Top things you need to know about the 2021/22 biathlon season

After some local competitions with an international start list in Idre, Sweden, and Sjusjøen, Norway, which saw Tarjei Boe, Sebastian Samuelsson, Elvira Oeberg and Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold shine on 13 and 14 November, the World Cup season proper is ready to begin.

For the second year in a row, the season-opening event will take place in Oestersund in Sweden. Only two events will be run over the long weekend of Friday 26 to Sunday 28 November, the individual and sprint, for both men and women.

Following the season opening event, the same city in central Sweden will then host another World Cup stage, from 2-5 December, with the traditional sprint/pursuit format along with a relay. This is the 14th time Oestersund has hosted the first stage of the season since 2000.

Last year, Norway athletes claimed the first two places in the men's and women's events, an occupational hazard for the country that has won the most medals in Olympic Winter Games history (368). Johannes Thingnes Boe won his third big crystal globe ahead of 24-year-old Sturla Holm Lægreid, while Tiril Eckhoff won her first ahead of Marte Olsbu Røiseland.

In total, ten World Cup stages are scheduled for the 2021/22 biathlon season, with seven held prior to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which starts 4 February. As opposed to the World Championships, taking place every non-Olympic year, the results of the Games won’t be taken into account in the World Cup general rankings.

Here is everything you need to know about the 2021/22 biathlon season.

The women's favourites: Will Tiril Eckhoff keep the fire burning?

If one name was picked as someone likely to retain their title, in either the women's or men's competitions, that would be Tiril Eckhoff. Last year, the Norwegian took over the general ranking in the second part of the season and by the end, had won her first big crystal globe. Eckhoff scored a total of 1152 points and achieved 13 victories, with all of those in the sprint event (7) and pursuit (6). She claimed 17 podiums in total. Comparatively, her team-mate Marte Olsbu Røiseland finished second on 963 points and only three victories.

Eckhoff, who has also won five Olympic medals including one gold, in the mixed relay at Sochi 2014, managed to win the double sprint/pursuit in five World Cup stages in a row, which is a record-breaking feat. The 31-year-old took the lead of the overall ranking after the World Championships in February 2021, where she won gold in sprint and pursuit, and bronze in the mass-start, and never relinquished her hold. A fierce intention to reproduce her winning ways this upcoming season is not solely focused on Beijing 2022.

"I obviously want to succeed in the Olympic Winter Games, but also for the whole season. I want to come back this year as I finished the last one, and I always try to improve with hard training sessions, changing some small details," she said to the Norwegian newspaper VG.

Italian Dorothea Wierer, who won the overall big crystal globe in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, finished fifth last year, nailing one victory in the individual in the first race of the season. She won the crystal globe in the discipline, tied with Austrian Lisa Theresa Hauser.

Swede Hanna Oeberg, who was leading the overall ranking after the first sprint of the season until the third World Cup stage, will also be a strong competitor. The reigning individual Olympic champion finished fourth last year, her best overall result. She will try to feature on the podium more this time around, especially in Oestersund for the first race of the World Cup, where she won the Individual World Championships title in 2019.

TO READ: What are the differences between the biathlon disciplines?

Who to watch in the men's competition: Boe/Lægreid, the duel to follow

As opposed to the women's competition, the men's title was determined in the very last race of the season. The very last shot, to be precise.

Johannes Thingnes Boe, winner of the overall title the previous two seasons, had lead the overall ranking from the second race of the season until the beginning of the last stage, but he was second heading into the last race, the mass-start at Oestersund. His young compatriot, Sturla Holm Lægreid, only 24 years-old, was leading by one point, thanks to his World Championships where he won four golds out of a possible six, and the last stage's pursuit, won ahead of Boe. But the following day, in the mass-start and during the last shooting session of the season – the stand-up discipline – Boe recorded 4/5 whereas Lægreid made two mistakes.

