The Biathlon World Cup in Lenzerheide presents runners with some special challenges. The height is only one problem, the icy cross-country ski trail is perhaps an even bigger one. There were numerous falls in the women’s sprint on Thursday, not all of which went smoothly.
The Lenzerheide sprint was not only a real endurance test for the biathletes’ lungs and legs, but also a real test of courage. The icy snow caused a slide that killed numerous names – including big ones.
Among others, the Swede Hanna Öberg got into trouble with the Norwegian Emilie Kalkenberg. Kalkenberg hit his back and continued the race, but still left the arena after the race with tears in his eyes. Her teammate Karolin Knotten also fell during the race.
Biathlon course in Lenzerheide “incredibly icy”
The Norwegian top runner Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, the new number one among Scandinavians after the resignations of Marte Olsbu Røiseland and Tiril Eckhoff, was also worried about the snow conditions at the Swiss altitude. The track was “incredibly icy,” she told “NRK” after the race. “You get stiff legs even just standing around,” said the 27-year-old.
Tandrevold described that she had particularly great respect for the climbs and descents. “I was incredibly scared going into the climbs. I didn’t even dare to go in properly. And I think that was pretty smart because it’s really easy to get very stiff here,” the Norwegian said the tricky snow conditions.
The icy ground combined with the altitude also left its mark on the German team. “I didn’t do well on the course,” said Selina Grotian, who lost several minutes to the fastest runners on the course alone. And Janina Hettich-Walz also spoke of a “very strenuous” task.