The final day of August and the first day of September saw the highest concentration of major biathlon action that we’ll have all all summer long. Most of the attention was paid to the all star field seen in Annecy for the Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival. But there were also national championships taking place inContinue reading “Summer Biathlon 2024 Part 3”
Author Archives: penaltyloop8853
2023-2024 Season In Review
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 disappointingContinue reading “2023-2024 Season In Review”
Summer Biathlon 2024
It’s that time again…Summer Biathlon season! For biathlon fans, by the time we get to mid to late Summer boy are we ready for some biathlon action. Summer biathlon isn’t quite the same as “true biathlon” but it quenches the desperate thirst that we have. (Unfortunately the way the climate is changing we all may need to adopt summer biathlon more fully but that’s a discussion for another time).
Summer Biathlon 2024 Part 2: Summer World Championships
Dates: August 22-26Location: Otepää, Estonia The 2024 IBU Summer World Championships was full of thrilling races with races decided by the smallest fractions of a second and massively emotional Mass Start victories on Sunday. While maybe not packed with the absolute A-list stars, and certainly not as prestigious as the Winter World Championships, these SummerContinue reading “Summer Biathlon 2024 Part 2: Summer World Championships”
Ultimate Biathlon Timeline
Haven’t you ever wondered how we got here? Biathlon isn’t a new sport. There are drawings going back centuries of humans skiing and hunting at the same time. So when did we decide to make it a sport? How did competitions begin? The IBU? The World Championships? This is my humble effort to tell that story. It’s starts at the beginning of the sport and takes us through the exciting sport of biathlon that we know today:
Rookies of the Year
We’ve celebrated the Overall Champions, the Breakthrough Athletes of the Year, and now it’s time to talk about some rookies! We had a ton of good rookie stories this season including some young athletes who went quickly from making their debut to their first podiums. We had some others who came in and got someContinue reading “Rookies of the Year”
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 inContinue reading “Breakthrough Seasons”
Tarjei Boe: 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 UniversityContinue reading “Tarjei Boe: My Living Memory”
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 OleContinue reading “JT Bø Answers the Question”
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. TheContinue reading “Lisa Vittozzi: A Dream Deferred”