The king of biathlon and reigning Individual Olympic champion won his third big crystal globe in a row with 1,052 points (four victories and 14 podiums) and Lægreid finished second with 1,039 points (seven victories and 10 podiums).

No doubt that this duel will continue throughout the 2021/22 biathlon season and into Beijing 2022.

On the French side, Quentin-Fillon Maillet, who clinched three victories last year, finished third for the third year in a row. The 29-year-old will try to play his cards right this year, in order to disrupt the Norwegian domination along with his compatriot Emilien Jacquelin, who won the last two pursuit World titles.

No doubt that Tarjei Boe, elder brother of Johannes, will also be in the battle. The overall winner in 2011, the 33-year-old won the mass-start crystal globe last year.

*TO READ: An Olympian explains: How to master biathlon with Anastasiya Kuzmina *

Young stars hoping to shine: Sweden counts on Samuelsson and Oeberg

When it comes to younger athletes, Norway has once again dominated the rankings with Sturla Holm Lægreid and Johannes Dale, but Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson was the third-placed man. The 24-year-old has already competed at PyeongChang 2018, winning gold at the age of 20 with the men's relay, along with a silver in the pursuit. In the last World Championships, he also claimed silver in the pursuit and will aim to win his second World Cup stage this season.

On the women's side, we might see 22-year-old Elvira Oeberg on the podium again. The Swedish hope clinched her two first podiums in a single race last year. From 24th place in 2019/20, the little sister of Hanna Oeberg finished the 2020/21 season in 12th. Another climb in the rankings is expected.

It could also be the year of Markéta Davidová from the Czech Republic. The 24-year-old won gold in the individual race during the last World Championships. Already third in the individual ranking in 2018/19 and fifth last year, Davidová wil try to improve her consistency to be on top of the rankings come the end of the season.

TO READ: Look to the past: Magnar Solberg and the art of shooting on an anthill

2021/22 Biathlon calendar

• 23-28 November: IBU Cup Biathlon. Idre (Sweden)
• 26-28 November: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon-Season Opening. Oerstersund (Sweden)
• 29 November – 4 December: IBU Cup Biathlon. Sjusjoen (Norway)
• 29 November – 5 December: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Oestersund (Sweden)
• 6-12 December: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Hochfilzen (Austria)
• 8-12 December: IBU Junior Cup Biathlon. Martell-Val Martello (Italy)
• 11-21 December: Winter Universiade. Lucerne (Switzerland)
• 13-18 December: IBU Junior Cup Biathlon. Martell-Val Martello (Italy)
• 13-19 December: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Annecy-Le Grand Bornand (France)
• 14-19 December: IBU Cup Biathlon. Obertilliach (Austria)
• 3-9 January: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Oberhof (Germany)
• 5-9 January: IBU Cup Biathlon. Brezno-Osrblie (Slovakia)
• 10-15 January: IBU Junior Cup Biathlon. Hochfilzen (Austria)
• 10-16 January: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Ruhpolding (Germany)
• 11-16 January: IBU Cup Biathlon. Brezno-Osrblie (Slovakia)
• 17-23 January: IBU Junior Open European Championships. Pokljuka (Slovenia)
• 17-23 January: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Antholz-Anterselva (Italy)
• 24-30 January: IBU Open European Championships Biathlon. Arber (Germany)
• 1-5 February: IBU Cup Biathlon. Nove Mesto na Morave (Czech Republic)
• 4-20 February: Olympic Winter Games. Beijing (China)
• 20 February – 2 March: IBU Youth / Junior World Championships. Soldier Hollow, Utah (USA)
• 28 February – 6 March: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Kontiolahti (Finland)
• 7-13 March: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Otepaeae (Estonia)
• 8-13 March: IBU Cup Biathlon. Ridnaun-Val Ridanna (Italy)
• 14-20 March: BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon. Oslo Holmenkollen (Norway)
• 20-25 March: European Youth Olympic Festival. Vuokatti (Finland)