Lisa Vittozzi: A Dream Deferred – Mid afternoon on March 20, 2022 Lisa Vittozzi slid across the finish line at the Oslo Holmenkollen stadium in 24th place. There was barely a passing mention from the commentators other than just a note that she had three prone misses on the day. It was a final disappointing race of a disappointing season. The look on her face said everything. Nearly every other competitor came across the line with a look of joy at the end of another season. Vittozzi just looked blank if not a little sad. She had finished 24th with five misses including three prone. At that moment it seemed like the dream of Lisa Vittozzi as a post-Wierer leader of the Italian women may be coming to a sad ending. Continue reading Lisa Vittozzi: A Dream Deferred
Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) – IBU World Cup Biathlon, trophies, Canmore (CAN). http://www.biathlonworld.com © Manzoni/IBU.
JT Bø Answers the Question – As Johannes Thingnes Bø continues his reign of excellence over the men’s World Cup biathlon field we continue to examine his place in history. Is he one of the best ever? Is he the best ever? We are fortunate that over the last 30 years we’ve had the opportunity to see the likes of Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and Martin Fourcade. We can argue about them forever. In fact that’s something I plan on doing this summer as I put together what I would consider the Temples of the Biathlon gods. In that project we’ll take a look at the best men and women in biathlon history and where their legacy fits in the story of biathlon over the last 50ish year. (More on this later). For now though lets just focus on the latest chapter that JT Bø has authored in his own story. Continue reading JT Bø Answers the Question
Tarjei Boe (NOR) – IBU World Championships Biathlon, individual men, Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE). http://www.biathlonworld.com © Thibaut/IBU.
Tarjei Bø My Living Memory – Let me tell you a story that I’m not sure I’ve shared in this venue before. It’s not a secret, but it’s just not a story I tell all that often.
The winter of 2010 was a really tumultuous time in my life. It was the last few months of my time at the University of North Carolina. Overall it had been an amazing four years. These last few months though were not enjoyable. The things I thought I had been moving towards were dissolving before my eyes. In particular I had failed to get into med school which accounted for the first real “failure” of my life. At the same time my relationship with the woman I was engaged to marry was crumbling to pieces. It was this moment where I felt lost. Everything I had been working towards felt like it just wasn’t happening. Where was everything going?
Continue reading Tarjei Bø My Living Memory
Lou Jeanmonnot (FRA) – IBU World Cup Biathlon, pursuit women, Canmore (CAN). http://www.biathlonworld.com © Manzoni/IBU.
Breakthrough Seasons – One of my favorite parts of a biathlon season is watching the improvements that occur. There is also something really exciting about an athlete reaching their potential or finding a level that you didn’t know was even possible for them. This pieces is dedicated to those athletes who achieved that this season!
Breakthroughs come in all shapes and sizes so here are just a few examples:
– Rising from being very good to a true great of the sport.
– Coming up from occasional top 10 to consistent top 10 contender.
– Moving from middle of the pack to make a name for themselves as a top 25 biathlete.
Continue reading Breakthrough Seasons