2022/23 Women’s Biathlon World Cup Preview: Can Roiseland Defend Her Title?

The 2022/23 Women’s Biathlon World Cup starts next week, on the 30th of November with the first race in Kontiolahti. Norwegian Marte Olsbu Roiseland is the defending champion who will try to win the overall title again. She is mentioned among the top favorites in the 2022/23 Women’s Biathlon World Cup preview. Along with the Swedish sisters, Elvira and Hanna Oeberg, and the two-time overall winner, Dorothea Wierer. 

Just like the Men’s Biathlon World Cup, the women’s tournament will also start next week with the first race in Finland. There will be 20 more events in the season, besides the World Championships in February. Norwegian and Swedish athletes have been dominating the women’s competition. After both nations gave 9-9 winners in the overall race. And their athletes can race for the title again.

First of all, the defending champion, Marte Olsbu Roiseland, who won her first overall title last season. But her compatriot, the 2021 champion, Tiril Eckhoff will take a break from competitions following the Norwegian team’s medical advice. In her absence, young talents will try to win the trophy as well. Let’s see the main contenders below. 

Oeberg and Roiseland Are Head-to-head in the 2022/23 Women’s Biathlon World Cup Preview 

Marte Olsbu Roiseland had a brilliant last season after winning the sprint and pursuit World Cup besides the overall title. On top, she also won three gold and two bronze medals in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The question is if she can keep her form and perform at such a high level again in the new season. She was training with the German team and her husband, their coach in the summer. But her preparations were not fully focused. Online sportsbooks in Norway still mention her among the top favorites for the overall title. And offer an odds of 2.75 for her second consecutive victory. 

The runner-up of the previous season, Elvira Oeberg has an even better chance of winning according to the 2022/23 Women’s Biathlon World Cup preview. The younger Oeberg sister had her breakthrough last season. After winning five World Cup events and standing on the podium on 10 occasions.

She also won one gold and two silver medals in the Winter Olympics, showing her skills at the age of only 23. Elvira also performed well in the Swedish Summer Championships but leaked form in more recent events. She is nevertheless a top candidate for the title with an odds of 2.10. 

Other Top Contenders

The older Oeberg sister, Hanna had a slightly disappointing last season after missing out on the podium in the overall race. Her performance in the Winter Olympics was much worse as her best individual result was a 16th-place finish. She did win a gold though as a member of the relay team. Now the 27-year-old Swedish athlete will aim for a better season and fight for the title. If she can improve on her shooting, she can do that. Her odds to win her first overall title are 6.50. 

One of the most experienced athletes on the field, Dorothea Wierer can try to claim back the overall title as well. She has already won it twice before, in 2019 and 2020. But last season she only finished in 9th place. The Italian biathlete won one bronze medal in the Olympics, which was her first individual medal from the Games. After a tough summer training, she won two gold medals in the Summer Biathlon World Championships. Making her another challenger for the title with an odds of 18.00. on 22Bet. 

Online gambling sites in Norway offer the same odds for the victory of Denise Herrmann. The German athlete didn’t have the best season either after finishing only in 10th place in the overall competition. But she won one gold medal in the Olympics and a bronze medal in the relay.

The third-place finisher of the previous season, Lisa Theresa Hauser is also mentioned among the favorites. The Austrian finished on the podium in three World Cup events. But she was out of the top 10 on several occasions. If Hauser can perform more consistently, she can also be in the fight for the overall title. 

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