Sweden 🇸🇪 – Sebastian Samuelsson donates his race numbers to Dmytro Pidruchnyi in support of Ukraine
For some time now, Ukrainian biathlete Dmytro Pidruchnyi has been collecting bibs that once belonged to some of the best athletes on the biathlon World Cup circuit, with the aim of selling them in a tombola, the proceeds of which will be used to build a shelter in a school in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian took action for a good cause on his Instagram account, drawing lots for the winners who had already bought a ticket for five euros. A gesture that pleased Sebastian Samuelsson, who also offered his bib to his compatriot: “I missed quite a few shots with the one I gave away. Maybe I’ll have to pay to get rid of it,” he joked to SVT Sport.
Touched by the Swede’s gesture, Dmytro Pidruchnyi knows just how important biathlon is , and how often it is practised by soldiers at the front against the Russians. Vitalii Mandzyn and I have a former coach who was called up to fight at the front against Russia,” he says. Vitalii’s result [fourth place in the Kontiolahti sprint, editor’s note] means a lot to him.
Russia 🇷🇺 – Reassuring tests for Alexander Bolshunov
In poor form at the start of the Russian Cup cross-country skiing season, Alexander Bolshunov has been unable to find the solution to once again reign supreme on this circuit, where Russian athletes have been competing for almost three years following their exclusion from international circuits following the invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin‘s army.
The 27-year-old cross-country skier was recently sent to Moscow (Russia) to undergo tests and finally find the cause of his health problems. Once all the tests had been carried out, the Russian soon received the results. And they were reassuring.
“Medical examinations have not revealed any infection or serious injury to Alexander,” Yuri Borodavo, coach of the national team, told Match TV. And the three-time Olympic champion should not be away from the national circuit for long. The experts have not imposed any ban on training or taking part in competitions,” added the coach. It all depends on how he feels, and we’ll determine that on the spot.
Sweden 🇸🇪 – In Lillehammer, Ebba Andersson stayed alone in a hotel… because of a carpet
While she was back in the spotlight last weekend at the cross-country skiing world cup skiathlon in Lillehammer (Norway), Ebba Andersson had an extra-sporting misadventure in neighbouring Norway. While most of the nations were staying in a large hotel in the Scandinavian city, the Swede was not staying in the same place as her compatriots.
Allergic to dust mites, the Scandinavian cannot sleep in a room with carpet. This is something that the members of her training staff pay close attention to, but this time the 27-year-old found herself in a room with a carpet, which was also problematic for her.
However, as no other rooms were available, Ebba Andersson was rehoused in a hotel in the city centre. It’s a problem the Swede has experienced before: “We’ve already had to find another hotel for Ebba. Especially in the Alps. And during the World Championships in Oberstdorf, we even had to plaster her entire room,” says Anders Bystroem, Scandinavian team manager.
So the young woman dealt with the situation without too much disruption. I was with the team at their hotel and had meals with them too,” she tells Expressen. Honestly, it’s quite nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle.
South Korea 🇰🇷 – At 43, Chau Heung-Chul wants to go all the way to Milan/Cortina in 2026
At the age of 43, Choi Heung-Chul returned to the ski jumping World Cup last weekend on the Wisla ski jump (Poland). However, the experienced South Korean was unable to secure his ticket for the two competitions after finishing sixty-second and sixty-fifth in qualifying.
And even if he has never registered his name on the list of winners of a stage in the elite, the pleasure remains intact for the man with eighty-five starts on the FIS flagship circuit: “I love jumping. The aim is to continue doing it at least until the Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina in 2026”, he tells Skijumping.pl.
However, Choi Heung-Chul knows that his discipline is still too little practised in his country to hope to build and train a solid next generation. “There aren’t many young jumpers in Korea. At the moment, five are training with state support. And there are maybe six or seven people in the whole country who still practise the sport,” he laments. The heyday of ski jumping was fifteen years ago in Korea.
Finland 🇫🇮 – Premature end to the season for Anni Alakoski
A member of the Electrofit private team and a regular on the cross-country skiing world cup circuit, Anni Alakoski will not be putting her skis back on this season. Injured in the leg, the Finnish skier announced on her Instagram account that the injury required surgery, which will keep her off the slopes for the whole winter.
“I need immediate intervention to recover. In the course of my sporting career, I’ve had to deal with a lot of illnesses and injuries,” she writes. But I want to believe and hope that I can still recover from this one. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by a fantastic team of professionals and people close to me who support me and help me move forward.”
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