The Biathlon World Cup season is drawing to a close, with the final competition set to take place in Oslo, Norway. Following previous events in Finland, Austria, France, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, biathletes from around the world will prepare to take part in six competitions between March 16 and 19.
Unfortunately, reigning mass start world champion, Sebastian Samuelsson, will not be competing due to a recent coronavirus infection. The Swedish athlete contracted the virus whilst at the World Cup in Nove Mesto and had to miss out on his home World Cup event in Östersund. Samuelsson had won gold in the mass start and three bronze medals at the World Championships in Oberhof.
Despite Samuelsson’s absence, a highly competitive field is expected. Norwegian overall World Cup winner Johannes Thingnes Bö and his brother, Tarjei, have both survived a recent infection and will return to Oslo for the final competitions. Samuelsson himself was quick to offer congratulations to Johannes Thingnes Bö on his victory, writing on Instagram, “I promise you a tougher fight next year.”
The six competitions set to take place in Oslo include sprint, pursuit, and mass start events, with both men and women’s categories. The schedule is as follows:
– Thursday, March 16, 2023, 3:15 p.m.: Men’s 10 km sprint
– Friday, March 17, 2023, 3:20 p.m.: Women’s 7.5 km sprint
– Saturday, 18.03.2023, 12.45 p.m.: 12.5 km pursuit men
– Saturday, 18.03.2023, 3.10 p.m.: 10 km pursuit women
– Sunday, 19.03.2023, 12.50 p.m.: 15 km mass start men
– Sunday, 19.03.2023, 3.10 p.m.: 12.5 km mass start women
For those unable to attend in person, the Oslo competitions will be broadcast live on TV by ARD and Eurosport. Alternatively, a live ticker will be available online for those wishing to keep up with the events in real-time.
