As the fastest on the skis and on the shooting range Today’s Sprint was perhaps my best performance ever I skied fast and went all-in on the shooting range I joked with Sivert that 13 is the lucky number for Norway in Brezno Oscar Lombardot of France showed glimpses of improving shape Marco Barale of Italy used his flawless performance on the shooting range to his advantage and finished fifth missed one shot and rounded up the flower ceremony who got sick during the Christmas break and missed all five competitions in 2025 Frey took complete control of the Total Score battle Johansen of Norway delivered a flawless performance finishing first with a time of 19:53.4 and no penalties Voldiya Galmace Paulin from France also displayed strong form the Short Individual winner Karoline Erdal of Norway finished third THE WINNER’S WORDS - MARTE KRAKSTAD JOHANSEN I put together an almost perfect race today for my first IBU Cup win of the season I found an excellent balance between fast skiing and focused shooting I feel ready for the Open European Championships in Martell-Val Martello came in fourth with a clean shooting record and a time gap of 32.3 seconds from the winner hitting nine of ten targets and trailing by 36.2 seconds with one penalty and a 52.0-second deficit Galmace Paulin edged closer to the Total Score leader Camille Bened who didn’t compete today The IBU Cup season 2024/2025 continued today in Brezno-Osrblie with a 15km short individual competition for men took first place today in the men’s 15km short individual race in Brezno-Osrblie with a total time of 40:14.9 and one missed shot (0-0-1-0) Isak Frey completed the Norwegian podium in third place 41.6 seconds behind the winner and three missed shots (1-1-1-0) Complete results can be found HERE and HERE Also Read – Biathlon: Ruhpolding World Cup and Brezno-Osrblie IBU Cup – Program, start lists and start times for Wednesday Wednesday, January 15: 12.5km/15km Short Individual (More information can be found HERE)   Friday, January 17: 7.5km/10km Sprint (More information can be found HERE)   Saturday, January 18: Mixed Relay (W+M) and Single Mixed Relay (W+M) (More information can be found HERE and HERE)   the biathlon IBU Cup heads to Italy (Open European Championships in Martell-Val Martello and IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna) the 2024/2025 IBU Cup season ends with two stages in Estonia (Otepää) Also Read – IBU Cup: Biathlon calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season Are you interested in biathlon? Click HERE and read more about it REGISTER HERE AS A MEMBER Biathlon | “The five girls in Group A are protected”: the last two World Cup places will be up for grabs early next winter Biathlon: the selection of the Austrian national team for the 2025/2026 training season Biathlon | Nordic skiing : for the Olympic winter the French teams will once again be changing their overalls Biathlon | “Joining this group is a step forward in my project” : Bressaud Martin Botet talks about his arrival in the French B team Biathlon | “It was a tiring race”: Johannes Thingnes Boe reflects on his participation in the Grue Halvmaraton Cross-country skiing : Linn Svahn back in training after concussion Cross-country skiing: the selection of the Swedish national team for the 2025/2026 season Cross-country skiing : Gustav Kvarnbrink’s fright after being hit by a car while training Cross-country skiing | Nordic skiing: the composition of the Austrian team for the 2025/2026 season Cross-country skiing | “It’s really nice to see progress” Jessie Diggins gives her news following plantar fasciitis Nordic combined: eleven Norwegians in the elite national team for the 2025/2026 season Nordic combined: the composition of the French teams for the 2025/2026 season Nordic combined: Ivar Stuan remains Norway’s boss for another 2 years… with an option until 2030 Nordic Combined: Florian Schabereiter becomes head coach of the Austrian women’s national team Nordic combined | Mo i Rana: Ida Marie Hagen and Jens Luraas Oftebro crowned Norwegian mass start and gundersen champions Ski jumping | “Not the season I imagined” Ski jumping: Slovenia’s Bine Norcic takes over from Rune Velta at the helm of the Swiss team Ski jumping: Thomas Thurnbichler to coach Germany’s B team Ski jumping: the make-up of the French teams for the 2025/2026 season… with newcomer Louis Obersteiner and leaders Joséphine Pagnier and Valentin Foubert Ski jumping: Rune Velta decides to step down as Switzerland coach Rollerskiing | ASOP and Thomas Joly launch the HautDoubsLoppet a 42 km classic ski-wheel race: first edition on 27 July Rollerski | Soldier Hollow: the Schutzenski Festival free sprint for Jessie Diggins and Reid Goble Rollerski | Soldier Hollow: Luke Jager and Rosie Brennan win the individual classic at the Schutzenski Festival Rollerski | “There are many reasons”: why didn’t Arnaud Du Pasquier’s third Dupaski Festival take place this weekend Rollerskiing | “It’s very reassuring”: the satisfaction of Mathis Desloges after