Biathlon and cross-country skiing are popular winter sports. But the world's best athletes are also active in the summer months, when some roller skiing classics are on the competition schedule.
The well-known Blink Festival in Sandnes, Norway, kicked off the event at the beginning of August. In addition to Norwegian biathletes and cross-country skiers, more and more top international athletes are appearing in the starting field of the Blink Festival. Many winter sports nations include the Rollski event in their summer calendar and combine it with a training camp in the far north. In addition to the Norwegian stars, athletes from France and Germany were particularly successful at the start in Sandnes this year. And also from the point of view of the glove specialist KinetiXx from Metzingen the event was a complete success, because on the podium were again some athletes wearing KinetiXx gloves.
Blink-Festival at Sandnes
In the women's shooting duel the French Justine Braisaz-Bouchet prevailed, who will return to the French squad in winter after her baby break. The men's event was won by Norway's Tarjei Boe, who did not have to expect any competition from his brother Johannes in the summer, as he is preparing himself for the winter in his own training rhythm and does not take part in any summer competitions. In the grand final between men and women Tarjei Boe then prevailed against Justine Braisaz-Bouchet with a fast shooting performance. In the women's super sprint Karoline Knotten won with only three shooting faults. Thus the Norwegian in KinetiXx gloves prevailed against the two Germans Vanessa Voigt and Hanna Kebinger. In the men's super sprint, Norway's Vetle Christiansen won ahead of his compatriot Sturla Laegreid. The KinetiXx podium was surprisingly completed by the young up-and-coming athlete Jørgen Solhaug Sæter from Team Fosenyard. In the men's mass start the following day the youngsters prevailed: Vebjørn Sørum, three-time junior world champion from Norway's B team, showed his good form and that he is a force to be reckoned with. Second went to Einar Hedegart, also a young athlete from Norway. In the women's mass start, Lou Jeanmonnot from France secured a great third place.
City Biathlon at Wiesbaden
The Frenchwoman, who is well established in the A-Team, continued her success at the City Biathlon in Wiesbaden. There she also secured a third place in a strong field of World Cup athletes. In Wiesbaden, two athletes achieved a podium finish in the men's race. The Norwegian Sturla Laegreid won the classic in the old town of Wiesbaden in front of a large audience. His team-mate Tarjei Bo was happy about the third place this year after he had a bad fall last year.
Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival at Annecy
Last weekend, the Martin Fourcade Nordic Festival in Annecy was the last big summer event on the schedule. In addition to a large supporting program and competitions also for amateurs, champions were sought in the categories of cross-country skiing and biathlon. The crème de la crème from the World Cup had entered the international starting list. In the women's category, Julia Simon returned to the competition after she had cancelled the City Biathlon. She confirmed her good form and reached the third place despite some shooting mistakes. In the men's race there was a complete KinetiXx podium. Thanks to his good shooting performance, the strong Norwegian Vetle Christiansen left his opponent from France Emilien Jacquelin, with a gap of 22 seconds behind him and triumphed at the finish. The biathlon podium was completed by Sturla Laegreid. In the XC category some French biathlon talents had the chance to prove themselves. Lou Jeanmonnot surprised all her opponents from the cross-country World Cup and secured victory with a strong performance on roller skis. In the men's race, Frenchman Hugo Lapalus made it to the podium. At the end, in beautiful weather, the champagne shower could not be missed at the award ceremony.
So a successful summer comes to an end for the athletes equipped with KinetiXx gloves. Now we will see whether the performances from the summer can be confirmed in this World Cup winter on snow and who will dominate the world's top athletes this winter. The countdown is on.
Fotos: K.Voigt Fotografie
