What you need to know about the main tournament of the year
On Wednesday, February 8, the 56th Biathlon World Championship starts. The Ukrainian team will also perform at the world championship. Sport Arena tells you everything you need to know about the 2023 Biathlon World Championships.
When and where will the World Cup take place biathlon-2023
The world championship will be held in Oberhof, Germany. This town, with a population of about two thousand people, is hosting the Biathlon World Championship for the second time. The first one took place in 2004. 19 years ago, Ukraine finished the World Championships with one award – a bronze one: one of the best Ukrainian biathletes in history, Elena Petrova, won third place in the individual race.
The 2023 Biathlon World Championship will last 12 days: from February 8 to February 19. At the same time, three days of the tournament – February 9th, 13th and 17th – will be days off.
How many sets of medals will be played at the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof
Like two years ago at the world championship in Pokljuka, 12 sets of awards will be played in Oberhof. Four of them are in relay races: mixed, single mixed, men’s and women’s.
We note one important innovation: this year the results shown by athletes at the World Championships do not count towards the World Cup.
How Ukraine performed at the Biathlon World Championships
Our team has 37 awards at world championships. Seven of them are gold, 10 are silver, and 20 are bronze. The already mentioned Elena Petrova brought the first award of the world championship to the assets of the blue-yellows, and also in the individual race – in 1996 she became the third. At the same tournament, Ukraine won two more awards: silver in the relay and bronze in the team race.
The first gold of the world championships to our country was brought by Elena Zubrilova, who spent the last years of her career in Belarus. Moreover, the 1999 World Championship, which took place in Kontiolahti and Holmenkollen, became a real finest hour for the then Ukrainian: Zubrilova won the pursuit race, the individual race and the mass start, bringing three gold medals to the team’s treasury. At that championship, Petrova won silver in the mass start, and Ukraine, with five awards, took second place in the team standings. As for Zubrilova, she rose to the highest step of the podium at the World Championships again, winning the mass start in 2002.
Also, the gold medals of the Biathlon World Championship are in the collection of Elena Bilosyuk (sprint, 2013), Valentina Semerenko (mass start, 2015), and Dmitry Pidruchny (pursuit, 2019). The last time Ukraine climbed the podium of the World Championship was two years ago in Pokljuka – the women’s team, consisting of Merkushyna, Jima, Blashko and Bilosiuk, won bronze in the relay.
What can Ukraine expect at the 2023 Biathlon World Championships
At each of the last nine world championships, Ukraine has won at least one medal. Now the situation before the start of the tournament does not cause optimism. For example, the best Ukrainian biathlete at the moment – Artem Prima – is in 32nd place in the overall World Cup standings, finishing only once in the individual races in the TOP-10 (tenth place in the pursuit race in Annecy). Anton Dudchenko’s best result (35th in the World Cup standings) is 18th in the Kontiolahti pursuit. Artem Tishchenko finished in the TOP-30 only twice (however, he spent only 4 individual races), Denis Nasyko – once, Bogdan Tsymbal and Taras Lesyuk – never. The captain and leader of the men’s team Dmitry Pidruchny underwent surgery, and after recovery, he climbed to the podium in the IBU Cup.
The best among women – Yuliya Jima – never finished in the TOP-10 (three times – in the TOP-20). Well, the best result of the Ukrainians in the individual races of the World Cup is Jima’s 19th place in the sprint in Pokljuka. It doesn’t matter in relay races. The best result of Ukraine in team races is the sixth place of the men’s team at the stage in Ruhpolding.
In other words, it will be very difficult for our athletes to climb the podium this time. Hope for character and good luck.
Who is the favorite for the 2023 World Cup
In men – representatives of Norway. Suffice it to say that three Norwegians – Johannes Boe, Vetle Schosta Christiansen and Sturla Legrade – top the individual standings in the World Cup. There are two more representatives of Norway in the top 10 – Johannes Dale (sixth position) and Tarjei Be (eighth position). The Frenchmen Quentin Fillon Maillet (fourth position in the overall standings) and Emilien Jacquelin (10th place) will compete for the prize. Well, since we are considering the TOP-10 of the World Cup, we will also mention the Swede Martin Ponsiluom (fifth place) and the Germans Benedikt Doll (seventh place) and Roman Res (ninth).
As for women, the favorites are still the same – Frenchwoman Julie Simon, Swedish Elvira Oeberg, Italians Dorothea Wierer and Lisa Vittozzi and German Denise Herrman-Wick. But also don’t discount Teresa Hauser and Swede Hanna Oeberg.
Biathlon World Championship 2023 Schedule
February 8
Mixed relay. 15:45
February 10
Sprint (women). 15:30
11 February
Sprint (men). 15:30
12th of February
- Pursuit (women). 14:25
- Pursuit (men). 17:30
The 14th of February
Individual race (men). 15:30
February, 15
Individual race (women). 15:30
February 16
Single mixed relay. 16:10
18th of Febuary
- Relay (men). 12:45
- Relay (women). 16:00
February 19
- Mass start (men). 13:30
- Mass start (women). 16:15
Where to watch live broadcasts of the 2023 Biathlon World Cup
Live video broadcasts of the 2023 Biathlon World Championship races can also be seen in Ukraine. In Ukraine, the World Cup will show Suspіlna. Live online video broadcasts of all the races of the 2023 World Championship will be available on the regional TV channels of Suspіlny.
Also, the Biathlon World Championship will be shown by the Eurosport TV channel. You can also follow the events of the 2023 Biathlon World Cup races on the official IBU website, which will be free of charge.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