winning the French individual classic title in La Bresse Vu de Trondheim #2: Jarl Magnus Riiber stripped of his title From Trondheim #1 : Marit Bjoergen head coach for women’s sprint Vu de Norge #451 : Sturla Holm Lægreid stands up against homophobia Vu de Norge #449 : Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen improves his rifle Planète Nordic #29: Oleksandra Merkushyna appreciates Julia Simon’s gesture Planète Nordic #23 : Norwegian cross-country skiers take on footballer Erling Braut Haaland on his recovery techniques dog’s name… at the Tour de Ski Planète Nordic #21 : Sebastian Samuelsson donates his race number to Dmytro Pidruchnyi in support of Ukraine Nordic Planet #20 : Dorothea Wierer could do nothing about the individual short in Kontiolahti after suffering a back injury Discover the names of the Norwegian biathletes selected for the IBU Biathlon Cup in Brezno-Osrblie (Slovakia) from Wednesday to Saturday Once again, Norway’s IBU Cup team will be formidable this week in Brezno-Osrblie (Slovakia). For this fifth stage of the B circuit, the Norwegian Biathlon Association has selected Sverre Dahlen Aspenes Joergen Sæter and Vetle Paulsen on the men’s side The women’s team includes Tuva Aas Stræte Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. theNorwegian Ski Association unveiled the make-up of its national Nordic combined team for the 2025/2026 training season The last two women's tickets for the start of the biathlon World Cup will be awarded in November Discover the full composition of the Austrian biathlon team for the 2025/2026 season the equipment supplier to the French biathlon and Nordic ski teams Among the new biathletes in the federal group for the 2025/2026 preparations is Martin Botet A native of the Vosges who lives in Savoie,.. A few days after completing the Halvmaraton in 1h20m19 Johannes Thingnes Boe gave his first reaction to the Norwegian media Camille Grataloup-Manissolle and Antonin Delsol tell Nordic Magazine how delighted they are to be joining the men's Excellence 2030 group for the.. Océane Michelon talks to Nordic Magazine about her magnificent 2024/2025 season with a 12.5km short individual event for women After a fast day on the tracks and shooting range took first place in the women’s 12.5km short individual race in Brezno-Osrblie with a total time of 38:00.2 and one missed shot (0-0-1-0) 48.4 seconds behind the winner and clean shooting (0-0-0-0) Complete results can be found HERE and HERE Also Read – Biathlon: Ruhpolding World Cup and Brezno-Osrblie IBU Cup – Program, start lists and start times for Wednesday  FACTS IBU Cup Brezno-Osrblie 2024/2025 The Slovak basketball talent weaving towards the NBA a Ukrainian working in the Slovak corporate world We've made it to weekend! Good evening and welcome to the Friday, March 14 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes Czech news channel CNN Prima News has faced repeated criticism in recent years for spreading pro-Russian narratives. In recent months, it has also featured a correspondent with past ties to Russian media who reported for the channel from the United States is a supporter of Donald Trump and has commented on Slovak affairs including last year's assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico she echoed Republican criticism of Volodymyr Zelensky’s appearance in the White House and repeated Trump’s vastly exaggerated figures for the amount of aid that the USA has sent to Ukraine White previously stated on her LinkedIn profile that she worked for RIA-Novosti, a state-owned Russian news agency that publishes Kremlin propaganda (including, a very premature victory announcement following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022) a Russian diplomat referred to White as a correspondent for Sputnik She is still listed as a Sputnik correspondent on the United Nations Correspondents Association website White has recently turned her attention to Slovakia she commented on the political situation in Slovakia She claimed that Slovak NGOs are organising a "coup" and should be held accountable She also referenced to the attempt on Fico’s life in May 2024 White shared a video of a Fico speech along with an English translation of a letter he sent to Musk in which he requested information from the billionaire Trump adviser about alleged US funding of NGOs in Slovakia through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) White previously praised Fico after his speech about halting military and financial aid for Ukraine Writing on X: "Unlike the rest of Europe Slovakian PM Fico Calls For End of Support to Ukraine," adding that Fico believes Trump will restore global peace Weekend: Explore, play, read, shop, or immerse yourself in a Lord of the Rings-inspired atmosphere – discover how to make your weekend unforgettable and full of adventure Opinion: From awkward open mics in Bratislava to booking Louis C.K., read about the journey of Oscar Brophy – who is also a Slovak Spectator writer – through the unpredictable