3:07 p.m
2. Change
Switzerland has also arrived in the transition zone. Sebastian Stalder hands over to Niklas Hartweg in ninth position, 43 seconds behind the leader.
3:06 p.m
2. Change
It’s back to the stadium and the second change! Germany hands over in first position. Next on the track is Benedikt Doll. France changes almost at the same time and Norway is not far away either. Fabien Claude and Tarjei Bø are now on the trail for their relay teams. Simon Eder hands over to Felix Leitner in fifth place, 20 seconds behind.
3:05 p.m
Eder loses seconds
The Austrians are the only team without a spare so far that has been doing great at the shooting range, but they are still missing from the top athletes on the cross-country ski trail and Simon Eder has to miss out again on the final lap.
3:04 p.m
Boldly stumbles!
Johannes Kühn stumbles briefly after a moment of inattention at the front. But he can quickly close the gap again and now takes the lead, while Dale-Skjevdal storms in from behind for Norway. He has a lot to make up for after his shooting.
3:01 p.m
4. Shoot
The Swedes are once again experiencing a relay day to forget! Jesper Nelin causes two penalties and they are really tough in this narrow field. Sweden falls back to 21st place!
3:01 p.m
4. Shoot
The fourth shooting in the relay race is coming up. Johannes Dale-Skjevdal is now in real trouble for Norway and has to fight to avoid the penalty loop. This is successful, but the seconds are ticking down and many competitors don’t take advantage of this opportunity! Sean Doherty takes his team to the top, with France close behind. Johannes Kühn is in third place after a spare. He is seven seconds short of moving forward. Simon Eder hits all the targets again for Austria and starts the final lap in fourth place.
14:58
Four nations in the top group
The Kazakh Akimov was in the lead after the shooting, but had to pay tribute to the pace at the front and fell back into the second group around Simon Eder. Norway, France, Germany and the USA are still in the top group.
14:56
France on the hunt again
In France, however, Emilien Jacquelin has two spares again and so he is back in the role of the hunter. He can close the gap quickly, but it will still have taken some effort.
2:55 p.m
3. Shoot
Simon Eder, for his part, keeps the Austrians clean slate. He returns to the track in fifth place, 9.8 seconds behind the leading Kazakh. Stalder brings Switzerland further forward with five goals. Eleventh place is now up.
14:54
3. Shoot
The six biathletes from the top group have arrived at the shooting range. It is now also important for them to prove themselves in the lying position. Kühn makes no mistakes for Germany and stays right in the top group! Norway is also still there and Kazakhstan is also showing strong with Akimov.
2:50 p.m
Six nations in the top group
The top group has shrunk to six nations. In addition to Germany, France and the USA, Norway, Estonia and Kazakhstan are now also represented here. Simon Eder runs together with the Canadian Gow. He is 11.8 seconds ahead.
2:49 p.m
1. Change
Switzerland completed the change in 17th place. Sebastian Stalder takes 50.7 seconds to complete his 7.5 kilometers. The Swedes are just ahead of them.
2:48 p.m
1. Change
It’s the first change! Germany, the US team and France are changing at the same time. Strelow is now sending Johannes Kühn for the DSV team. Norway follows in fourth place, four seconds behind. In Austria, Simon Eder was given 13.7 seconds in eighth place.
2:46 p.m
It collapses
Before the first change, the field shrinks further. Wright and Strelow are still a good four seconds ahead of their competitors from Norway and France. Unterweger is just over seven seconds behind.
2:45 p.m
Wright turns it up
Campbell Wright turns it up for the US boys in the final round! He ran the seven seconds to Strelow and now goes past the German. Unterweger fell six seconds behind for Austria.
2:44 p.m
2. Shooting
Things are going better for Switzerland now and Joscha Burkhalter comes through with five goals. It moves up to 15th place. The conditions at the shooting range are good and many people managed to shoot well. The first 22 teams are separated by just over a minute.
