The 4th edition of IBU Cup 2017/2018 biathlon took place in Osrblie, Slovakia on 6th and 7th january 2018. On saturday sprint competitions were scheduled both for men and women. The weather was cloudy and later foggy which means difficult to photograph. In women’s competition the overall leader Uliana Kaisheva claimed the first place ahead of Chloe Chevalier and Kaia Woeien Nicolaisen. Later that day, the main star of the event Simon Fourcade claimed the first place in men’s competition, beating Norwegian biathletes Frederik Gjesbakk and Vegard Gjermundshaug. Martin Otcenas of Slovakia claimed a respectable 5th place, pleasing the home crowd.
Photogallery from Viessmann Cup Round 1 in Osrblie, Slovakia – Sprint with relay type shooting. More than 90 biathletes in 11 categories competed on December 29th 2017. Heavy snowfall affected the day, particularly the zeroing-in. Certainly one of the most demanding conditions for racers as well as for photography…
Thanks to roller skis and paved roads in and around arenas, biathlon is also a summer sport. The 2017 Summer Biathlon Championships of Slovakia on roller skis took place at National Biahlon Center in Osrblie on July 22nd and 23rd.
Photos and results from July 22nd: Men’s Sprint Champion: Tomas Hasilla, Women’s Sprint Champion: Paulina Fialkova, Men’s Junior Sprint Champion: Simon Bartko, Women’s Junior Sprint Champion: Veronika Machyniakova.
On September 6th 2016 Slovak biathletes Anastasia Kuzmina, Paulina Fialkova and Martin Otcenas met the press before the start of 2016/2017 season. After extending the sponsorship contract between Viessmann Slovakia and Slovak Biathlon Union, the three biathletes informed the press about their goals for the upcoming season. Martin Otcenas is a fresh two-time champion at Summer Biathlon Championships. Paulina Fialkova had some respectable results at IBU World Cup, as well as on IBU Cup Championships, where she won two medals. The two-time Olympic champion Anastasia Kuzmina returns to biathlon from maternity leave after two seasons.