world of stand-up comedy finding your voice is the hardest – and funniest – part Good news: Slovakia has a new social network for hikers, the wild aurochs has made a comeback, and what meme took over the Slovak internet this week – read our selection of feel-good stories to brighten up your rainy Friday Basketball: Slovakia’s rising basketball star Sebastián Rančík is making waves in the U.S. outshining an NBA draft pick – could he be the next Slovak to reach the big league Slovak koruna: Slovaks are still holding billions in old banknotes denominated in Slovak crowns which went out of general circulation in 2009 They remain unreturned years after Slovakia switched to the euro – but can still be exchanged If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, please consider buying our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia People usually have only the vaguest idea what people in business and shared service centres do. So did Anastasiia, a young Ukrainian, who started her career at Zurich Insurance in Bratislava. Her journey from Ukraine to Slovakia is a story of growth Find out how she navigated a corporate world she had never imagined herself in – and why she sees her future there Their similar names can easily confuse foreigners, but what about their footballing skills? For the first time since 2021, Slovenia will face Slovakia in a football match Make sure to grab your tickets ASAP to witness these two near-namesakes go head-to-head the Slovak National Assembly declared the creation of the Slovak State the Post Bellum memorial organisation held a commemoration at Bratislava's Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Square emphasising the importance of remembering this dark chapter in the country's history Historian Ivan Kamenec highlighted the regime's genocidal consequences A video installation by artist Ján Šicko at the SNP monument visually represented the human cost of the regime Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák did not include a property his wife purchased in Croatia in his asset declaration he stated that his earnings fully cover the property's value and that his family could afford it due to his long business career arguing that privacy laws protect family information and accused opposition politicians of intruding into his personal life Kaliňák also criticised parliamentary committee head Veronika Remišová for allegedly disclosing confidential details from the asset declaration – Ľubica are this weekend's lucky ones celebrating their name days Do not forget to congratulate them on Saturday If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram(@slovakspectator) The biathlon season 2024/2025 continues this Wednesday in Ruhpolding with the World Cup 20km individual for men and in Brezno-Osrblie with the IBU Cup 12.5km/15km short individual competitions for women and men The 2024/2025 biathlon World Cup continues this Wednesday in Ruhpolding with the start list and start times for the men’s 20km individual competition Wednesday, January 15: 20km Individual M (More details can be found HERE) The start list can be found HERE and HERE   Read More – Biathlon World Cup: Complete program for Ruhpolding FACTS Ruhpolding Biathlon World Cup Season 2024/2025 Thursday, January 16: 15km Individual W (More details can be found HERE) Friday, January 17: 4×7.5km Relay M (More details can be found HERE) Saturday, January 18: 4x6km Relay W (More details can be found HERE) Sunday, January 19: 12.5km/15km Mass Start (More details can be found HERE) the biathlon World Cup heads to Antholz-Anterselva (Italy) Lenzerheide (Switzerland) for the World Championships the 2024/2025 World Cup season ends in Oslo (Norway) Also Read: Biathlon World Cup and World Championships: Calendar for the 2024/2025 winter season The 2024/2025 IBU Cup continues this Wednesday in Brezno-Osrblie with the 12.5km/15km short individual competitions for both women and men respectively Wednesday, January 15: 12.5km/15km Short Individual (More information can be found HERE)   Start lists can be found HERE FOR MEN and HERE FOR WOMEN Sitting in the kitchen I think back to all the times I set off from home more motivated than ever to spend a couple of days in the mountains So what motivates us to drive for hours on end and invest so much physical and mental energy it's because we know the result will be unique and beautiful Thinking back to the “summits" I've reached I often remember a sort of “mute” satisfaction; a sense of emptiness leaving behind a beautiful adventure that had been thought of days or months earlier I’ve come to understand that the beauty of every adventure starts with that little that slowly grows and becomes enriched with details but then if shared with friends it gains strength and transforms into the group’s main goal I’ve got plenty of ideas but each one needs to wait for the right moment in order to develop into its very best… And this most recent idea came about in the blink of an eye; I knew it was there somewhere although