Early races tell the story. Our analysis shows how last season’s Top-5 athletes laid the foundations for their final success—whether through fast starts or steady climbs through the year. We went further, examining Opening Week trends across the past three seasons of this Olympic cycle and considering each season’s major event, from the World Championships to the Olympic Winter Games. As the cycle heads toward its finale in Antholz-Anterselva at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, the early clues might matter more than ever.

WOMEN

FRANZISKA PREUSS (GER)

Total Score 2024/2025: 1st

Franziska Preuss’ story is one of remarkable resurgence. After missing the entire Opening Week (and 14 competitions altogether) in 2022/2023 and finishing the season far down the standings (42nd), she made a dramatic, two-step turnaround over the next two seasons. In 2023/2024, she opened with podium-level consistency, leading the Total Score after the first week, only to hit a rough patch again, missing 10 competitions and finishing 11th at the end of the season. Last winter, the stars finally aligned for Preuss. She delivered another strong Opening Week—Top 5 in all races—which set the tone for her most consistent campaign yet and her first-ever Total Score title.

In line with what Sebastian Samuelsson said in the latest Biathlon Insider interview—that anyone winning the Total Score will most likely also shine at the season's highlight event (World Championships or Olympic Winter Games)—Preuss was in winning shape at the BMW IBU World Championships Lenzerheide 2025, collecting gold in the Sprint and silver in the Pursuit. These were her first-ever World Championships medal (Sprint) and first-ever gold (Pursuit). Preuss is yet to win an individual medal at the Olympic Winter Games.

LOU JEANMONNOT (FRA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 2nd

Lou Jeanmonnot has shown a steady rise toward becoming one of the most reliable, and well-rounded, performers. In 2022/2023, she began the season inconsistently but still managed to halve her ranking by the season’s end. Her breakthrough came in 2023/2024, when an excellent Opening Week performance with two wins translated into a second-place finish in the Total Score. In 2024/2025, she opened the season with a win—the first of eight—and maintained a stable trajectory toward another runner-up season.

Jeanmonnot took part in the last two BMW IBU World Championships, collecting two bronze medals in Nove Mesto 2024 and one in Lenzerheide 2025. She has never competed at the Olympic Winter Games.

JULIA SIMON (FRA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 3rd

Julia Simon is one of the most consistent athletes in women’s biathlon. In 2022/2023, a strong Opening Week positioned her at the top of the standings, which she ultimately converted into her first Total Score triumph. While her Opening Weeks in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 were more inconsistent—especially on the range—she consistently climbed the rankings throughout each season, demonstrating her well-known ability to build momentum over time. She finished 5th in the Total Score in the 2023/2024 season and 3rd last winter.

Simon was also a gold-medal performer at the last three BMW IBU World Championships, winning the Pursuit in Oberhof 2023, the Sprint and Pursuit in Nove Mesto 2024, and the Individual in Lenzerheide 2025. Simon is yet to win an individual medal at the Olympic Winter Games.

ELVIRA OEBERG (SWE)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 4th

Elvira Oeberg’s Opening Weeks show large fluctuations, but her finishing positions remain consistently high. Her 2022/2023 season began with stable Top-15 results, which translated into a Top-5 overall finish. In 2023/2024, despite a difficult Opening Week, she climbed steadily to finish seventh. The 2024/2025 season featured her best-ever Opening Week—three straight podiums and the yellow bib—but illness and inconsistency later dropped her to fourth overall.

A skiing powerhouse, Oeberg adjusted her energy use after a cold before Lenzerheide 2025 and reaped great rewards in Switzerland, winning her first-ever World Championships medal in the Pursuit and her first-ever World Championships gold in the Mass Start. Elvira won a silver medal in the Sprint and Pursuit at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

OCÉANE MICHELON (FRA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 5th

Océane Michelon delivered the greatest leap among all Top-5 women. After not competing at all in the BMW IBU World Cup in 2022/2023 and only making a single World Cup debut stint in 2023/2024—while winning the IBU Cup Total Score—she produced a phenomenal breakout in 2024/2025. Her Opening Week placed her inside the Top 10, and she continued to climb throughout the season to finish 5th overall—her first Top-5 Total Score result and one of the biggest year-on-year improvements in the field. Michelon also won the U23 trophy.

