Eric, Sebbe, Vetle and "The Kids"

The two competitions in Geilo were nothing short of elite. No question about Perrot: he fired thirty shots and closed all thirty targets. His skiing was a bit off in his third placed sprint but in his mass start win: simply dominant. The “kids” Johan-Olav Botn and Isak Frey proved that they are ready for prime time, shooting clean for 1-2 in the sprint. Norwegian veteran Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen looked very good both days with the fastest ski time in his fourth place sprint, backing that up with fifth in the mass start. Emilien Jacquelin showed off his ski speed with second behind Perrot in the mass start, while Martin Uldal gave Christiansen a good fight.

Sebastian Samuelsson was well above his rivals in the first Idre Fjäll Sprint, shooting clean shooting and skiing brilliantly. His Norwegian and French rivals should take note. The German men were excellent on Sunday with Lukas Fratzscher taking the win over David Zobel, taking five of the top six places. This bodes well for their relay prospects, when you add in sharpshooter Justus Strelow who had an off day in the second sprint.

Hanna and Elvira

Hanna and Elvira Oeberg traded wins, both shooting clean in their victories and skiing within a dozen seconds of each other both days. Hanna once again looks like a contender and Elvira is capable of dominating. Lisa Vittozzi’s shooting was not as crisp as in the summer, finishing fourth both days. Janina Hettich-Walz was the best of the German women with a strong second on Sunday. A podium in her second competition on snow after missing last season on maternity leave is an excellent comeback.

Ingrid, Doro and Maren

Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold overcame nerves to win the Geilo Mass Start, skiing well and cleaning the last standing stage for the win. She could be ready for a career season, after multiple setbacks in recent years. Teammate Maren Kirkeeide, despite two penalties, won the Geilo Sprint with her ski speed, but missed seven targets in the mass start. Ragnhild Femsteinevik, second in the mass start showed great poise with her clean shooting, looking ready for a full season return to the World Cup. Dorothea Wierer looks ready for her swansong season, skiing well both days; three standing misses denied her a sprint podium, but she rebounded with a solid third in the mass start. Anastasiya Kuzmina at age 41, made the Flower Ceremony both days, looking very strong against her much younger rivals.