it never really had time to mature Nicola Bertoldo and I had planned to do something together for a few days when we’d spent 3 days on Civetta in the Dolomites climbing the Solleder-Lettenbauer route This year we had enough ideas but the weather in early March wasn't the best and so we went from discussing plan A to plan B.. What can you do if it's snowing and windy outside So the idea was to climb Brezno pod Velbom one of the deepest karst caves in the world abandoning the certitude of a fixed rope to continue abseiling into the void aware that climbing the ice would be beautiful but above all obligatory in order to return to the light of day and fresh air but we all know that adventure is synonymous with unexpected twists and turns.. Although we'd never done a similar abseil before we nevertheless all kept our innermost fears to ourselves and were encouraged to see the others calm and collected We buried the big haulbag to which we’d anchored our rope which enabled us to rappel the first 100 metres but this soon narrowed down and became claustrophobic at -30m where the ice and pressed snow drip began to appear in the shaft Further down the diameter of the shaft increased we were were now left with only two 60m half ropes rigged a belay with screws and we followed trying to imagine the best line of ascent as we cleaned off some of the surface ice Once at the belay we exchanged a few words and pulled the ropes in order to do the next abseil our head torches illuminated incredible rock and ice flows above us The shaft continued to plummet downwards but we stopped here the ice below seemed less thick and 300 meters above our heads were more than enough you feel like talking quietly and paying extreme attention to where you place your feet but then when Nicola's ice axes and crampons begin to crack the ice The head torch starts to climb ascend and becomes smaller and smaller as it edges off into the darkness Those who climb focus on nothing but those few surrounding square meters the ambient is intimate and the noises muffled if it weren't for the crashes that come when the falling ice finally smashes something deep below supported by Sara Segantin and Leonardo Comelli Maddie Phaneuf of the United States claimed the first medal of her career in international biathlon competition on Wednesday winning a bronze medal in the IBU Cup’s women’s 12.5-kilometer short individual race in Brezno-Osrblie The previous career-best performance for the New York Ski Education Foundation biathlete from Old Forge was a fourth-place finish in a 7.5k sprint in Arber Phaneuf had been knocking on the podium door before finally breaking through in Slovakia In the 13 races she competed in since heading to Europe in January the 25-year-old had a pair of top-10s and two more top-15 results prior to the third-place performance that saw her finish 26.2 seconds behind the winner who shot clean and completed the course in 38 minutes Phaneuf was the only non-German in the top five Hanna Kebinger had a perfect day at the range and finished runner-up 6.9 seconds back of her victorious teammate Marion Deigensesch placed fourth — 2.1 seconds behind Phaneuf’s podium performance — and Anna Weidel rounded out the top-5 “I’ve dreamed of landing on the podium for many years now and can say the wait was worth it!” Phaneuf posted on her website Feeling strong on the skis with the 19th fastest ski time and shooting was nearly perfect with only 1 mistake out of 20 shots.” Lake Placid’s Lucy Hochschartner was 66th and Mikayla Maier finished in 78th place in a field of 82 biathletes who completed the race Brezno is the second of three sites hosting IBU Cup events this winter and there are two more women’s competitions scheduled there this week with a 7.5k sprint slated for Saturday followed by a 10k pursuit race on Sunday The third and final IBU Cup stop of the season will take place Ridnaun-Val Ridanna In addition to competing in IBU Cups in Germany and Slovakia this winter Phaneuf — a 7-year veteran of the US Biathlon National Team — has been in a World Cup race in Kontiolahti Finland and the European Championships in Duszniki Zdroj In Wednesday’s men’s 15k short individual IBU Cup race at the same venue Goessling missed three targets while finishing 3:37.9 behind the winner Vincent Bonacci finished 63rd and Luke Brown placed 77th LAKE PLACID — Registration for the first-ever event on the Adirondack Rail Trail — Sunday Copyright © 2025 Adirondack Publishing Company | https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com | 54 Broadway The wind didn't calm down at all during the 3-hour break and the ladies had to shoot in the same bad conditions as the men three hours earlier Ida Lien was the only one of the top ten who didn't make any mistakes in the first two shootings and by the third shooting her advantage had reached 1 minute But two penalties and she is already sharing the lead with Maren Kirkeeide with Emily Kankenberg just 10 seconds behind all three Norwegians did not dare to start shooting