– There is no rule that says anything against it, so it is a situation that has never occurred before and will not occur again unless Norway has free space, says Sørum to news. The competition for a place on the Norwegian World Cup team for men’s biathlon is tough, to say the least. After five individual competitions in Östersund and Hochfilzen, there were seven Norwegian men in the top ten in the World Cup overall. The maximum quota for individual races is initially six athletes per nation, but Endre Strømsheim, as the winner of the IBU Cup last season, had a free place for the first two World Cup rounds. For the sprint (and the following chase start) in Lenzerheide, it was Sørum who was told that he did not get a place on the team. But in the joint starts, the rules are different. There, the best 25 in the world cup in total are allowed to go, and in addition the best five outside of that who have performed best in the current world cup round. Thus, it is likely that Sørum will be allowed to go there and that Norway will get seven runners at the start, one more than the normal maximum quota in other individual races. Top ten in the World Cup before the race in Lenzerheide Tarjei Bø – 290 points Sebastian Samuelsson – 281 points Johannes Thingnes Bø – 229 points Johannes Dale-Skjevdal – 220 points Philipp Nawrath – 203 points Sturla Holm Lægreid – 191 points Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen – 190 points Endre Strømsheim – 186 points Justus Strelow – 168 points Vebjørn Sørum – 163 points – We like to have a little control The scenario is so unusual that the Norwegian team management had to check with the IBU what the rules actually meant. – I don’t think it has been a problem before, and there was no limit. So then we had to check if we could go with seven. We took that up with the IBU in Hochfilzen, says sports director Per-Arne Botnan. – What did they say? – They probably hadn’t thought about the problem either, so then there was no demarcation. If you are top 25, then you are top 25, he replies. Strømsheim, who gets to run all three races in Lenzerheide this week, and Sørum said that it was they who first looked in the rule book and informed the trainers about the special situation. – It is a kind of scenario that nobody thought could happen, says Strømsheim. IN GOOD COMPANY: Endre Strømsheim and Vebjørn Sørum both took part in the World Cup relay in Östersund last season. From left: Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, Vebjørn Sørum and Endre Strømsheim. Photo: Anders Wiklund / AP – We like to have a little control. That is the only thing we practitioners can relate to and answer with: Rules and withdrawal criteria. Then we can come up with factual arguments and not just throw something out if we are disappointed or our feelings are overpowering, says Sørum. Communication manager in the IBU, Christian Winkler, wrote to news that the intention with the joint start is to have the best athletes at the start. – That is why it was a possible scenario, which is now becoming a reality, he writes. Unsame in wrecking Sørum himself describes it as “very boring” that he is not allowed to go sprinting and hunting start in Lenzerheide. – Especially when you do so well that you can fight for top positions and be at the very top of the world. I think it’s really crazy, he says. Earlier this year, the 25-year-old took EC gold in the pursuit start and relay at the same venue, and refers to it as his favorite arena. GOOD MEMORIES: Vebjørn Sørum on his way to European Championship gold in Lenzerheide. Photo: GIAN EHRENZELLER / AP He disagrees with the wrecking, and bases it on how he reads the union’s withdrawal criteria. There is a distinction between A merits and B merits. In the World Cup this season, Sørum has a third place from the sprint in Östersund, while Strømsheim has a fifth place and two sixth places. – The little one can read from the selection criteria, at least from what I see, the A-merit takes precedence over ranking, and I thought it would hold, says Sørum, and adds that he understands that it was a difficult choice for the tenant . Sports manager Botnan explains the decision as follows: – There was an overall assessment of the competitions that have taken place in the World Cup, and then the choice fell on Endre, who in a way has been the most consistent and had several top positions, and was the best in the last week. The Norwegian quotas further into the season In all World Cup rounds in Europe after the New Year (Oberhof, Ruhpolding, Antholz and Oslo), Norway can field six athletes in the individual races apart from the joint start. In the WC in Nove Mesto in February, the nations basically have a quota of four athletes per distance. If a nation has four or more top 15 in the world cup, all of them, up to a maximum of five athletes, will be allowed to compete in the individual competitions. In addition, a free place is given to the reigning champion. Johannes Thingnes Bø is the reigning world champion in the sprint, hunt start and the normal distance. In the last two World Cup rounds in Soldier Hollow and Canmore, the nations get extra athletes, based on how many athletes they have in the top ten overall. At most, a nation can get two extra places, if they then have two athletes in the top ten in the world cup overall. Both Strømsheim and Sørum emphasize that there is a good atmosphere between them, who are both part of the recruiting national team and roommates. – It’s a bit of a strange dynamic, but I’m impressed by how Vebjørn has coped with it. It’s crazy to be so good as to openly have something to do in WC, and then there’s simply no room. Obviously it’s extremely brutal. On Friday, Strømsheim was the third best Norwegian in the sprint in Lenzerheide with a twelfth place. The standing shooting ruined Strømsheim, where he had trouble with a charging grip and received three penalty rounds.
ttn-69
– A scenario no one thought could happen – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
