The IBU World Cup is in the Czech Republic this week, with all six men’s races this season having been won by just two men: France’s Martin Fourcade and Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe.
Boe has won all three 10 km Sprints – including the Nove Mesto Sprint held on Thursday – and a 12.5 km Pursuit. Fourcade won the 20 km individual season-opener and a 12.5 km Pursuit. Can anyone other than these two win a race?
This week’s schedule, with the men’s 10 km Sprint already completed:
∙ 21 December: Women’s 7.5 km Sprint
∙ 22 December: Women’s 10 km Pursuit and 12.5 km Pursuit
∙ 23 December: Women’s 12.5 and men’s 15.0 km Mass Start
After the Nove Mesto Sprint, Boe has a 308-232 lead over Russia’s Alexander Loginov, with Antonin Guigonnat (FRA) at 223, Austria’s Simon Eder at 205 and Fourcade at 191.
The women’s races have been dominated by Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen, who has won three of the five races held so far, and won medals in four. But Italy’s Dorothea Wierer also has four medals, including one win, two silvers and one bronze, and has a 252-245 points lead going into the week.
Slovakia’s Paulina Fialkova is the only other biathlete to win more than one medal this season (she has a silver and bronze).
Look for more results from Nove Mesto here.
IBU World Cup
Nove Mesto (CZE) ~ 20-23 December 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s 10 km Sprint: 1. Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR), 23:09.9; 2. Alexander Loginov (RUS), +21.0; 3. Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE), +54.2; 4. Benjamin Weger (SUI), +1:03.5; 5. Simon Desthieux (FRA), +
