Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Friday, 11 February 2011
Fred Winter Novices Hurdle
The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle is another recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival and made its debut in 2005. Many pundits and commentators were doubtful about the addition of a four year handicap hurdle at this meeting and some feel that it has taken something away from the main juvenile event
Thursday, 6 January 2011
USA: Gulfstream winter meet kicks off on Wednesday
Blue Bee is buzzing going into the Prestige decider Shelbourne Park are still unable to raceDonovan's Master set for a Wimbledon workoutDeanridge Zeus will miss Wimbledon's SpringbokYankee wins delayed Mildenhall 700m finalRead Full News Service Search News Archive
Monday, 6 December 2010
the real winter sport starts tomorrow
(The Canadian women's biathlon team posing for a fundraising calendar in the lead-up to Vancouver. Image from CTV.ca, Rachel Boekel)
Tomorrow marks the opening of the IBU Biathlon World Cup season, with the Women's Individual race at Ostersund in Sweden, the first of six events spread over five days. You may wonder why an Aussie who is not particularly fond of cold weather (or guns) loves the sport of biathlon so much. Read on....
"The combination of two very contradictory disciplines, skiing and shooting, in the same competition confronts an athlete with a very demanding challenge. Cross-country ski racing required intense, full out physical exertion over an extended period of time whereas shooting demands extremely fine control, stability and focus. When athletes arrive at the shooting range, they have to shoot at very small targets, with a racing heartbeat and heaving chest because the clock is running even while they are shooting and a missed target results in a penalty." (IBU Media Guide)
It's the perfect sport for betting in-running. Competitors have to strike a balance between skiing too hard (they'll be out of puff and heart racing too much to shoot accurately) and saving themselves for the shoot (ski times too slow). There are some red-hot skiers who are average shooters, and precision shooters who are too slow on their skis. Imagine skiing so fast you have a 20 second lead coming into the last set of five shots, in a standing position (much harder than prone), your heart is racing, there's a strong cross breeze and with a bit of snow falling, and your nerves are not your best asset. Just like there are some golfers you always want to oppose when they come down the final hole with a one-stroke lead, biathlon has very similar traits.
Weather and course conditions play a big part in it - heavy snow during the race gives a big advantage to those starting early as can sunshine which can melt the ice. For sprint and individual races where athletes are individually timed and start separately(like a cycling time trial), the best racers usually start in the middle of the pack (often 120 starters).
This season will be better for betting as there will be no Olympics at the end of the season, which saw a lot of athletes peak at different times last season, missing some events and racing in others. Magdalena Neuner (below) is the glamour girl and star of the sport - super-quick on her skis, but can be prone to bad days shooting.
Tomorrow marks the opening of the IBU Biathlon World Cup season, with the Women's Individual race at Ostersund in Sweden, the first of six events spread over five days. You may wonder why an Aussie who is not particularly fond of cold weather (or guns) loves the sport of biathlon so much. Read on....
"The combination of two very contradictory disciplines, skiing and shooting, in the same competition confronts an athlete with a very demanding challenge. Cross-country ski racing required intense, full out physical exertion over an extended period of time whereas shooting demands extremely fine control, stability and focus. When athletes arrive at the shooting range, they have to shoot at very small targets, with a racing heartbeat and heaving chest because the clock is running even while they are shooting and a missed target results in a penalty." (IBU Media Guide)
It's the perfect sport for betting in-running. Competitors have to strike a balance between skiing too hard (they'll be out of puff and heart racing too much to shoot accurately) and saving themselves for the shoot (ski times too slow). There are some red-hot skiers who are average shooters, and precision shooters who are too slow on their skis. Imagine skiing so fast you have a 20 second lead coming into the last set of five shots, in a standing position (much harder than prone), your heart is racing, there's a strong cross breeze and with a bit of snow falling, and your nerves are not your best asset. Just like there are some golfers you always want to oppose when they come down the final hole with a one-stroke lead, biathlon has very similar traits.
Weather and course conditions play a big part in it - heavy snow during the race gives a big advantage to those starting early as can sunshine which can melt the ice. For sprint and individual races where athletes are individually timed and start separately(like a cycling time trial), the best racers usually start in the middle of the pack (often 120 starters).
This season will be better for betting as there will be no Olympics at the end of the season, which saw a lot of athletes peak at different times last season, missing some events and racing in others. Magdalena Neuner (below) is the glamour girl and star of the sport - super-quick on her skis, but can be prone to bad days shooting.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
winter sports season around the corner and another Russian 'busted' for drugs
Shame it wasn't one of their leading female competitors, at least I can post a gratuitous photo then.
Russian cross country skier Nicholas Pankratov has been busted by Swiss customs officials for possessing intravenous equipment and 22 capsules of the drug actovegin, derived from calf blood. Actovegin is not on the WADA banned list, but has been in doping authorities' spotlight for several years.
The original article can be found here in Norwegian, use Google Chrome to translate it.
Sergei Korolev, who is head of Russia's winter sports federations, told RIA Novosti that Pankratov's possession of actovegin with the equipment for blood transfusion is a cause for sanctions unless he can prove that he has a legitimate reason to use it.
News agency reports that Pankratovs case will be handled by the International Ski Federation (FIS') anti-doping panel.
- He may be excluded for two years. If he can prove that there were health reasons to use the drug, he may go free, but it's unlikely, says Korolev.Posted byScott Fergusonat03:10
Russian cross country skier Nicholas Pankratov has been busted by Swiss customs officials for possessing intravenous equipment and 22 capsules of the drug actovegin, derived from calf blood. Actovegin is not on the WADA banned list, but has been in doping authorities' spotlight for several years.
The original article can be found here in Norwegian, use Google Chrome to translate it.
Sergei Korolev, who is head of Russia's winter sports federations, told RIA Novosti that Pankratov's possession of actovegin with the equipment for blood transfusion is a cause for sanctions unless he can prove that he has a legitimate reason to use it.
News agency reports that Pankratovs case will be handled by the International Ski Federation (FIS') anti-doping panel.
- He may be excluded for two years. If he can prove that there were health reasons to use the drug, he may go free, but it's unlikely, says Korolev.Posted byScott Fergusonat03:10
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