Chongli, Hebei, 29 Jan (Xinhua) -- From 5 to 19 February, the biathlon competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics will be held at the National Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou. Who will spend the 11 gold medals? Can Norway retain its hegemony? Will there be a "King of Gold"? This race, which evolved from ski hunting, is exciting to look forward to.
High altitude or make the race more "dramatic"
Athletes glide inside the National Cross-Country Skiing Center circuit on January 28, 2022. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Mou Yu
Cross-country skiing in biathlon tests speed and endurance, while shooting requires accuracy and stability, that is, it requires fast and accurate shooting, which requires athletes to quickly achieve dynamic and static conversion. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, as the basic event of snow sports, more than 200 athletes will participate in the biathlon, and due to special geographical conditions, this biathlon competition may be more "dramatic".
Some of the sites of the National Biathlon Center are over 1700 meters above sea level, and the high altitude poses greater challenges. In order to adapt to the competition environment, many athletes train in advance on high-altitude tracks. Norway, for example, began preparing for the natural environment in the Zhangjiakou Mountains two years ago, training several times at an altitude of about 1,800 meters in Italy to better understand the physical reactions of athletes during the game.
Sweden and Germany took a similar approach. In January, most of the Swedish team went to the camp at an altitude of 1700 meters, and their preparation was not only skiing and shooting, but also a series of training such as sleep and water intake.
Whether Norway's hegemony remains
Biathlon originated in Northern Europe, and the most potent 2ndone in the winter gold medal at the previous Winter Olympics was Norwegian. The Norwegian team currently has a number of strong players, such as Joo Bowie, who won the men's 20 km individual gold medal and two relay silver medals at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Bowie's form has declined a bit this season, but the last champion should not be underestimated. Another male athlete, Legrede, who won gold medals in the 20 km individual, group start, relay and mixed relay events at the 2021 World Championships, is also expected to make a name for himself in his Olympic debut.
Runner-up Norway at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Biathlon Men's 4X7.5 km Relay Ceremony on 24 February 2018. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gang
Norwegian female athlete Reseland won two silver medals in the short distance and relay events at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and won four gold medals in the pursuit this season. Another female athlete, Eckhov, will compete in the Winter Olympics for the third time, holding 5 medals (1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze), making her the most female athlete to win medals in biathlon at the Winter Olympics. They will represent Norway in the Impact Relay event medal.
In recent years, Sweden, Germany, France and other excellent athletes can attack Norway's hegemony. Sweden is a biathlon favourite, particularly the women's team led by sisters Hannah O'Bairi and Elvira Obeli, who have performed well in the World Cup recently and have the potential to hit the relay medals. On the men's side, three of the four players representing the Swedish men's team are members of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics men's relay champion team. In addition, in the mixed relay event, the Swedish team is also expected to win a medal.
In this season's men's event, France has been strong, with French star Feryon Mayer, who won the gold medal in the relay event at the 2016 and 2020 World Championships, winning the gold medal in the pursuit four times and winning both the short distance and the chase for the first time in a single race.
Currently, only Kazakhstan in Asia has won a silver medal.
The Chinese team holds 8 seats and strives for a breakthrough
China developed biathlon late, with the best results being fifth in the sprint and seventh in the women's relay at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
After the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the mainland's biathlon development ushered in a good opportunity. In 2019, the "king of biathlon" Bjordalen joined the Chinese biathlon national training team with his wife Dom Ratcheva, serving as the head coach and the coach of the women's team respectively, under their leadership, the Chinese team won 4 men and 4 women in this Winter Olympics, which is a 30-year year later, China won 8 seats in the project again.
Norway's Bjør Darren competes in the men's 20km individual 20 km 20 km 20 km 20 km 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Hong took the photo
Compared to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, only two female players competed. Four years later, China's biathlon has made significant progress. From November 25, 2021 to January 16, 2022, the Chinese team traveled to Sweden, Austria, France, Germany and other places to participate in six World Cups, and the whole team gradually entered a better situation.
In addition to the qualification of the men's and women's pursuit competition and the collective departure of the 4 sub-events need to see the performance of the competition after the start of the Winter Olympics, the Chinese team will participate in the remaining 7 sub-events and will strive for a breakthrough.
Editors: Sihui Yu, Yibo Cao, Hengzhi Wang, Yuxi Li (Intern)