The overall World Cup leaders, Lou Jeanmonnot and Tommaso Giacomel, both delivered consistent performances over the weekend. For their closest challengers, the number of remaining races where they can realistically close the gap is slowly running out.
Women
Women’s relay: A chaotic finish and tiny margins
Compared to Oberhof, several teams changed their line-ups. Italy welcomed back Dorothea Wierer and Lisa Vittozzi, while Sweden kept only the Öberg sisters from the previous squad. Norway made one change as well, with Tandrevold replaced by Arnekleiv; according to reports, Tandrevold missed the weekend due to illness. France, meanwhile, kept their team unchanged.
During the race, Jeanmonnot did not break away on the opening leg but created a small gap on her second lap, which held until the first exchange. The advantage was minimal, as four teams changed within ten seconds of France. The second legs did not split the field either – if anything, the race became even tighter. None of the major nations made significant mistakes, keeping a large group together, joined by the Czech Republic, Austria and Estonia. As a result, seven teams exchanged within ten seconds.
Nothing was decided on the third legs either. After the sixth shooting, the Czech team briefly built a 16-second lead, but this quickly disappeared over the following two kilometres. Eventually, the Öberg–Carrara pairing took the exchange first, with Vobornikova finishing her leg in third. Behind them, Norway, France, Germany and Austria all remained within striking distance.
The Czech team dropped back on the final leg. After the eighth shooting, their deficit exceeded 30 seconds, while Germany also fell out of contention after Franziska Preuss had to ski a penalty loop. After the final shooting, it initially looked like Vittozzi and Julia Simon would fight for victory, with Kirkeeide and Hanna Öberg battling for bronze. That situation changed quickly, however, as Simon visibly struggled on the tracks and dropped back, allowing Kirkeeide to close in. (It later emerged that Simon competed while ill and did not start on Sunday.)
With 600 metres to go, France had slipped to fourth place, while Kirkeeide and Öberg were rapidly closing on Vittozzi. Entering the finishing straight, the chasers were right on Vittozzi’s skis, and the Italian could not respond to Kirkeeide’s sprint, giving Norway the win. Italy finished second, Sweden third.
Interestingly, Norway only led at a single intermediate checkpoint during the entire race – at the finish. Based purely on leg times, the fastest relay would have been Jeanmonnot–Charvátová–Braisaz-Bouchet–Kirkeeide.
Sprint: When a perfect day is only enough for fourth
After a rest day, the sprint delivered extraordinary excitement. The top seven finishers all shot clean, and 18 athletes finished within one minute – compared to just eight within a minute in Oberhof.
Many athletes deserved praise. Preuss arguably produced her best performance of the season, yet it was only enough for fourth place. Vittozzi shot at incredible speed and skied well, but still finished third. The word “only” should be used in quotation marks here, as both performances were excellent – but Hanna Öberg and Jeanmonnot were simply unbeatable. Hanna Öberg may have produced the performance of the entire season, taking a clear victory.
Pursuit: Big moves forward and costly setbacks
Sunday’s pursuit was full of twists. With nearly 20 athletes starting within one minute, major changes were expected. Hanna Öberg quickly lost the lead after missing at the first shooting, while Jeanmonnot shot clean and moved into first place.
Jeanmonnot was helped by mistakes from Vittozzi, Elvira Öberg and Preuss. Hanna Öberg’s winning chances faded at the second shooting after adding two more misses. In the third shooting, Vittozzi missed twice and Elvira Öberg once, allowing Jeanmonnot’s lead to grow to around 30 seconds. Hanna Öberg and Magnusson followed.
A late mistake from Jeanmonnot briefly added some tension, but her victory was never truly threatened. Hanna Öberg finished second, with Bened taking third – her first podium since the season opener, thanks in part to perfect shooting. Based purely on pursuit times, Michelon, Baserga and Bened would have formed the podium. Michelon climbed from 32nd to sixth, the biggest mover of the race, while Kuzmina dropped from 29th to 54th after nine misses.
WC standings
- Lou Jeanmonnot 718 point
- Suvi Minkkinen 582 point
- Maren Kirkeeide 576 point
Men
Relay: Winning with a penalty loop – the French way
The men’s relay took place on Thursday. Fewer changes were made compared to the women’s race; most teams changed just one athlete, while Germany and Italy made two changes. Norway again competed without Botn, who is focusing on the Olympics.
