Norway Overcomes Elements to Take Men’s Relay

The Norwegian team of Alexander Os, Ole Einar Björndalen, Emil Hegle Svendsen and Tarjei Bø won the men’s 4 X 7.5K relay this morning at the E.ON IBU World Cup biathlon here. Norway finished in 1:29:38.4 with one penalty and seven spare rounds, while battling heavy snow and gusty winds throughout the competition. Austria, always at their best in their home stadium took second, 53.1 seconds back with four spare rounds. Third went to France, 3:28.8 back with two penalties and nine spare rounds.

The elements, basically heavy snow and gusting wind affected the whole competition. At times, the targets were virtually 80% white as the snow dumped from the skies, then a few times, it slowed down significantly. At the same time, when the snow poured from the heavens, the wind was brutal, resulting in penalties from experienced athletes like Ivan Tcherezov and Alexander Os. Belarusian coach Klaus Siebert called the conditions, “Very tough with the constantly changing wind, one minute it is perfect for shooting and the next it is like this,” as he pointed the wind flags that seemed frozen parallel to the ground from the strong wind.

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Source: Biathlon World