Held in Otepää on 22–25 August, the IBU Summer Biathlon World
Championships have brought several of the world's top biathletes to the
Tehvandi Sports Center. The athletes have already had time to get thoroughly
acquainted with the tracks and the shooting range at Tehvandi, and their first
impressions are very good.
Otto Invenius of the Finnish biathlete team praised the tracks at Tehvandi Sports
Centre and declared these to be some of the best he has had the opportunity to
compete at. "The track here suits me very well. There are not many climbs, but then
again, you have to work all the time. There's nowhere to hide here," Invenius
commented on venue of the competition. He has been to Otepää several times
already, so he feels home at Tehvandi. "It even reminds me a little bit of Finland,"
Invenius added.
The biathlete Fabien Claude of the French team also found Tehvandi tracks to be
perfect for a summer biathlon. "The tracks work well for me because while the climbs
are not steep, you have to keep the momentum up at all times,” said Claude. He
added that a windy shooting range can change the course of the competition. "I
cannot really predict my form because I'm not used to competing in the summer. But
I feel good and hope to make the most of each competition day," Claude said.
The Belgian biathlete Lotte Lie also praised the conditions at Tehvandi. "The track is
technically challenging. You have to be fast and work all the time," Lie said. Despite
not having competed this summer, Lie feels optimistic."I hope I can do what I've
been training for," she said. Lie, too, thinks windy weather can play a crucial role in
the competitions. "However, it is very convenient here to enter the shooting range, so
you just need to be quick and clean to secure yourself a place among the best.
Otepää is a nice place—the weather is good and the atmosphere is also supportive,"
Lie commended.
During the four days of competition, 12 Summer Biathlon World Champion titles will
be awarded. Spectators can cheer on the athletes from both the shooting range
grandstand and the track. In the evenings, you can enjoy concerts by Nublu, Curly
Strings and Põhja-Tallinn. More information is available on the competition website
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