The chances of winning a medal are greater than ever: the great Swiss form check for the Biathlon World Cup

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Will Switzerland break the spell in Nove Mesto? There has never been a medal for Switzerland at the Biathlon World Championships. But never before has a podium place seemed as attainable as this year. With Lena Häcki-Gross, Amy Baserga, Sebastian Stalder and Niklas Hartweg, we have four top 10 runners from this year’s season in our ranks.

But the Gasparin sisters Aita and Elisa, who took part in the last edition of the World Championships in Nove Mesto eleven years ago, are also a force to be reckoned with in the women’s relay. For the men, Joscha Burkhalter and Jeremy Finello complete the quartet.

The big Swiss check for the World Cup:

For the first time, Lena Häcki-Gross, an athlete from the Swiss ski team, is favorite for an individual World Cup medal. This season she was already on the podium in the individual, pursuit and mass start disciplines and came fourth in the Hochfilzen sprint. The Engelberg woman can therefore be expected in all individual races. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if Lena took home a medal. It would be the first for Switzerland and truly a milestone,” says women’s coach Sandra Flunger. The strongest Swiss woman sees her trump card for Nove Mesto mainly in her powerful running style, which makes a podium place over longer distances such as the individual or mass start seem most likely.

Switzerland is already one of the big favorites in the opening race of the World Cup, the mixed relay. At the dress rehearsal in Antholz the team missed the podium, although Niklas Hartweg, one of the regular runners, was unwell. However, unlike the World Cup, all countries will compete with their best players at the World Cup. The aim is to beat the major biathlon countries Norway, France, Sweden, Italy and Germany or to benefit from their mistakes. As expected, Sebastian Stalder, Niklas Hartweg, Lena Häcki-Gross and Amy Baserga form the Swiss mixed relay quartet.

With two fourth places in Östersund (Swe) and Ruhpolding (D), the Swiss women’s relay team does not have bad prospects for a podium place. The Gasparin sisters in particular, who suffered from many health problems during the season, are pinning their hopes on this race.

For the men, everything looks like another Norwegian festival: Although the Germans started the season better, there are currently six Norwegians in the top 6 of the overall World Cup. For a medal coup, the strong shooters Sebastian Stalder and Niklas Hartweg have to hope on the mistakes of the competition and good skis. At best, such a Swiss exploit could work in the shooting-intensive individual, pursuit and mass start competitions.

The Swiss team has great expectations of the atmosphere on site. “This will be the event of the century,” says Elisa Gasparin happily. Tickets for all competitions have long been sold out. Accommodation is also difficult to find in the city of 10,000 inhabitants, so even the athletes’ relatives and friends could not find space to support them during the two weeks.

However, the snow situation in Nove Mesto is critical these days: due to the warm temperatures and rain, virtually no snow falls locally. Thanks to the large snow reserves, all parts of the route can still be prepared without any problems. However, due to the warm conditions, an early starting number will be a significant advantage for the athletes. Training could also become a problem: “We thought about taking the roller skis with us,” explains men’s coach Remo Krug.

The route is one of the most demanding: “Nove Mesto actually has a fast, flat profile. Fast runners have an advantage,” says Aita Gasparin. Shortly before the shooting range there is a climb that makes your heart beat faster. Sebastian Stalder is one of the best shooters in the field – and hopes that this will bring him opportunities: “The conditions are often more difficult than at other locations. That’s why I hope it benefits me if the other athletes make a few mistakes.”

Source : Blick