07:33
severe conditions
The cold is not the only challenge for the athletes today. The route is difficult, with long climbs and the snow is extremely dull from the cold. The group managed 0.9 kilometers. Norway and the ROC are up front, but Lesser has also positioned himself directly.
07:31
All come off well
The course is very wide for the first few meters and so all 21 starting runners get off well at the start without having to accept broken sticks or falls. At the top is Khalili from the Russian Olympic team.
07:30
Kick off!
Here we go. 4 x 7.5 kilometers lie ahead of us. Two shooting bouts per runner. There are three spare rounds, if these are missed, it goes into the penalty loop. For the Norwegian team, Sturla Holm Lægreid runs in first place. The Russian Olympic Committee team will start with Said Karimulla Khalili, while France will start with Fabien Claude. Erik Lesser is on the way for Germany. With Switzerland and Austria Sebastian Stalder and David Komatz.
07:27
The ÖSV team
It would also be a huge surprise for the Austrians if they won a medal in the team competition today. The men’s team has had a hard time in Beijing so far and the mileage in particular has not always matched. David Komatz should run the first part in the Austrian team. The team leaders, Simon Eder and Felix Leitner, were placed in the middle. Harald Lemmerer contests the 7.5 kilometers in fourth position. A total of 21 teams compete in the relay.
07:20
The team from Switzerland
The team from Switzerland is the clear outsider when it comes to medals. The aim here is to aim for a place in the top ten. The season will be started by Sebastian Stalder. Benjamin Weger then follows in second position, followed by Niklas Hartweg and Joscha Burkhalter, who is to take over the final part for the Swiss quartet.
07:13
Is there a medal for the German relay?
The German biathletes have not been able to get much out of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and are still without a medal. The team is by no means without a chance in today’s relay competition. In addition to Norway, the ROC and France, the German quartet must also be taken into account. Erik Lesser will run in first position. He will be handed over to Roman Rees after 7.5 kilometers. Benedikt Doll was nominated for the third position. The goalkeeper is Philipp Nawrath.
07:06
Norway the big gold favorite
The big favorite for gold today is the relay team from Norway. In the current World Cup season, the team won all team competitions with the exception of Ruhpolding. There, however, only the B team was at the start, which also experienced a race full of bankruptcies, bad luck and breakdowns. Sturla Holm Lægreid, Tarjei Bø, Johannes Thingnes Bø and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen were nominated for the relay. The biggest competition from the Norwegians are the French with Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin, Simon Desthieux and Quentin Fillon Maillet. The team of the Russian Olympic Committee also needs to be considered. The 2018 Olympic champions, the Swedes, are now only considered to be outsiders on medals.
06:59
Extreme cold caused the event to be brought forward
Originally, the biathletes’ competition was supposed to start at 10:00 a.m., but the IBU officials decided to put forward the relay decision a few hours later. The reason is the extreme cold that the athletes in China have to contend with. At the actual time of the event, there would have been a great danger of falling below the limit at which a race would have to be cancelled. But even now it is bitterly cold in the biathlon stadium. It’s currently minus 15 degrees. However, the jury is sticking to the current start time.
06:50
Warm welcome!
Hello and welcome to the next biathlon decision at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. At 7:30 a.m. the men in the relay will be fighting for the coveted medals.