Michelon made her BMW IBU World Championships debut in Lenzerheide 2025, winning silver in the Mass Start. She has never competed at the Olympic Winter Games.

MEN

STURLA HOLM LAEGREID (NOR)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 1st

After JT Boe’s retirement at the end of last season, Sturla Holm Laegreid has emerged as the most consistent performer of the pack. Across all three seasons, he never placed outside the Top 20 in the Total Score after Week 1. His Opening Week performances translated differently across seasons: in 2022/2023, he maintained his 2nd-place start to finish 2nd overall. After a modest, illness-related start in 2023/2024, he climbed dramatically from 18th to 4th; and in 2024/2025, a strong Opening Week in 2nd place set the stage for his first Total Score title, finishing 1st overall.

Laegreid lagged only JT Boe in achievements over the last three BMW IBU World Championships, winning a Sprint gold in Nove Mesto and four additional silver medals and one bronze, spread across all four individual disciplines in Oberhof 2023 and Lenzerheide 2025. He has yet to win an individual Olympic medal.

ERIC PERROT (FRA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 3rd

Éric Perrot shows the biggest upward trajectory. After starting 2022/2023 outside the Top 25 and finishing 34th overall, he improved his Opening Week Total Score rank by 64% the following year, and in 2024/2025 took the Opening Week lead—a milestone that propelled him to a career-best third place in the final Total Score.

Perrot made his BMW IBU World Championships debut in Oberhof 2023 and won his first-ever World Championships medal—and gold—in Lenzerheide 2025. He has yet to compete at the Olympic Winter Games.

SEBASTIAN SAMUELSSON (SWE)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 4th

Sebastian Samuelsson presents a contrasting pattern: his Opening Week results fluctuate widely and show little correlation with his eventual season ranking. In 2024/2025, despite beginning the year ranked 8th after Opening Week, he climbed steadily to finish 4th overall. Conversely, in 2022/2023 he opened strongly in 4th, but dropped to 14th by season end.

Samuelsson won a Mass Start gold at the BMW IBU World Championships Oberhof 2023, as well as bronze medals in the Individual and Mass Start. He is also a surprise silver medalist in the Pursuit from the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

QUENTIN FILLON MAILLET (FRA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 5th

Quentin Fillon Maillet remains the most unpredictable of the group when it comes to Opening Week. His Opening Week ranks have ranged from 5th to 22nd over three seasons, with final rankings between 5th and 16th. The 2024/2025 season shows a return to form, with a solid Opening Week (5th) aligning with a matching 5th overall.

Olympic champion in the Individual and Pursuit from Beijing 2022, Fillon Maillet also won a bronze in the Mass Start in Nove Mesto 2024 and bronze medals in the Individual and Sprint in Lenzerheide 2025.

TOMMASO GIACOMEL (ITA)

Final Total Score 2024/2025: 6th

Tommaso Giacomel demonstrates a great ability to recover from a slow start. In 2022/2023, he opened the season in 48th place but climbed throughout the season to finish 12th overall, a remarkable climb of 75% that signalled his potential to make significant gains as the season progressed. In 2023/2024, he began with a much stronger Opening Week rank of 13th and continued his upward trajectory to finish 8th, a 38% improvement. By 2024/2025, Giacomel had stabilised as a consistently strong performer: despite an Opening Week rank of 21st, he rallied impressively to achieve a career-best 6th-place finish, marking a 71% improvement.

Giacomel won his first-ever BMW IBU World Championships medal with finishing second in the Individual in Lenzerheide 2025. He has yet to win an individual Olympic medal.