Not that the XC and speed skating weren't festive and well-supported, but the biathlon seemed by far the most vocal and crazily cheered of the events we attended (though Nordic Combined was a special case). The King of Norway was there, supposedly. And lots of Norwegians. And Swedes and Italians and French and Germans and Czechs and Russians and Finns and many others. And Canadians. And Americans!
The view from our hill, which was very full and very convenient for watching.
The targets
Us
Flagpole of the man with the very loud dinner bell. The Norwegians near us called it a church bell.
I found the race particularly exciting. It's maybe my new favorite winter sport. Some biathlon races have staggered starts. I saw one on TV and it was so difficult to tell who was winning and who was close, etc. These races were mass starts, so the winner was the winner. It was crazy to watch the shooting and see the lead group dwindle as skiers missed targets. US racer Tim Burke was in 9th after two shootings, but missed several on the first standing shoot, and fell way back thanks to his penalty laps.
The men's start
Russia takes gold
And then celebrates
The women start
I was also amazed that some of the medalists had skied penalties, and still beat out some racers who had shot clean on all targets, or at least had less penalties. The penalty lap is 150 m, and supposedly takes about 20 seconds to ski.
Anyway, it was another beautiful day, with two exciting races. I want to see more mass start biathlons. I'll be keeping my eyes out. I can see why biathlon is so popular in other countries. The way the race can change in a moment is unique and exhilarating. It's something I could see Americans embracing, since it is fast, exciting, and involves guns. It probably won't happen, but it could, and should. It's a fun sport.
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