With some of the big-name athletes sick, recovering, or simply resting after the gruelling week in Oberhof, teams used the Ruhpolding Relays to test athletes in legs they do not usually ski or to give fresh opportunities to athletes whose Olympic relay hopes had seemed minuscule but suddenly look far more promising.

Have the Norwegian women found an Olympic winning formula?

Competing in the BMW IBU World Cup for the first time this winter, Juni Arnekleiv was given an opportunity in the Ruhpolding Relay, taking the second leg previously skied by Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold in Oestersund, Hochfilzen, and Oberhof. In Maren Kirkeeide, the Norwegian team found a phenomenal anchor — an athlete capable of accessing reserves of energy and vigour unknown to most competitors. Unexpectedly, Tandrevold became the weakest link, with three penalty loops in Sweden and one in Oberhof. As is so often the case in relay racing, the first three legs cannot win the relay, but they can lose it; their task is to deliver a solid enough performance for the anchor to carry the team’s hard work across the finish line. That is exactly what Marthe Krakstad Johanssen, Arnekleiv, Karolin Offigstad Knotten, and Kirkeeide did. With two reloads, Johanssen kept Norway firmly in podium contention, although she handed over to Arnekleiv in eighth place. Arnekleiv used just one reload to move the team up to fifth, and Knotten, with four reloads, advanced Norway to fourth. That left Kirkeeide in the mix with Julia Simon, Lisa Vittozzi, Franziska Preuss, and Hanna Oeberg. In the final third of the last lap — when Italy’s victory seemed assured — Kirkeeide sensed a narrow window of opportunity. She first left Simon behind, then passed Oeberg, and, riding strong momentum, secured relay victory in the final 50 metres.

Elsewhere, Italy has clearly found a perfectly functioning formula with Hannah Auchentaller on the first leg, Dorothea Wierer on the second, Michaela Carrara on the third, and Lisa Vittozzi on the anchor. France opted for the Lou Jeanmonnot–Océane Michelon–Justine Braisaz-Bouchet–Julia Simon combination that won in Oberhof, but finished outside the podium despite using just six spare bullets — such small margins decide the top three in relays these days.

Sweden experimented with Johanna Skottheim and Linn Gestblom, but with Anna Magnusson and a fully healthy Ella Halvarsson alongside the Oeberg sister — the quartet that won in Hochfilzen — Sweden probably has the best shot at winning gold in Antholz-Anterselva.

Czechia competed without Marketa Davidova and was third before the final leg, whereas Germany, despite Preuss’ shaky legs on the last shoot and a sixth-place finish, arguably presented an Olympic squad featuring one of the most accurate shooters in Vanessa Voigt, the rapidly improving 20-year-old Julia Tannheimer, the very fast Janina Hettich-Walz, and Preuss as the anchor.

Have the French men an Olympic-winning formula?

After Emilien Jacquelin’s two penalty loops in Oberhof (and one in Oestersund), France opted for Oscar Lombardot on the second leg, with Fabien Claude once again taking the first, Eric Perrot anchoring the relay, and Quentin Fillon Maillet skiing the third. Without the mercurial Jacquelin, France won their first men’s relay of the season.

With Sturla Holm Laegreid back in the World Cup and Johan-Olav Botn not yet fully recovered from a virus, Norway went with a likely squad of Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Laegreid, Martin Uldal, and the back-in-form anchor Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen.

Viktor Brandt was superb on the opening leg for Sweden and is expected to team up with Jesper Nelin, Martin Ponsiluoma, and Sebastian Samuelsson at the Olympics. Justus Strelow, Danilo Riethmueller, David Zobel, and Philipp Nawrath secured Germany’s first men’s relay podium of the season, with their fastest skier, Philipp Horn, still sidelined after a virus. Germany will clearly be in the mix for an Olympic medal in Italy.

Photo: H. Deubert: IBU Photo Pool