Tomorrow’s biathlon competitions are the first individual World Cup races of the season, and the Östersund, Sweden, courses are tougher than most.
With the opening mixed relay under their belt, the biathletes are headed into their first individual World Cup races of the season, starting with the men’s 20 kilometer on Wednesday, December 3.
Madshus racer Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) just announced that he is planning to race every World Cup race this season. But he is particularly excited about the World Cup opener in Östersund, Sweden. The 28-year-old, who has five Olympic medals, 11 World Championship titles as well as four silver medals and two bronze medals from the World Championships, is determined to dominate the podium, and loves the courses in Östersund.
“This venue has pretty challenging courses, long uphills, and only a little bit of recovery on the descents. The entry to the range is fairly easy, but the conditions at the range are often challenging,” Svendsen says to Norwegian TV station NRK.
While the Östersund courses ski well, they definitely separate the men from the mice, Svendsen explains.
“These courses have proven to suit me well in the past,” Svendsen grins.
Program World Cup 1 Östersund, Sweden (November 30 – December 7)
Sunday November 30: Mixed 2×6+2×7.5 km relay
Wednesday, December 3: Men 20 km
Thursday, December 4: Women 15 km
Saturday, December 6: Men 10 km Sprint
Saturday, December 6: Women 7.5 km Sprint
Sunday, December 7: Men 12.5 km pursuit
Sunday, December 7: Women 10 km pursuit
Complete schedules, start lists and results