2:42 p.m
2. Shooting
It’s back to the shooting range and now the starting runners have to prove themselves in the standing position. Will Germany and Austria stay there again? Yes! Strelow and Unterweger don’t let themselves be left behind again and both go back on the track in the first two positions without a spare. The big competitors from Norway are struggling again and are 10.7 seconds behind before the final round. After two spares by Perrot, France is 14.3 seconds behind.
2:40 p.m
Unterweger leaves it lying there
Dominic Unterweger has to lose a few seconds on the trail and now finds himself in eighth position in the narrow field. He is 4.8 seconds behind Strelow, who continues to lead the field.
2:38 p.m
Strelow takes the lead
Justus Strelow takes first position on the track while the field slowly comes together again. Perrot is four seconds ahead for France, Norway is five seconds behind.
2:37 p.m
1. Shooting
The first shooting is coming up. Who comes through best? Wright for the US team goes out in first position. Following closely behind, after good shooting, is Unterweger for Austria and Strelow for the German team. Lægreid is in seventh place after a spare with 7.5 seconds. France and Sweden also find themselves further back. Burkhalter is already back. After two spare rounds, the Swiss finished in 22nd place, 31 seconds behind.
2:34 p.m
Group stays together
The group stays together and only the starting skater of the Korean team falls a little behind. It doesn’t take long now before we go to the shooting range for the first time.
2:32 p.m
Everyone gets off well
At the start, everyone gets along well in the hustle and bustle and there are no broken poles or falls. Justus Strelow has positioned himself at the front of the large group for Germany together with Lægreid.
2:30 p.m
The race is on!
The starting signal has been fired and the men’s relay team has started in Ruhpolding! For favorite Norway, Sturla Holm Lægreid starts first on the 7.5 kilometers. Justus Strelow starts for Germany, while Switzerland and Austria travel with Joscha Burkhalter and Dominic Unterweger. 23 teams are registered in the relay today.
14:24
The conditions
The conditions in Ruhpolding are good again today. The race will take place in slightly sub-zero temperatures and sunshine. The wind at the shooting range is also quite manageable today.
2:18 p.m
The remaining favorites
In addition to the Norwegians, France is always on the bill, although they experienced a major debacle last season. The Swedes would like to finally record their first podium place this winter. In addition, the Italians should also be taken into account, as they were able to impress with good results in the relays.
2:14 p.m
What’s in it for Switzerland?
The quartet from Switzerland, on the other hand, should be concerned with confirming the position from Oberhof and getting closer to the top ranks. Compared to Oberhof, Joscha Burkhalter and Sebastian Stalder swap positions. Niklas Hartweg remains in third place, while Jeremy Finello will bring up the rear.
2:09 p.m
Check off Oberhof
The team from Austria, which only made it to tenth place in Thuringia, wants to tick off the race in Oberhof. Dominic Unterweger will bring the relay into position in the first group, before Simon Eder will follow him in second position. Felix Leitner then follows in the group. David Komatz concludes the season this time.
2:04 p.m
The DSV team is also changing
There are also changes in the German team from the relay in Oberhof a few days ago. Roman Rees and Philipp Horn are sitting out here. Instead, the relay will be started by Justus Strelow, for whom it is the first time this season in a men’s relay. Johannes Kühn was placed in second place, before Benedikt Doll and Philipp Nawrath were supposed to bring up the rear.
13:57
Assign favorite role
The Norwegian men’s relay team has been the dominant player in the Biathlon World Cup in recent years and this season, too, the winner of all three relays was Norway. In addition, five Norwegians are currently leading the overall World Cup. Today the team is starting without overall World Cup leader Johannes Thingnes Bø and Strømsheim is also missing from the squad. But it won’t be easy to beat the Norwegians. Lægreid will represent Norway, before Dale-Skjevdal follows in second place. Tarjei Bø runs in third position, before he is followed by Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, who recently had to sit out for a newcomer in Oberhof.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the men’s 4×7.5km relay from Ruhpolding! The live ticker begins in time before the start of the ski hunter race.