After competing at the IBU Open European Championships in Minsk-Raubichi last week, many of the athletes moved to Otepää, Estonia. Tomorrow, IBU Cup 7  kicks off here with the super sprint competitions for 105 men and 74 women from 27 different nations.

Main Favorites

Coming from Raubichi with a Bronze medal on his neck, Norway’s Haavard Gutuboe Bogetveit feels really motivated and will be definitely among the favorites in two upcoming competitions. “Despite the fact that the IBU OECH started not that well for me with nine mistakes in the individual, I  improved my result in the sprint with 10th place and even more in the pursuit by finishing third. It is the best result in my career and it’s really motivating. So I do hope that I also can get on the podium here in Otepää.”

Among his main rivals in the battle for top results will be Bulgaria’s Vladimir Iliev, Aristide Begue of France, Germany’s Lucas Fratzscher and Philipp Horn, teammates Henrik L’Abee-Lund and Johannes Dale, plus the current leader of the IBU Cup Total Score Anton Babikov of Russia with a 121-point advantage over second place.

Will Battle

Like her teammate Babikov, Victoria Slivko also did not take any medals in Minsk-Raubichi, but she continues to hold first position in the women’s IBU Cup Total Score. Nevertheless, it was reduced to 59 points by Germany’s Nadine Horchler, who follows in second. With two IBU OECH medals, the experienced German is focused on the good performance in Otepää, “My main goal here is to make it to the podium or to the top 6; it is very important for the overall standings and I will battle for it.”

In the women’s field, there are also some strong names who will definitely be among the main contenders for the podium: World Cup regular and home team favorite Regina Oja, Mari Eder of Finland, France’s Lou Jeanmonnot, Horchler’s teammate Janina Hettich, Norway’s Karoline Offigstad Knotten, Uliana Kaisheva of Russia, Ingela Andersson of Sweden, and Ukraine’s Yuliia Zhuravok.

Schedule

Babikov and Slivko also hold the lead in the IBU Cup Sprint Scores, but with the super sprint and sprint competitions on the schedule, the standings can definitely change.

1 March, Friday

11:00 Super Sprint Women Qualification

13:00 Super Sprint Men Qualification

15:30 Super Sprint Women Final

16:00 Super Sprint Men Final

2 March, Saturday

11:00 Sprint Women

14:00 Sprint Men

Photos: IBU/Hendrik Osula