2022/23 IBU World Cup France Preview for Sprint Races

Image soruce: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The 2022/23 IBU World Cup continues this week in the third location,  Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand, France. Both the men and women biathletes will compete at the Franch resort and aim for a podium finish. The 2022/23 IBU World Cup France preview favors the overall leader, Johannes Thingnes Bo in the men’s sprint race. While Swedish Elvira Oeberg is mentioned as a top favorite in the women’s event in spite of her weaker start to the season. 

The 2022/23 IBU World Cup will arrive at the French resort of Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand this week which hosts the last few events this year. In the men’s competition, a 10km Sprint, a 12,5km Pursuit, and a 15km Mass Start race will be held between 15-18 December. Just like in the women’s race, with slightly shorter distances. Norwegian Joannes Thingnes Bo leads the men’s overall standings. And he is also last year’s winner in the sprint race here. While for a little surprise, French Julia Simon is ahead of everyone in the women’s overall standings. She is not the top favorite to win on home soil though, at least in the sprint event. 

The 2022/23 IBU World Cup France Preview Favors JT Bo in the Men’s Sprint

Johannes Thingnes Bo started the season brilliantly after winning four events out of five, including both sprint races. No wonder online sportsbooks in Norway favor him to win in France again. And offer the smallest odds, 1.67 for his fifth victory of the season. The reigning sprint Olympic champion also won this race last year when he wasn’t in such top form. The three-time overall World Cup champion also leads the overall standings and is on his way to his fourth trophy. His compatriot, Sturla Holm Laegreid can be one of his biggest rivals in the year and this weekend as well. 

The 25-year-old Norwegian finished second and third in the previous sprint events this season. He stands in second place in the discipline’s overall standings and has an odds of 6.40 to get the win now. The 2022/23 IBU World Cup France preview mentions next a local favorite, Emilien Jacquelin with an odds of 9.00. The French athlete got a bronze medal from the 2021 World Championship in this discipline. While he finished fourth in the Sprint World Cup last season. He might get a better result this time though after his runner-up finish in Austria last weekend. Last year’s overall and sprint World Cup winner, Quentin Fillon Maillet didn’t have the best start to the season. He hasn’t finished on the podium yet, but he might do it now with the extra support of the French fans. 

Can Oeberg get her first win of the season?

The women’s field has been more mixed so far after we can find four different winners following the first five events. French Julia Simon has given the most balanced performance so far and leads the overall standings. Sprint is not her strongest discipline though which explains why she is not mentioned in the top favorites. Her odds are still not bad at 10.00 to get her third win of the season. Online gambling sites in Norway offer the smallest odds, 4.50 for the victory of Elvira Oeberg. In spite of the young Swedish athlete’s weaker performance so far. The two-time Olympic silver medallist got one third-place finish in Pursuit and stands in 6th place in the overall standings. 

German Denise Hermann-Wick won the previous sprint race in Austria and leads the Sprint World Cup after two events. The Individual Olympic champion also won the Sprint World Cup in the 2019/20 season. Based on her recent form, she can fight for the podium again this season. Her odds to win the sprint race this weekend are 8.00 on 22Bet. The same odds are offered for the victory of Marketa Davidova. The Czech biathlete finished behind Hermann last weekend and stands in fourth place in the Sprint World Cup. Her strongest discipline is the individual so her victory in sprint would be a small surprise. Unlike the win of Lisa Theresa Hauser who won the first sprint event of the season. The Austrian follows Hermann in second place in the Sprint standings and has an odds of 15.00 to get the win again. 

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