[News]News 2006-07

[Andrew]

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National Squads 2006-07
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[Andrew]

Pavel Rostovtsev retires

Pavel Rostovtsev, three-time world champion, has announced his retirement.

The 35-year-old will now become the head of Krasnoyarsk Territory agency of sport and physical training once he has resigned from military service.

The former captain of the Russian team has been at the center of a dispute with his federation after a sponsorship row erupted and that has hastened his decision to quit.

A scandal flared before the start of the new World Cup season after the men's team refused to participate in a sponsorship promotion.

But Rostovtsev had already complained after the Olympics, in which he won silver in the relay, that motivation was becoming a problem.

He won seven World Cup events in his career in addition to a double success in Pokljuka in 2001, following on from his World Championship relay gold in Lahti two years earlier.

Ekaterina Dafovska to miss most of the season

Top Bulgarian biathlete Ekaterina Dafovska will miss most of the World Cup races this season because of a shoulder injury and may retire.

Dafovska, who won the gold medal in the 15-km individual event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, underwent surgery in June in Germany but her rehabilitation programme in Bulgaria has brought no significant improvement.

Dafovska, who turns 31 this month, said: "It's difficult to say now when I'll be able to start training but if I lose another month or two I may retire."

Reuters - - - 12/11/2006 00:13

[Andrew]

Ricco Gross will retire after this season

German Rico Gross has confirmed he is retiring from biathlon at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old from Ruhpolding, who has won four Olympic relay gold medals and nine World Cup races, will call time on his career following his 16th season on the circuit.

Gross declared: "I am in a hurry really to start what will be my last season.

"I will particularly savour this last season of World Cup and the 2007 World Championship in Anterselva."

The veteran also announced that there was a good chance that he would become involved in the coaching set-up once he hung up his skis.

Gross' farewell will be on March 18 at Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia.

Raphael Poiree looks at the new season

Raphaël Poirée is determined to avoid the mental aberrations that have blighted him for the past two seasons.

The 32-year-old Frenchman had a sensational season in 2003/2004 when he won the World Cup overall title for the fourth time and landed three gold medals at the World Championships in Oberhof.

But he had to settle for just one bronze medal at the 2005 Worlds in Hochfilzen and at the Turin Olympics while seeing Ole Einar Bjoerndalen claim the last two World Cup titles.

He said: "For two years I have had brakes in the head. My objective is to become myself again, offensive and without fear."

Poirée also believes that the recent retirement of his wife Liv Grete, the seven-time world champion, will help him.

He said: "It was really necessary to separate family and sport. I could not mix the things anymore. Now, when I leave the training course, I leave it all alone.

"It is new for me but it is also what I did ten years ago."

And the changes are not limited to the family with Poirée changing training partners and now using Fischer skis.

"I also looked at which people I liked to work with, which people gave the training group energy and ones who restricted that," he commented.

"I also changed make of skis. I gained much with Rossignol but I did not change for change sake. I changed because this new material was adapted for me. It is different."

[Andrew]

Turbulence in Russian camp before Ostersund World Cup

Russia could be represented by a junior team in the World Cup after a sponsorship row erupted.

A scandal has flared up a month before the start of the new World Cup season after the men's team refused to participate in a sponsorship promotion.

RBU President and former Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov responded by saying that his country's elite athletes such as Maxim Tchoudov (pictured), Sergei Tchepikov, Ivan Tcherezov, Nikolay Kruglov and Sergei Rhozhkov would not be allowed to compete and a youth squad will be entered instead.

However, Pavel Rostovtsev, three-time world champion and the captain of the team, has indicated that his colleagues are willing to sign an advertising contract but has pointed the blame at the Russian Biathlon Union.

Rostovtsev said: "We have been trying to establish a legal relationship with the RBU for several months to participate in the advertising organised by this organisation.

"I do not know why we have failed to do it so far. It is not a question for me but to the management of our association."

He has also called for the Russian Federal Physical Culture and Sports Agency, Rossport, to get involved in the fiasco.

"If worst comes to worst, when leaders are not allowed for competition and the second or the third line-up is sent, Rossport must influence this situation somehow."

[Martin Adamson]

Apparently the Russian situation has been sorted out and the full team will be present in Ostersund. If that had happened back in the olden days the athletes would have found themselves at the other end of their rifles.

[Andrew]

Hi Matt! Welcome to the boards. Pleasure to see an Italian on here. Rigel is also italian but she's more of a ski jumping fan. You can meet her here. While you're there maybe you can leave a 'signature' in our Guest book
And thanks for all the news.

I was aware of Poiree's retirement cus of her child but I had no idea Uschi and Olena retired also. It's the end of an era in women's Biathlon with the departure of those 3 stars.
Russia is quite depleted with Ishmouratova, Akhatova and Bogali not there, and with Pyleva's suspension. That could open the doors for Germany to control the team events.
Men's side of things seems to be pretty much the same so it should be another interesting season.

[Ali]

2 Matt:

You're mistaken. Bogaliy will start in a new season.

[Martin Adamson]

I wouldn't be too pessimistic about the new Russians. In the races from Khany-Mansisk back in March the young Russians who weren't in the team were very nearly at the same standard as the long-time professionals. After 6 months full time training they will surely be competitive. Well worth picking them in Ali's game, I think.

[Andrew]

Who are these new Russians? Have to go searching for them.

[Andrew]

Norwegian coach happy that athletes race Cross-Country

A bit old but an interesting article:

Published: Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:00 AM MST

Top skiers skipping the biathlon opening.

The new Norwegian biathlon coach has ambitions that his skiers will race faster than the cross country skiers, reports VG Nett.

Biathlon skiers Ole Einar Bjorndalen, Frode Andresen, Lars Berger and Emil Helge Svendsen are all choosing cross country over biathlon when both disciplines are having their Norwegian opening races at Beitostolen this weekend. The four skiers have their coach’s full blessing.

-I feel that it’s very positive that they want to challenge the cross country skiers, says the coach. Our goal is to be fastest on skis, and there are no reasons why we shouldn’t be just that. We’ll get an indication on Saturday. I don’t know if any of them are ready to win. It depends upon skis and how they feel that day, says coach Kjell Ove Oftedal

The coach disagrees with those who feel that cross country skiers should be faster than biathlon skiers. He says that biathlon skiers only have shooting to worry about besides the skiing, while most cross country skiers have to practice both classic and skating. Several of the Norwegian biathlon team skiers are very interested in qualifying to race the cross country Worlds in Sapporo, Japan this winter.

- We are training as much as them, and there are no reasons why we shouldn’t ski as fast or faster. We haven’t trained as we should if we are skiing slower, says Oftedal.

[Martin Adamson]

The 3rd round of the Biathlon WC scheduled for Osrblie, Slovakia has had to be re-sited, due to lack of snow. Most likely it will be to Hochfilzen, which will be host for two weeks in a row.

[Andrew]

It's not an easy November/December for southern Europe. Surprising that even Hochfilzen is in conditions to host the next 2 weeks. Even Ostersund looked half dry.
But it's always good to see Biathlon going while Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping and Cross-Country skiing sit out this weekend due to lack of snow quite a few places around Hochfilzen (St Moritz, Val d'Isère, Aosta in Italy and Harrachov). Quite ironic that Hochfilzen is an island in the middle of the barren winter