After the first legs, Italy led, while France were in trouble, exchanging in 16th after Fabien Claude had to ski a penalty loop. Nelin caused problems for Sweden on the fourth shooting with slow shooting and two spare rounds, leaving them around 30 seconds down at the exchange. Lombardot could not significantly reduce France’s deficit, and they exchanged alongside Sweden.
At the front, six nations – Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Estonia, Norway and the USA – were separated by just five seconds. The third legs turned the race upside down, with Ponsiluoma, starting outside the top ten, bringing Sweden into the lead. Behind him, five teams were still within ten seconds.
Bulgaria’s Vasiliev produced a standout leg, moving his team from ninth to fourth. The USA lost significant time after Schommer skied a penalty loop on the sixth shooting. Bulgaria’s charge lasted until the seventh shooting before they slipped back to sixth.
Despite the early penalty loop, France moved into the lead before the final leg, closely followed by Norway, Germany, Estonia and Sweden. After multiple mistakes on the final shooting, Perrot started the last lap with a seven-second advantage. Christiansen passed Germany on the final lap, while Samuelsson could not close the gap, sealing the result.
France won despite the penalty loop, with Norway and Sweden finishing within ten seconds. Estonia claimed an excellent fifth place within a minute. Bulgaria faded to 12th. Based on leg times, the fastest relay would have been Braunhofer–Hartweg–Ponsiluoma–Perrot.
Sprint: Samuelsson flawless as Giacomel’s streak ends
In the men’s sprint, Norway’s Frey led for a long time with bib 28. Giacomel missed once in the first shooting, hurting his chances of a fourth consecutive win. Although he shot clean in the second prone, it was not enough against Samuelsson, one of the fastest skiers in the field, who went clean for the first time this season.Samuelsson won comfortably ahead of Giacomel, with Frey in third. Fillion Maillet finished fourth with clean shooting, while Perrot was fifth with one miss.
Pursuit: Dale’s brilliant finish
The men’s pursuit on Sunday was marked by heavy shooting errors. Both Giacomel and Samuelsson missed at the first shooting, opening the door for the chasers. Perrot could not capitalise, missing twice, allowing Laegreid into third. Frey, Zobel and Dale followed closely.
The Norwegian athletes shot clean at the second shooting, while others struggled. Samuelsson’s lead disappeared, and Giacomel dropped to fifth after two misses. After the first standing shooting, Laegreid and Samuelsson led, with Perrot charging back through the field.
The final shooting was chaotic, with many athletes missing. Despite a mistake, Perrot emerged in the lead, followed by Dale and Christiansen. Dale quickly erased the gap, passed Chirstiansen and Perrot and claimed the win. Behind them, Ponsiluoma won a thrilling sprint for third despite four misses. Fabien Claude finished fourth after climbing from 37th, while Giacomel took fifth. Based on pursuit times alone, Claude, Christiansen and Riethmüller would have been the fastest.
WC standings
- Tommaso Giacomel 736 point
- Eric Perrot 654 point
- Sebastian Samuelsson 640 point
Who can still challenge overall? – Ahead of Nové Město
In the women’s standings, Jeanmonnot’s lead has grown to nearly 130 points over Minkkinen, with Kirkeeide just six points behind in third. Hanna Öberg climbed to fourth after a strong weekend. Jeanmonnot’s advantage lies in her consistency: even on her weaker days, she finishes seventh or tenth. She has finished every race inside the top 20 – something her rivals cannot match.
In the men’s competition, Botn’s absence has reshaped the battle. Giacomel capitalised, winning three consecutive races and opening a commanding overall lead. Perrot trails by over 80 points, with Samuelsson close to 100 points back in third. Whether Botn returns in Nové Město or only at the Olympics could prove decisive.(UPDATE:At noon, the Norwegian association announced that Botn would be in the Czech Republic, as would Tandrevold.)
A major positive surprise was Estonia’s men’s relay result. Their last top-five finish came in 2003 – in Oberhof. Estonian biathlon appears to be on an upward trajectory, which bodes well ahead of next year’s home World Championships. The negative surprise was Janina Hettich-Walz, who failed to score any points on home snow. The best of the weekend was Lou Jeanmonnot, although Hanna Öberg was really impressive in the sprint and her performance on Sunday was very good, but Jeanmonnot also won her share of the relay in addition to her individual first and second places.
Weekend’s Positive Surprise: Estonian men’s relay team
Weekend’s Negative Surprise: Janina Hettich-Walz
Athletes of the Weekend: Lou Jeanmonnot
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