1.French Women: How Much Depth is Too Much
Okay that’s ridiculous. You can never have too much depth. Just ask the Norwegian men! I needed to frame the piece though which is how is it possible the French women have this much talent? It’s incredible. Before the season I was convinced that the team with the most depth is the Swedes. I may have even put the Germans ahead of the French team because of the potential for top 10 seasons from Denise Herrmann-Wick, Franziska Preuss, and Vanessa Voigt with additional depth from Vanessa Hinz, Janina Hettich-Walz etc.
As we head into the World Championships it is actually the French women who are the surprise. It really hit me back in Annecy-le Grand Bornand but it seems like every weekend it hits me all over again. Week after week it there seems to be a new woman reaching the top 10. On top of that almost all of these women are still so young!
Before we take a look at the top French women this season let’s compare the top three nations: Continue Reading: French Women: How Much Depth is Too Much
2. History of the Swiss Men’s Biathlon Team
Switzerland, one of the premier nations of Alpine skiing, has for years lived in the shadows of the likes of Norway, France, and Germany when it comes to biathlon. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t had their own moments right? It seems too improbable that they wouldn’t have had a least a few moments in the sun. But can you name any off the top of your head? The first thoughts that come to mind are probably of Bennie Weger (and his glorious beard). Maybe you thought of the Swiss women and the Gasparin sisters?
As the Swiss team has had a bit of renaissance this season I have become more and more interested in them. This project started as a Twitter thread in which I drove down the metaphorical rabbit hole trying to find the best moments in the history of the Switzerland men’s biathlon team. It was an amazing and eye opening experience. Fair warning, at university I studied history so this is always a passion of mine. I love diving deep into a subject and learning more. And in doing so finding little connections along the way that we’ve all forgotten but are too delicious not to bring up.
Continue Reading: A Brief History of Swiss Men’s Biathlon Team
3. JT Boe: Is He the Greatest of All Time? Or the Best?
His name is Joahnnes Thingnes Bø. You may have heard of him. In fact you probably have heard a lot about him. And while you’ve been hearing a lot about him you’ve probably heard even more about him this season than almost ever before. For good reason though. He’s been on an insane tear, just dominating the season in historic fashion. Bø has been so amazing that the question is being asked more loudly every weekend: Is JT Bø the best male biathlete of all time?
We need to start by breaking down the different ways of determining the best. First you have “The Greatest.” The Greatest biathlete is the man who has simply the greatest overall resume. Our goal here will be to determine the pantheon of all time biathletes. Imagine if you will an Ancient Greek or Roman temple to the gods. These are the men who would populate that temple.
Continue Reading: JT Boe: Is He the Greatest of All Time? Or the Best?
Penalty Loop 