Biathlon: Norwegian Sprint Disappointment – Frustrated Over Icy Mats

Biathlon: Norwegian Sprint Disappointment – Frustrated Over Icy Mats

Published January 10, 2025, 16:50
Norges sterke skiskytterherrer hadde ingen på pallen på sprinten i Oberhof. Etterpå ble mattene på standplass et tema.

Norges sterke skiskytterherrer hadde ingen på pallen på sprinten i Oberhof. Etterpå ble mattene på standplass et tema. Frankrike dominated the men's sprint, securing a triple win with Quentin Fillon Maillet, Fabien Claude, and Émilien Jacquelin.

The best Norwegian was newcomer Martin Uldal in fifth place, followed by Sturla Holm Lægreid in sixth. "This sprint is terribly weak from Norway, but Uldal impresses me all the way in the World Cup," said NRK expert Ola Lunde.

Endre Strømsheim had to settle for 22nd place after two misses on the standing shoot. He was far from satisfied with the organizers' job on the shooting mats.

– I get a good start and feel I am in the game. I know I need a quick and good standing series, but they are very poor in scraping here. There's a lot of ice on the mats so I slip and lose my position. I can't work in the shots after that," Strømsheim told NRK.

– We saw that several athletes slipped out there, what can the organizer do?

– They just have to scrape. It's extraordinarily simple. They just have to bother to scrape the mats. I think I will mention it, said Strømsheim.

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) stated that they had not been made aware of the issue, either from athletes or team management. – We can only comment that mat brushing was done in the usual manner as at all other World Cup arenas," stated communication manager Christian Winkler.

Several members of the Norwegian team noted the potential challenge on the two shoots. Italian Lukas Hofer completely lost his balance on the way out from shooting.

– I noticed it during the sighting, trying to see if anyone had better grip than others. Then you have to change your leg position a bit, and that did not cause me to miss today," said Vebjørn Sørum, who was disappointed after finishing 11th.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday features the pursuit for both men and women in Oberhof. You can hear this on NRK Sport and watch on TV 2 from 12:30.