Biathlon: a strong field in Sjusjøen this weekend
This weekend, on the slopes of the Sjusjøen Arena Natrudstilen in Norway, the athletes of the French A biathlon team will be back in action for the traditional opening races. For Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin, this will be their first opportunity to test their mettle this season against Norway’s finest, Johannes Thingnes Boe, Tarjei Boe, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Endre Stroemsheim and Sturla Holm Lægreid.
But they won’t be the only opponents for Les Bleus, as the logical contenders for the last place in the World Cup and the IBU Cup will all be there. They include Vebjoern Soerum, Mats Oeverby, Johan-Olav Botn, Martin Nevland, Martin Uldal, Isak Frey, Filip Fjeld Andersen and Vetle Paulsen.
The returning Sivert Guttorm Bakken is also expected to start, as are Sverre Dahlen Aspenes, Sindre Fjellheim Jorde, Martin Femsteinevik, Erik Gerhardsen, Sivert Gerhardsen, Einar Hedegart, Simon Kirkeeide, Kasper Kalkenberg, Harald Oeygard, Mathias Skrede and Espen Uldal.
Last but not least, a number of foreigners have entered the Sjusjøen races: Italians Elia Zeni, Patrick Braunhofer, Lukas Hofer, Tommaso Giacomel, Daniele Cappellari and Didier Bionaz; Belgians Marek Mackels, Fabien Claude, Thierry Langer, César Beauvais, Sam Parmantier and Julien Petitjacques; the Romanians George Buta, George Coltea, Raul Flore, Dmitrii Shamaev and Cornel Puchianu; the Ukrainian Dmytro Pidruchnyi ; the Greenlander Sondre Slettemark; the Danes Rasmus Schiellerup, Joachim Weel Rosbo, Jacob Weel Rosbo and Asbjoern Boye.
Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Dorothea Wierer and Anastasiya Kuzmina present on the women’s side
On the women’s side, only one Frenchwoman will be competing on Saturday and Sunday: Julie Baverel from the Franc-Comtois region, who has been with Holmenkollen Biathlon since this summer. She will be up against Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Karoline Knotten and Juni Arnekleiv, the Norwegians who have already qualified for the World Cup.
Those vying for other places on the main circuit and in the IBU Cup are also expected to attend. They include Marit Ishol Skogan, Ida Lien, Marthe Kraakstad Johansen, Aasne Skrede, Maren Kirkeeide, Karoline Erdal, Emilie Kalkenberg, Ragnhild Femsteinevik and Gro Randby.
Here too, a number of other highly competitive Norwegians are entered. They include Silje Berg-Knutsen, Maren Brännare-Gran, Agathe Brathagen, Frida Dahl, Anne Bunemann De Besche, Frida Dokken, Eline Grue, Synne Owren, Tuva Aas Stræte and Anna Torjussen.
Finally, the foreigners will not be outdone by the presence of Italy’s Dorothea Wierer, Slovakia’s Anastasiya Kuzmina, Belgium’s Lotte Lie, Maya Cloetens, Eve Bouvard and Marine Debloem, Poland’s Anna Maka, Kamila Zuk, Kamila Cichon, Daria Gembicka, Joanna Jakiela and Natalia Sidorowicz, Ukaleq Slettemark from Greenland and Lidiia Zhurauskaite, Sara Urumova, Judita Traubaite, Natalja Kocergina and Viktorija Augulyte from Lithuania.
The full programme of Norwegian opening races at Sjusjøen 🇳🇴
Saturday 16th November
- 8.40am-9.35am: women’s shooting trials
- 9.45am: women’s 7.5km sprint
- 11.10am-12.05pm: men’s shooting trials
- 12.15pm: men’s 10km sprint
Sunday 17 November
- 10.00am-10.30am: men’s B race shooting trials
- 10.45am: men’s 80 15km mass-start (race B)
- 11.45am-12.15pm: women’s shooting trials
- 12.30pm: women’s 12.5km mass-start 40+40
- 1.30-2.00: men’s A race shooting trial
- 2.15pm: men’s 15km mass-start (race A)
- The full programme of Norwegian opening races at Sjusjøen in which the French will be taking part
- “A real mouth-watering start to the season”: the day the French men’s team set off on their training camp in Sjusjøen
- “The signs are pretty much green for everyone”: Oscar Lombardot, Fabien Claude, Eric Perrot, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Emilien Jacquelin training on the snow at Sjusjøen
- Dorothea Wierer and the Italian men’s national team head for Sjusjøen
- One men’s and three women’s World Cup tickets, tickets for the IBU Cup: all the stakes for Norway in the Sjusjøen races
