The World Biathlon Association wanted to use the first third of the season to test a new rule in the individual races. Now the second third is coming up in Oberhof. Does the rule remain?
The new biathlon year begins on Thursday in Oberhof (January 9, 2025, 2:20 p.m. in the live ticker) with a women’s sprint – and thus in a format that was highly controversial before the season. The 7.5-kilometer race is held with an individual start, and the world association came up with a new starting group rule for this. As of this winter, the best athletes are no longer allowed to choose their starting groups themselves, but are instead drawn based on their World Cup placement. The best come last. And it should stay that way.
Sports director Böhm: “More action, more drama”
“We received a lot of feedback that the quality of the product has increased because there is a longer arc of suspense, and that there is actually more action and more drama in the races at a later point in time.”reports Daniel Böhm, sports director at the World Biathlon Association IBU, in a sports show discussion. After one “Evaluation between Christmas and New Year including the athlete committee, the technical committee and feedback from TV and fans” be “The board made the decision not to make any changes for trimester two”.
Statistical analysis – no significant differences
In addition to general feedback, the decision was based on statistical analyses. Accordingly, the fears of the best athletes that they would be disadvantaged by later start times did not come true. “We looked at this in more detail with a university. We couldn’t find any significant differences compared to previous years.”
Böhm does not accept the objection that at the Sprint World Cup in Le Grand Bornand, France, World Cup leader Johannes Thingnes Bö had to settle for second place behind his teammate Martin Uldal, who started earlier, due to worsening conditions: “There were 26 starting numbers between him and Martin Uldal. With the old system, that could have happened in starting group 1, too, that one would have had 1 and one would have had 26.”says Böhm, summing up: “We do not assume that this starting group system decided the race.”
Critic Preuß: “It worked well”
While the athletes’ protests against the new system were very loud before the season, the critical voices have become quieter. Also with Franziska Preuß, who is currently experiencing the winter of her life and is running the sprint in Oberhof with the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader. “I was really against it at the beginning and didn’t understand it at all”says the woman from Ruhpolding in the Sportschau podcast that will be published on Thursday (January 9th, 2025). “Over the years you gain the advantage of being in the top 15 and being able to freely choose your starting group. And then you are punished for being good for years.”
However, Preuß’ skepticism has disappeared: “It worked out well”says the 30-year-old, who points out: “It depends on the external conditions. The first few weeks were good. But if it gets warmer and deeper at the end, then it could be a disadvantage.”
Athletes Committee changes criticism
Böhm reports that the athletes’ committee is also less critical of the change. This is how the question of fairness becomes in the first trimester “not questioned in any way by the athletes”. Instead, the criticism has changed: “The athletes’ committee is currently still questioning whether it really represents an improvement in the product for the spectator and the fan. To do this, we have to go deeper into the analysis.” And Preuss also says: “I found the old system better. Now there’s always this waiting time when shooting…”
The IBU world association still reserves the right to change the starting order at short notice if the weather and external conditions do not allow fair competitions for the best, explains Böhm. The starting order can be changed up to three hours before the start of the race at the latest.
Böhm is looking forward to Oberhof: “Impressed”
Preuß and Böhm are already looking forward to Oberhof. Among other things, because of the great atmosphere. This year, stable temperatures below zero seem to ensure fair conditions. It’s possible that you can even see the sun. “I think it will be a great World Cup in Oberhof, with a great atmosphere and good conditions for all athletes. I have to say, I’m impressed”said Böhm, who was once a biathlete himself.
Vittozzi still sick – Chevalier ends his career
The Italian Lisa Vittozzi will still not be at the start in Oberhof. As the Italian association announced last week, the overall World Cup winner from the previous season is still suffering from back problems. Therefore she will not be able to start in Oberhof.
The French team even announced a career end: Chloe Chevalier, who was most recently competing in the second-tier IBU Cup, ended her career. She wrote on Instagram that she wanted to now “start a new chapter”. Anais Chevalier-Bouchet’s sister was recently third overall in the IBU Cup. In the World Cup in 2023 she finished second in the sprint in Antholz. She won three World Cups with the French relay team.