The anticipation for the IBU Cup is growing in Val Martello

The four sprint competitions last weekend in Norway were dominated by the athletes from Russia, followed by some strong performances from the Norwegian home team.

The men's 10km sprint on Saturday was won by Frenchman Simon Fourcade. In the women's 7,5 km sprint, the series of Russian podium finishes began with a double victory by Uliana Denisova and Evgenya Sedova. On the second day of racing, on Sunday, there were also two sprint competitions on the program. In the men's category, it was somewhat surprising that Latvian Ilmars Bricis was able to push the two Russians Viktor Vasilyev and Maksim Ikhsanov into place. Two Russian athletes were also on the winner's podium in the women's category. The victory went to Anastasia Kalina ahead of Bente Landheim from Norway and third was Uliana Denisova.

Now the attention of biathlon fans turns to the next events on the program. This week the Biathlon World Cup starts the new season in Östersund, Sweden and next week the IBU Cup comes to Martell. A lot of fresh snow has already fallen in the small side valley of the Vinschgau, and the slopes and the shooting range are in perfect condition. The organizing committee around President Georg Altstätter has been working for weeks to be able to offer the approximately 250 athletes from 42 nations ideal conditions and perfect competitions on December 11th and 12th.

Some well-known names stand out among the registered athletes. For example, there is the Austrian Daniel Mesotistsch, who won bronze in the relay at the last Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and has two World Cup victories to his name. Another well-known name is Michael Rösch (GER). He has also achieved two World Cup victories in his career and was even a gold medalist with the German relay team at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. Michael Hauser (AUT) and Maksim Ikhsanov (RUS) want to confirm their good results from Beitostölen.

Among the women, Natalia Guseva (RUS) is probably the best-known athlete competing in Martell. She can boast a World Cup victory and various top placings in the World Cup. The winner of Baitostölen, Uliana Denisova (RUS), is again one of the favorites, as are her compatriots Anastasia Kalina and Evgenya Sedova, who have already made a strong impression in Norway.

After the stop in Martell, the IBU Cup moves on to Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Bulgaria and finally France, where the final will take place from March 10th to 13th, 2011.

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The anticipation for the IBU Cup is growing in Val Martello

The IBU Cup started the new season last weekend in Beitostölen, Norway, in freezing temperatures. Now the racing series returns to Central Europe for the second stop, which is scheduled for December 11th and 12th in the Martell Valley.

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