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Despite the absence of the Boe brothers and Mars Roeiseland, Norway struck their fifth consecutive victory in a mixed relay while the Czech Republic, fifth, overtook Italy in the fight for the sixth bib next season.
Sunday 13 March 2022 6 minutes reading time
The last mixed relays of the season are staged in Otepaa and acquire particular importance as, together with the Holmenkollen Sprints, they will define the ranking by nations on the basis of which the contingents for the next season are defined. The day takes on particular relevance for Italy for women where the blue, with Russia stopped, are fighting with the Czech Republic for fifth place which would guarantee the possibility of registering 6 biathletes in next season's races. First of the two relay races today, Italy which maintains a 22-point advantage over the Czechs.
Dorothea Wierer takes advantage of a day of rest and, having chosen to bet everything on the Mixed Pairs where Lukas Hofer and Lisa Vittozzi will be on the track, the quartet at the start foresees Bionaz at the launch, Giacomel, Comola and Sanfilippo for an absolutely experimental formation.
It is the Norwegian Bakken (0 + 3) who prevailed at the launch by trimming about twenty seconds to Desthieux (0 + 3), Nelin (0 + 3) and Komatz (0 + 2). Krcmar (0 + 6) closes the first fraction in eleventh position at 1.01.8 with Bionaz (1 + 6), eighteenth at 2.23.4 after being cornered also in the session on the ground.
Quentin Fillon Maillet (0 + 0) is the great protagonist of the second stage: perfect shooting and fast on skis, he tries to get close to Christiansen (0 + 1) while Ponsiluoma returns (0 + 2). Halfway through the race Norway have 20.5 seconds ahead of France and 22.7 over Sweden - Leitner (0 + 2) holds Austria in fourth position at 1.15.4 and Stvrtecky (0 + 0) pushes the Czech Republic up to fifth position at 1.41.8. Giacomel (0 + 2) changes in fifteenth position at 3.31.6.
The baton passes to the girls who, for the competition formula, have to travel 7.5 km per stage like the males, a distance greater than the usual female relay races.
Tiril Eckhoff (0 + 2) goes wild on skis leaving something at the shooting range and shows up at the last change with a 31.7 lead over Persson (0 + 1) and 51.1 over Chloe Chevalier (0 + 2). An excellent Davidova (0 + 0) is fourth at 1.25.0 with the German Voigt (0 + 0) who, after the (0 + 6) of her teammates, is fifth at 1.40.2. Good fraction of Samuela Comola (0 + 0) who recovers one position, fourteenth at 4.48.9.
Tandrevold (0 + 1) completes the mission of Norway's fifth consecutive victory in the Mixed Relay where she is unbeaten by the Pokljuka World Championships. Elvira Oeberg (0 + 2) and Braisaz (0 + 1) compete in the last lap for the other steps of the podium with the Swede who has 9 seconds to defend while Hermann (0 + 0) overtakes Jislova (0 + 2). Federica Sanfilippo (1 + 5) solidly in fourteenth position is able to defend against the dubbing.
On the finish line Norway (0 + 7) is imposed with 22.5 on Sweden (0 + 8) and 34.6 on France (0 + 6). Fourth is Germany (0 + 6) at 1.53.7 and fifth is the Czech Republic (0 + 8) at 2.34.6. Sixth position for Slovakia (0 + 10) at 3.30.7. Italy (2 + 13) is fourteenth at 7.20.3
The fifth position brings 155 points to the Czech Republic in the Nation''s Cup standings against the 90 of the fourteenth place in Italy which finds itself overtaken with 43 points to recover when there are no Pairs Relay and Holmenkollen Sprint.
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Mixed Relay
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Biathlon: Norway dominates the Mixed Relay, Italy fourteenth
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