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Want to Ski, Shoot, and Hang Out with Anchorage Olympians? Try Biathlon.

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Want to Ski, Shoot, and Hang Out with Anchorage Olympians? Try Biathlon.

Nathaniel HerzDecember 6, 2023

A tale of how I skied faster than Kikkan Randall for exactly five minutes and 39 seconds until I got tired and she hit more rifle targets than I did. Once upon a time, I was a serious, though definitively not successful, cross-country skier. I raced for my college team in Maine, then kept at it afterward and one time finished 17th (I think, I can’t find the results any more) at the Tour of...

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Östersund Results Built Momentum for Team USA Heading to Hochfilzen

Östersund Results Built Momentum for Team USA Heading to Hochfilzen

US BiathlonDecember 6, 2023

After ten races in Östersund, Sweden, where the U.S. Biathlon Team saw personal best finishes, strong ski times and solid shooting performances, the team will now make the trip to Hochfilzen, Austria, where the three-day weekend will feature a sprint, pursuit and a pair of relays. Racing in Östersund kicked off with a strong performance from Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, WI/Army World Class Athlete Program) and Sean Doherty (Center Conway, NH/National Guard Biathlon) to finish eighth...

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USA’s Bonacci Sixth in Kontiolahti IBU Cup

USA’s Bonacci Sixth in Kontiolahti IBU Cup

US BiathlonNovember 30, 2023

Flowers for Bonacci with Sixth Place Finish in Kontiolahti Vincent Bonacci (Salt Lake City, UT/Team Crosscut) raced to a personal-best sixth place in the men’s 20km individual on Thursday’s opening day of the 2023/24 BMW IBU Cup season in Kontiolahti, Finland. Bonacci had just one miss in standing and crossed the finish line 13 seconds behind Vetle Paulsen of Norway. “I had a bit of a rough fall in terms of how I was shooting,...

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IBU: Sustainability and Social Legacies

IBU: Sustainability and Social Legacies

FasterSkierNovember 23, 2023

IBU 2023/2024: New Rules and Higher Sustainability Standards The IBU season 2023/2024 is set to get underway with the opening BMW IBU World Cup in Östersund (SWE) on 25 November 2023 as new rules and sustainability commitments will be showcased for the first time. Östersund is one of nine World Cup Organising Committees this season, in addition to World Championship host Nove Mesto na Morave, to have voluntarily signed the IBU’s new Sustainability Charter. By signing the Charter,...

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IBU World Cup 2023-2024: Scheduling and Viewing

IBU World Cup 2023-2024: Scheduling and Viewing

John TeafordNovember 17, 2023

Though biathletes have already seen action in recent races in Sjusjoen Norway—and on the Schutzenski rollerski course at Soldier Hollow, Utah—the real World Cup action only begins this coming weekend. The BMW IBU World Cup Schedule begins November 25 in Ostersund, Sweden, and FasterSkier is eager to provide information on how North American biathlon fans can view those events via live streaming. IBU World Cups and World Championships According to Sara Donatello—USBA Communications Coordinator—Eurovision Sports...

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Biathlon Sprint Helps Finish Blink 23 Festival

Biathlon Sprint Helps Finish Blink 23 Festival

Ken RothAugust 6, 2023

This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. Learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award—or about supporting FasterSkier coverage—by contacting info@fasterskier.com. The Blink 2023 Nordic Ski Festival—the pre-eminent summer roller-ski event for cross-country skiers and biathletes—is at an end. Part of the schedule for the last day is the biathlon sprint for the men and women. In the women’s race,...

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Hanna Oeberg of Sweden Claims Women’s Mass Start Title, Lunder 7th

Hanna Oeberg of Sweden Claims Women’s Mass Start Title, Lunder 7th

Clare EganFebruary 21, 2023

On the final day of the 2023 Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, Germany, the top thirty women in the world took to the course for the 12.5 k Mass Start. For some, it was the seventh race in twelve days. Under steady rain, the top fifteen athletes from the World Cup Overall standings plus the medalists and other athletes with the most cumulative points from the World Championships Sprint, Pursuit, and Individual races battled...

