New Crisis Race in the Biathlon World Championships for the Norwegians: ‘It’s a Collapse’

New Crisis at the Biathlon World Championships

In Lenzerheide, the Norwegian women’s biathlon team suffered a crisis on the shooting range that many are calling a collapse. Conditions had seemed ideal – even comparable to indoor shooting according to TV 2 biathlon expert Ole Einar Bjørndalen – yet the performance was anything but. Tandrevold, once considered a promising talent expected to inherit Norway’s shooting legacy, missed three times during her final shooting bout.

Expert Ola Lunde was sharply critical of the Norwegian effort, stating that the team’s shooting technique and mental preparation were far below international standards. “They are simply not good enough on the range,” he remarked, comparing the performance unfavorably to that of competitors such as Franziska Preuss, whose flawless 20 out of 20 shooting earned her the first individual world championship gold. Lunde also noted that Norway’s long-held ambition to be the best – especially on the women’s side – is still a long way off.

A Day of Misfortune on the Range

The Norwegian difficulties were reflected in the overall numbers. On the pursuit start, the team registered a total of 22 misses out of 80 shots, a hit rate of only 72.5%. Individual breakdowns revealed that Maren Kirkeeide, who had the best starting position after Friday’s sprint, recorded seven misses and finished in 33rd place. Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold missed four shots (three of them in the final series), while Ragnhild Femsteinevik and Karoline Knotten had five and six misses respectively.

Tandrevold admitted that despite parts of her race showing promise, fatigue and a lapse in concentration at the crucial final stage marred her performance. “I was incredibly tired,” she explained, noting that even a course that seems straightforward can become extremely exhausting.

Contrasting Performances and Aftermath

While the Norwegians struggled, the race saw a brilliant performance from Germany’s Franziska Preuss, who shot perfectly and claimed her first individual world championship gold. Sweden’s Elvira Öberg followed closely in second, and France’s Justine Braisaz-Bouchet took bronze. The success was such that German team leader Sverre Olsbu Røiseland, who also heads the national team, even entered into a lighthearted wager regarding the outcome – a bet which, he hinted, might sting if his predictions proved unfounded.

Coach Patrick Oberegger also expressed clear disappointment with the start of the race, acknowledging that the level of performance was not what the team is capable of. Lunde suggested that the Norwegian team needed to engage in serious self-examination in order to reverse this troubling trend before the Olympics next year.

The article paints a picture of a nightmarish shooting day on the range for the Norwegians, one that highlights both technical and mental weaknesses that must be addressed if the team is to meet their high international ambitions in biathlon.