Olympic Biathlon Men's Relay 2022: The Norwegians keep clinching victories

The Norwegian team has won three of four relay races at the World Cup stages this season. How do you expect the rivals to hold their own against them? We predict that the Norwegians will win gold at the Olympics as well!

Will the Norwegians justify the status of the main favourites?

This season, the Norwegian team is the undisputed leader in the World Cup relay standings. They have been champions in three of the four races, and once, they were two minutes ahead of the closest runner-up. Yes, the Norwegians have been without a win on one occasion, but at that start, in Ruhpolding, they had Aleksander Fjeld Andersen, Sverre Dahlen Aspenes, Johannes Dahle, and Erlend Bjontegaard. Now they will have Sturla Holm Laegreid, Tarjei Bø, Vetle Sjåstad Kristiansen and Johannes Bø. Can you feel the difference?

The whole four whom the Norwegians have entered in the relay are in the top 7 of the World Cup overall standings. No other team has such a stable and strong team, and in Beijing, most of them have already managed to prove themselves. Moreover, the Bö brothers are now dreaming of revenge for their defeat at the last Olympics, where they sensationally lost to the Swedes, but now they have no rivals unless some miracle happens. With this in mind, we are betting on a Norwegian victory in the relay for 1.60.

Russia and France clash

The Russian team is in second place in the relay competition of the World Cup. In each of the four races of the current season, Russian biathletes have climbed onto the podium, which in itself speaks of consistently good team results. In the first stage, the Russians will have Said Karimulla Khalili, who has already gained experience and led the team to victory in the relay in Ruhpolding. Maxim Tsvetkov has already opened at the Olympics in Beijing, where he twice almost got on the podium. The combination of Loginov and Tsvetkov in the relays always looks reliable.

The French team cannot boast such stable results in the World Cup. Indeed, in the two initial relay races, they finished in the top three, but they stayed below the medal line in the two subsequent starts. They will be joined by the incredible Quentin Fillon Maillet, who has already won four medals in Beijing. Still, Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin, and Simon Desthieux have been unable to put their best foot forward at the Olympics, and the two latter failed in the relay in Pyeongchang four years ago. In such a situation, a bet on Russia finishing above France for 2.20 is worth looking into.

Ukraine and Belarus clash

The Belarus men's national team is a team that has made serious progress in recent times. While previously only the women achieved results for this country, the men have stepped up as well. Anton Smolski is among the top ten in the overall World Cup standings, and in Beijing, he has already managed to win silver in the individual race. Dmitry Lazovsky has been in the top ten this season, and Maxim Vorobey and Nikita Lobastov in the individual races have managed without feats, but they are reliable in the relays. That was the team that won the bronze medal in Ruhpolding.

The Ukrainian team does not have such a prominent leader as Anton Smolski of Belarus, who can seriously contribute to the team's standing in the last stage. Yes, Dmytro Pidruchnyi, Anton Dudchenko, Bogdan Tsymbal, and Artem Pryma are all clustered in the World Cup standings, but they are 34-61st, which reflects the current level of their squad. This season they finished fifth in their opening race which has been their best result. As a result, we'd be tempted to bet that the Belarusian team will finish above Ukraine for 2.17.

Expert Betting Tips

• Norway to win the relay - Yes for 1.60;
• Russia/ France - W1 for 2.20;
• Belarus/ Ukraine - W1 for 2.17.