3:40 p.m
1. Change
It’s the first change! Switzerland can pass in first position. Sebastian Stalder hands over to Joscha Burkhalter. France follows immediately behind with Emilien Jacquelin. The team from the USA follows in third place, ten seconds behind, ahead of Austria, where Komatz hands over to Simon Eder. David Zobel gave it his all again on the last lap and Germany is back in the thick of things! Philipp Nawrath is sent on his 7.5 kilometers 16 seconds behind. Directly behind them comes Norway into the transition zone, who have Tarjei Bø on the route.
3:40 p.m
1. Change
3:37 p.m
Stalder stays in front
Sebastian Stalder shows strong on his last lap and stays at the front in a group of three. Komatz, who was one of the few athletes to finish twice without making a mistake, is also keeping Austria in the race in fourth place. Meanwhile, David Zobel continues to work his way forward for the DSV relay team and is now seventh.
3:33 p.m
2. Shooting
3:33 p.m
2. Shooting
This time Zobel gets through much better and with a spare he can get back on the track in eleventh place. Strømsheim needed a total of two spares for Norway. Sweden has got itself into trouble: substitute Oskar Brandt has to go into the penalty loop!
3:32 p.m
2. Shooting
Led by Brandt for Sweden, the first runners return to the shooting range. Now you have to hit the targets while standing. Strømsheim starts first, but misses right away and has to resort to a spare. Sebastian Stalder presents himself completely differently! He quickly knocks down all the windows and goes on his final lap ahead of the American Germain!
3:30 p.m
Stalder runs in front
Sebastian Stalder set the pace for Switzerland. He was able to fight his way into the group of six, who were able to open up a small gap. Zobel has reduced his gap to ten seconds? Isn’t that punishing when you’re standing up?
15:29
Komatz loses
Shortly after the first shooting, David Komatz went back to the back again. The ÖSV man has already lost eight seconds after visiting the shooting range. For his part, Zobel is working his way forward and is now 13th.
15:28
1. Shooting
15:27
1. Shooting
The field comes together for the first shooting. Who can get their team into a good position while lying down? Perrot shows strong for France and is the first to get back on the track, closely followed by a well-disposed Komatz for Austria. Sweden and Norway are also staying tuned. David Zobel, on the other hand, must be trembling! Three reloaders are recorded. Can he avoid the penalty?! Meager! But it still took time. Germany falls to 16th place, 19 seconds behind.
15:23
The favorites set the pace
After the start, the top nations gathered at the front and set the pace in the field. The squadron had to withdraw from Canada at short notice.
15:22
Start of the men’s relay in Östersund
3:20 p.m
The start has taken place!
The starting signal has been fired and the starting runners of the 20 relay teams are setting off on their journey. Endre Strømsheim opens for top favorite Norway. Germany relies on David Zobel to replace Strelow. Sweden and France also had to make short-term changes to the first position. Oskar Brandt is on duty instead of Nelin. For France, Eric Perrot has to step in for Émilien Claude. David Komatz and Sebastian Stalder tackle the first 7.5 kilometers for Austria and Switzerland.
3:15 p.m
What’s going on for Switzerland?
With the result in the individual race, the men’s biathlon team got off to a false start, as only Sebastian Stalder managed to impress. The pressure to achieve a better result today is likely to be correspondingly great. Stalder should bring the team into the race in first place, before Joscha Burkhalter will follow in second place. Niklas Hartweg will take the third position in the relay, before Jeremy Finello will finish up.
15:11
Komatz opens for Austria
The Austrians are certainly hoping for a good performance from today, but they will certainly have to hope for a few mistakes from the competition if they are to achieve a really big coup. David Komatz was put first. Simon Eder should then keep the team on track in second position, before teammates Felix Leitner and Patrick Jakob follow.
3:06 p.m
Tough competition
The competition for victory is fierce. Of course, last season’s series winner, Norway, should be taken into account. The team is strong with Endre Strømsheim, the Bø brothers and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen and will be eager to emulate their teammates who won the women’s relay yesterday. France with Eric Perrot, Fabien Claude as well as Emilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet should always be taken into account. Sweden would certainly also like to get involved with Brandt, Stefansson, Ponsiluoma and Samuelsson.
14:57
Will the DSV biathletes step up their game?
The start could hardly have gone better for the German team. Roman Rees won the first individual race of the winter at the weekend after a good performance and took his first World Cup victory. On top of that, Justus Strelow took second place, another German double victory for men in six years. Both were originally scheduled for today’s season, but are now out due to symptoms of infection. David Zobel will be the starting runner and Johannes Kühn will be the last runner. Philipp Nawrath will take over the second position in the relay and then hand over to Benedikt Doll.
2:49 p.m
Welcome!
In Östersund, Sweden, the season opening week continues with the men’s relay over the 4 x 7.5 kilometers. It starts at 3:20 p.m.!