases the distance from the rest . The rest are unchanged, all losing around 4s to JTB.
Fastest course times:

1. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) - 13:59s
2. Philip Nawrath (GER) - +6.1
3. Emilien Jacquelin (FRA) - +6.8

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Leg 3 (F)
JTB hands over to Knotten, Nawrath hands over 17s behind at the 2nd place to Schneider. Giacomel (to Wierer), Karlik (to Davidova) and Jacquelin (to J Braisaz-Bouchet) all hand over at around 50s behind. Ponsiluoma hands over to Magnusson 1:04m behind.
At 12.8km, Schneider is 24s behind losing over 7s to the leader. JBB at 49.6s, Davidova at 50.4s and Wierer at 51.7s all run together. Magnusson is 1:08m, losing time to Knotten too.
The lead increases further at the 13.6s mark, with Schneider losing 3s, while the JBB/Davidova/Wierer pack actually decrease it to around 44s.
Knotten enters the empty range and hits all 5 clear and quickly, before Schneider even lies on her mat. She also hits all 5, although her competitors are already gearing up for their shooting. Wierer shoots like a maniac (fastest of them all, as expected) and hits 5/5, JBB hits 5/5 and Davidova misses once. Magnusson also hits 5/5 with a solid quick shoot, but is still over a minute behind. The remaining (Aita) Gasparin hits 5/5 as well, while the US's Dickinson misses once. Lotte Lie hits 5/5 and so does Janka (FIN).
At 14.8km, Schneider is 31.1s behind, JBB run away from her pack at 39s, while Davidova dn Wierer are 47s - both JBB and Davidova getting a few extra seconds on Knotten. Magnusson loses more time and is 1:22m behind.
As they enter the range, JBB catchs up with Schneider. Knotten enters 1st, far ahead of the rest and misses twice, thrice by the time the Schneider and JBB enter the range. Knotten finishes her shooting while the rest still have 2 targets to cover. Schneider misses once while JBB hits 5/5 and is only 7.3s behind Knotten. Schneider hits all, Wierer uses one spare round and is 4th. Davidova needs 2 extra rounds but all exit without a penalty.
Magnusson hits 4/5 ad needs a spare bullet. She is still over a minute behind.
Dickinson hits 5/5 in her standing and the US is 7th, followed by Gasparin from Switzerland in 7th.
By 16.8km JBB is right behind Knotten (0.9s behind) - this means Tandrevold and Jeanmonnot will be going head to head in the 4th leg. JBB skis ahead of Knotten in the end of their last lap. Knotten is 5s behind her.
Fastest course times:

1. Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA) - 16:17.9s
2. Marketa Davidova (CZE) - +14.1
3. Karoline Knotten (NOR) - +41.1

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Leg 4 (F)
The last leg is ran by some of the top women in the field.
JBB exchanges to Jeanmonnot at 1st place, Knotten to Tandrevold at 8.6s behind. Voigt starts 30s behind, Jislova 34.9s. Wierer slows down considerably and Vittozzi starts 43.5s behind France.
Elvira Oberg starts at 1:38s behind, with Magnusson losing over 30s in the last lap.
Tandrevold is 4.4s behind at the 18.8km mark, winning 4s in 800 meters. Voigt loses a couple of seconds while Jislova and Vitozzi catch up to her, and all three are 34-36s behind.
Elvira wins a couple of seconds, but that doesn't change much in the grand scheme of things.
By the uphill at the 19.6km mark, (the IBU graphics are ruined again) Tandrevold is 2s behind Jeanmonnot, practically stepping on her skiis. Vittozzi is 3rd - ahead of Voigt and Jislova.
Tandrevold and Jeanmonnot enter the range together, Jeanmonnot in Lane 1 and Tandrevold at 2. Jeanmonnot shoots first and hits 5/5, Tandrevold finishes a couple seconds later and hits 5/5 as well. The next three start as they are done: Vittozzi starts first but misses the 2nd, Voigt does the same. Jislova hits 5/5 and goes ahead, followed by Vittozzi and Voigt who ultimately hit all 5 targets.
Oberg enters the range still far behind, and misses the 1st shot. She hits the rest and finishes with 6 bullets before the next competitor, Haecki-Gross (SWI) starts shooting and hits 5/5.
Tandrevold runs ahead of Jeanmonnot, but they stay together. Vittozzi and Jislova are still running together and maintain a 30s gap. Voigt is 44s behind at the 5th place.
Jislova is losing a bit while Vittozi maintains her gap. Tandrevold enters the range for the first lane. They both start shooting - Jeanmonnot is a bit ahead while Tandrevold misses the 3rd. Tandrevold eventually hits with the 6th, while Vittozi hits an amazingly fast 5/5. Both Germany and the Czech have issues with their shooting (but no penalty loops) and are no longer contenders for a podium spot.
Tandrevold gains a couple of seconds but is still too far behind. Vittozzi slows down a bit knowing she has secured the bronze medal and that Tandrevold is too far ahead of her. Jislova has a fair distance from Voigt, maintaining 4th place.
At 23.6km the margin between Jeanmonnot and Tandrevold is growing to 13s, while Canada is trying their best not to be lapped.
Jeanmonnot finishes first with a big smile, followed by Tandrevold who seems less happy with her result. Vittozzi finishes third.
Voigt overtook Jislova for the 4th spot, and Jislova is just a second behind her.
Elvira Oberg finishes 6th, almost 2 1/2 minutes behind.
The Swiss finish 7th, followed by the Ukrainians at 8th.
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Fastest Course times:

1. Annamarija Lampic (SLO) - 16:24.6
2. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold (NOR) - +12.3
3. Lisa Vittozzi (ITA) - +16.0

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Finland had the fastest overall shooting time at 4:09 min, followed by France at 4:17 min.

Thoughts and other comments

• Personally, I am sad we didn't get a Swedish double win/podium - this race was quite a disaster from beginning to end. Hanna and Sebbe who did a magnificant job earlier today seem to be in the best shape among the squad.
• JBB came back in amazing shape. She was so fast and her shooting was top notch. I did not have high expectations and I am truly blown away.
• Bionaz had a way better leg than Giacomel - definitly did not expect this one. Good for him, though! I was really impressed. If Italy fancy a chance in the Single mixed or whatever, seems like Lisa and him are the natural choices right now.
• Annamarija Lampic wasn't really fighting for anything and was that fast anyways. Her shooting was bad, though. It'll be (this year, too) interesting to see how she does on individual races/when she actually has a chance to get an interesting result.
• The Finn's shooting is fantastic, they only missed 5 targets overall, and Hiidensalo missed 4 out of the 5. The women didn't miss a single target. Now, they have to improve the skis: Janka was last in her leg, Kernan was 15th (almost 2 min behind), Seppala was 1min behind and Hiidensalo was 30s behind.
• The Latvian's have a pair of new, young (2001) twins - both abbreviated S. Bulina. Whichever of them ran the 3rd lap was decent on the skis - while she was a minute behind JBB, but she was 6th in her lap, 10s behind Wierer, etc. The same one managed to avoid the penalty loop, using 4 extra bullets overall.

I just completed a Nordic Biathlon type event this past weekend using my rifle that was heavily based on a Block II build. Now, this rifle is using a Colt cage code SOCOM profile barrel, RIS II, G$ trigger, etc. It was way too heavy to run again in an event like that, so I'm considering cutting weight in some strategic areas by selling the barrel and maybe the rail. My question is, where would be best to list the barrel and how much should I reasonably expect to get for it?
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If this is out of place or against the rules, I will remove. Just trying to get an idea of what to expect. Thanks!