The first two weeks of the biathlon season are in the books and we’ve seen thrilling competitions, surprising names on the podium and some of last year’s dominant names having a bit of a stuttering start.

On top: Elvira Oeberg and the Swedish Team

The Swedish team has made it a habit to start seasons strongly in the recent past but this year, it seems like they have come into the early stages of this World Cup with extra fire in their bellies.

Elvira Oeberg has started the winter with devastating ski speed, almost taking the Sprint victory despite missing two targets. Despite missing out on the victory the younger Oeberg sister still started the Mass Start in yellow and confirmed she will wear it in Hochfilzen with a thrilling victory.

With Linn Gestblom missing the season and Mona Brorsson having retired, the door has opened up for new Swedish faces and Ella Halvarsson has gone from missing most of 2023-2024 due to Covid-19 to podium contender in no time. Sebastian Samuelsson has been just as lethal on skis as Oeberg but missed a few too many targets. He does take a podium in the Sprint and a victory in the Single Mixed Relay with him as teams leave Finland.

The French Men

After skiing in the shadow of the French Women for most of the 2023-2024 season, the French men have reversed fortunes and have come out of the start gates flying this season, led by Emilien Jacquelin, Quentin Fillon Maillet and Eric Perrot.

A Relay victory was backed up by strong performances in the individual competitions, with victories for Jacquelin and Perrot, whilst Quentin Fillon Maillet’s last loop heroics in the mass start secured a narrow 1-point margin for Perrot in the Total Score and the “maillot jaune”.

On track: Team Germany

While it hasn’t been the behemoth opening of Oestersund 2023 for the German team, a Single Mixed podium, Philipp Nawrath’s 3rd place in the Sprint and Julia Tannheimer’s first flower ceremonies have put Team Germany in a solid place – and perhaps most encouragingly, Franziska Preuss seems in good shape despite missing the opening relay weekend.

Under pressure: Last year’s big names

Lisa Vittozzi, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, Lou Jeanmonnot, Julia Simon and Justine Braisaz-Bouchet just about split all the big titles in Biathlon in the 2023-2024 season – but after this first World Cup stage other names are at the top.

Of course Vittozzi and Tandrevold should be taken out of the equation here given their health struggles. Simon struggled in the Sprint and Short Individual after the Women’s Relay and Braisaz-Bouchet’s shooting seems to have deserted her at the start of the season. It opens up the field and the Women’s Total Score standings looks quite different compared to the 2023-2024 season.

On the men’s side, Tarjei Boe and Johannes Thingnes Boe got off to modest starts compared to their lofty standards – however, Hochfilzen has often been the place that really showed who’s in the Total Score mix and who isn’t.

On the move: IBU Cup’s Norwegian Men and the French Women

While there’s been a lot of change in the World Cup Total Score, the flags in the IBU Cup remain very similar to last winter. Johan Olav Botn, Isak Frey and Martin Uldal put themselves into prime positions to be called upon the World Cup, with Uldal ultimately getting the ticket for Hochfilzen.

In a similar way Paula Botet, Camille Bened and their colleagues pose a serious challenge to some of the names currently on the French World Cup team on the women’s side. And who knows, maybe they’ll join last year’s IBU Cup Winner Oceane Michelon, who is currently in the Blue U23 bib after the first round of competitions in the World Cup.