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Sweden’s Samuelsson Clinches World Championship Men’s Mass Start Gold

Sweden’s Samuelsson Clinches World Championship Men’s Mass Start Gold

Clare EganFebruary 20, 2023

In spite of steady rain, over twenty thousand spectators packed the stadium and lined the course in Oberhof, Germany on Sunday for the grand finale of the Biathlon World Championships: the Mass Start. The 15 k race format is a head-to-head battle of ski speed and shooting composure featuring the top thirty athletes in the world. At World Championships, start berths are awarded to the top fifteen athletes in the World Cup Overall standings,...

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Italian Women Make History in Exquisite World Championships Relay

Italian Women Make History in Exquisite World Championships Relay

Clare EganFebruary 20, 2023

If there’s one competition to watch from the 2023 Biathlon World Championships, it’s the Women’s 4 x 6 k Relay. (Replay available here.) In a dazzling display of biathlon mastery, the Italian quartet knocked down 40 targets with 42 bullets, excelling one after another under pressure in difficult conditions to capture Italy’s first-ever Women’s Relay title. The “Blues” have been investing heavily in biathlon development with their sites set on the 2026 home Olympic...

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France upsets Norway in Biathlon World Championships Men’s Relay

France upsets Norway in Biathlon World Championships Men’s Relay

Clare EganFebruary 19, 2023

Coming into this race, the Norwegian team of Vetle Christiansen, Sturla Holm Laegreid, Tarjei Boe, and younger brother Johannes Boe, had never lost a relay. But the windy range and the pressure on the Norwegians to carry Johannes Boe to his sixth straight gold medal of the 2023 Championships proved too much for the team to handle. Already one minute behind in 12th place after Christiansen’s lead leg, the team played catch-up for for the...

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Norway Golden in World Championship Single-Mixed Relay Thriller

Norway Golden in World Championship Single-Mixed Relay Thriller

Clare EganFebruary 16, 2023

Twenty seven nations took part in the Single-Mixed Relay today at Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, Germany, but none could match the star power of Norwegian duo, Marte Olsbu Roeiseland and Johannes Thignes Boe. They teamed up to win Boe’s fifth straight gold medal at the 2023 Championships, and Olsbu’s record-breaking 13th World Championship gold. But it did not come easily. Though Norway were heavy favorites coming into the race, nothing is certain in biathlon,...

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Biathlon World Championships: Oeberg Claims Individual Title; Irwin and Lunder top-25

Biathlon World Championships: Oeberg Claims Individual Title; Irwin and Lunder top-25

Clare EganFebruary 15, 2023

Ever since Hanna Oeberg burst onto the podium for the first time, winning Olympic gold in the 15km Individual at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, she has been a consistent force in the event. She defended her title at the 2019 World Championships, just missed the podium in fourth in 2020, and took silver in 2021. After faltering slightly in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing with a 16th place finish, Oeberg came back today to...

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Biathlon World Championships: Boe Continues Gold Medal Run; Doherty and Runnalls top-40

Biathlon World Championships: Boe Continues Gold Medal Run; Doherty and Runnalls top-40

Clare EganFebruary 14, 2023

The fog finally lifted on Tuesday in Oberhof, revealing the full stadium of fans who for the past two races had been cheering into the void. Perfect visibility on the range was a welcome improvement for the men’s World Championship 20 k Individual—biathlon’s longest competition—especially since each miss in the format results in a ruinous one-minute time penalty. The ski tracks softened under the full sun, creating slow and arduous conditions, but that did not...

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Biathlon World Championships: Boe and Laegreid in a League of Their Own

Biathlon World Championships: Boe and Laegreid in a League of Their Own

Clare EganFebruary 13, 2023

This winter, two Norwegian men have set a new standard of excellence in biathlon. In Sunday’s Pursuit at the IBU World Championships in Oberhof, Germany, twenty-nine-year-old Johannes Thignes Boe and 25-year-old Sturla Holm Laegreid put on a masterclass. They both shot 20/20—something many biathletes never manage to do in a whole career—to claim their now familiar places on the gold and silver steps of the podium. Having won the Sprint, Boe started first in the...

