If the BMW IBU World Championships were an additional indication of the form, a battle for the ages to win the Total Score title awaits biathlon fans as the 2024/2025 season enters its final Trimester in Nove Mesto na Morave, Czechia. Who will stand the tallest in Oslo-Holmenkollen? Franziska Preuss or Lou Jeanmonnot? Sturla Holm Laegreid or Johannes Thingnes Boe? And how will the main actors return to the World Cup after a week of recharging after Lenzerheide?

Preuss vs Jeanmonnot

After finishing first in the Pursuit in Antholz-Anterselva, Lou Jeanmonnot secured her sixth victory of the season, tying the French record held by Sandrine Bailly (2004/05) and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (2023/24). Jeanmonnot went to Lenzerheide as perhaps the heaviest favourite not to win medals, but to collect golds. She did so in the Mixed Relay and Women’s Relay. In the individual competitions, her chances diminished as soon as she missed her first shot - Lou collected a bronze in the Individual, was fourth in the Pursuit, and sixth in the Sprint and Mass Start. As for Franziska Preuss, she won in the Pursuit, was second in the Sprint, 10th in the Individual, and 7th in the Mass Start (with uncompetitive skis).

As our Expert before Nove Mesto Erik Lesser pointed out - apart from winning a less stellar collection of medals, Jeanmonnot’s form was not much behind Preuss’. If World Cup points were rewarded in Lenzerheide, Preuss would have won 237 and Jeanmonnot 210. Before the Sprint-Pursuit programme in Nove Mesto, Preuss has 92 points lead over her French challenger. Transformed into the points won per competition - Preuss won 63 points per competition in the first two World Cup trimesters and Jeanmonnot 56. In the past, they have both finished third twice in Nove Mesto as their career-best finishes in Czechia.

Laegreid vs JT Boe

In Antholz-Anterselva, Laegreid started the Pursuit wearing the yellow bib as the World Cup leader for the third time in his career. Unlike his previous attempts after the opening races of the 2020/2201 and 2021/2022 season, he successfully defended it. Ever being the great sportsman, Laegreid briefly mentioned that he finally had competitive skis only at the end of the World Championships in Lenzerheide. Laegreid won a silver in the Mass Start, an achievement that stays in the shadow of JT Boe’s Sprint and Pursuit golds and Mass Start bronze.

With 630 points still up for grabs in the last three weeks, Laegreid has 48 points lead over JT Boe before the Sprint in Nove Mesto. Sturla and Johannes were in a similar position in Nove Mesto in the 2020/2021 season: in a double-week Sprint-Pursuit program, Laegreid finished fourth, fifth, fifth, and fourth and Boe 11th, second, ninth and second. As for their career-best in Czechia: Johannes won 10 times in Nove Mesto, Sturla once.

U23 thriller

Jeanne Richard (fifth in the Total Score with 526 points), Oceane Michelon (sixth in the Total Score with 495 points), Selina Grotian (seventh in the Total Score with 482 points), and Maren Kirkeeide (11th in the Total Score with 379 points) are locked in the thrilling battle for the women’s U23 Score winner. Michelon outperformed the rest in Lenzerheide and seems the favourite to win.

As for the men’s U23 Score battle, Campbell Wright has 61 points advantage over Vitalii Mandzyn. And he just had a significant career breakthrough in Lenzerheide with two silver medals (plus he finished fourth in the Mass Start).