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Biathlon Women’s Pursuit: Simon from 10th to World Champion

Biathlon Women’s Pursuit: Simon from 10th to World Champion

Clare EganFebruary 12, 2023

After missing her last two shots in Friday’s Sprint competition and finishing a disappointing tenth, World Cup Overall leader Julia Simon of France was determined to fight her way onto the podium in today’s World Championship Pursuit. In the end, Simon, who thrives in head-to-head competitions, made clear why she leads the World Cup standings, recovering a 1:02.8 deficit from Sprint winner Denise Herrmann (GER) to take gold—her first-ever individual World Championship medal of...

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Biathlon World Championships: Norwegian Men Sweep Sprint Podium

Biathlon World Championships: Norwegian Men Sweep Sprint Podium

Clare EganFebruary 11, 2023

One man has won all five 10 k Sprint competitions so far this season, so even with 112 starters in today’s BMW IBU World Championship Sprint, there was no doubt about the favorite. Johannes Thignes Boe of Norway has been untouchable on skis since November, regularly out-skiing his nearest competitor by over 30 seconds. The 150m penalty loop in biathlon usually takes athletes about 23 seconds, so Boe can afford to miss once and still...

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Biathlon World Championships: Dream Day for Germany, Lunder 11th

Biathlon World Championships: Dream Day for Germany, Lunder 11th

Clare EganFebruary 10, 2023

Biathlon fans anticipated that the women’s 7.5km Sprint would be one of the most tightly-contested races of the BMW IBU World Championships, and it did not disappoint. In the end, only 2.2 seconds separated the new World Champion, Denise Herrmann-Wick of Germany, from the silver medalist, Hanna Oeberg of Sweden. Oeberg’s teammate, Linn Persson, finished third. These athletes will start at the front of Sunday’s 60-person Pursuit and try to stave off the chasers for...

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Biathlon World Championships Mixed Relay: 26 Nations in the Mix

Biathlon World Championships Mixed Relay: 26 Nations in the Mix

Clare EganFebruary 9, 2023

The opening event of the 2023 World Championships delivered in spectacular fashion. Twenty-six nations lined up for the Mixed Relay on Wednesday afternoon under bright sunshine and calm, clear skies, with temperatures around zero degrees Celsius. The perfect conditions were a dream come true for organizers, spectators, and teams alike, especially since Oberhof has a reputation for dense fog, heavy wind and snow, and that displeasing other form of precipitation which we won’t even name....

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Biathlon World Championship Viewer’s Guide: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why to Watch

Biathlon World Championship Viewer’s Guide: Who, What, When, Where, How and Why to Watch

Clare EganFebruary 7, 2023

The 2023 BMW IBU Biathlon World Championships kick off on Wednesday, February 8th in Oberhof, Germany. Let’s start with reasons why to watch: Why Watch? Watch because it’s free and easy. This winter, all biathlon World Championship, World Cup, Junior World Championship, and even IBU Cup (World Cup feeder circuit) races and are free to stream live with English commentary on Eurovision’s website. Watch because on the men’s side, Johannes Thignes Boe’s domination so far...

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Women Start Biathlon Season in Kontiolahti

Women Start Biathlon Season in Kontiolahti

Ken RothNovember 30, 2022

Kontiolahti Kickoff Today marked the beginning of the World Cup Biathlon season for the women. The women raced the 15-kilometer individual start format in Kontiolahti, Finland, skiing 5 laps on a 3-kilometer course. Missing from the start line were common pre-race favorites, Norwegian’s Marte Olsbu Roiseland and Tiril Eckoff, allowing other known stars to dominate the podium: Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg finished first, Norway’s Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold second, and Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi third. The U.S was...

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