for a very long time even one miss for Kirkeeide and Kalkengberg is a success Never seen such a difference in speed on the descent- Lien just passed Fichtner Skottnheim and Merkushina made a good breakthrough Biathlon Quiz 2020 Quiz #4: What do you know about Pokljuka and Slovenian team Quiz #3: What do you know about biathlon rules and about previous season? Quiz #2: Can you recognize non-stars biathletes? Quiz #1 - Guess biathlete by child photo Biathlon Holmenkollen results - women's mass start 23/03/2025 Biathlon Holmenkollen results - men's pursuit 22/03/2025 Biathlon Holmenkollen results - men's sprint 21/03/2025 Biathlon Pokljuka results - single mixed relay 16/03/2025 Biathlon Pokljuka results - men's individual 13/03/2025 Biathlon Pokljuka results - women's individual 13/03/2025 Biathlon Lenzeheide results - men's mass start 23/02/2025 Biathlon Lenzeheide results - women's mass start 23/02/2025 Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb Enduro European Championship: Albin Elowson wins first day in Brezno The Swede Albin Elowson won the first day of the second round of this year’s European Enduro Championship in Brezno / Slovakia in the overall standings: The Husqvarna rider gradually managed to get ahead of championship leader Kristof Kouble who in the end added up to over half a minute Both riders also won their cubic capacity class Elowson the four-stroke 250cc class and Kouble the junior 2-3 class with the smaller cubic capacity motorcycles who had to overtake some slower riders on the track in front of him otherwise he might have been even better than his fourth place in the overall standings How demanding the track and the special stages were is most evident in the women’s class: there the English rider Nieve Holmes won – although she got an additional penalty minute on the track: “I was in time at the time control in time but I still had to refuel,” said the Sherco rider who switched from motocross to enduro only two years ago “I drove more cautiously and looked more closely so that I wouldn’t make any mistakes in the tests,” she revealed her secret recipe That worked because the demanding specials offered many opportunities for mistakes The women also had to fight hard on the track just three of the 13 female riders remained without penalty points But because bad weather is predicted for the second day the organiser has installed some defusing measures on the stage as well as in enduro and extreme tests Live timing here More information and schedules, results and links here | Copyright 2025 FIM Europe | Terms of use - Privacy statement | won for Norway in today’s Mixed Relay in Brezno-Osrblie in 1:16:44.2 and Felicia Lindqvist skied two penalty looks and finished third “It was my first Mixed Relay - I used to do Single Mixed Relays in the past - and it was a great experience Isak (Frey) and I opened the competition and wanted to build a strong lead for Juni and Maren and Maren kept her nerves in the standing shooting Kirkeeide found herself alone and lonely in the deciding standing shoot and delivered “It is not easy to shoot for a victory when your teammates before you have done such a great job I focused on myself and avoided any reloads or penalty loops in the end It was great to be part of this team,” chipped in Kirkeeide who each collected one second and fourth place in their individual endeavours in Brezno-Osrblie matched up strongly and took the Single Mixed Relay in 41:47.2 .They had two reloads each Botet fought hard to get the better of Flurina Volken who teamed up with Gion Stalder and brought home a third place for Switzerland I was happy to build a comfortable lead for Frida who was brilliant in the last leg,” said Oeverby Dokken had one reload in the prone and showed no nerves in the last standing stage “I felt some nerves in the last standing shooting as I wanted to bring our good work safely over the finish line It was fun competing with Mats,” said Dokken took first place in the women’s 7.5km sprint race in Brezno-Osrblie with a total time of 19:53.4 and clean shooting (0-0) 26.1 seconds behind the winner and two missed shots (0-2) Complete results can be found HERE and HERE Also Read – Biathlon: Ruhpolding World Cup and Brezno-Osrblie IBU Cup – Program, start lists and start times for Friday "The shooting was not really difficult for me in the Qualification but in the Finals my legs were almost dead After all the mistakes I couldn't imagine losing the battle so I gave everything of myself." - Hristova Hristova posted the fastest skiing time in both qualification and finals I had a lot of fun and I felt very strong on the skis I tried not to think too much when I missed the last shot because a lot of guys didn't shoot clear." - Gunka the Senior competitions in Brezno-Osrblie will begin with the Super Sprints for the Men and the Women Both the Czech and the Ukrainian teams are starting with their full A-team (minus Dmytro Pidruchnyi who broke his arm) and will be in the hunt for the medals All senior competitions at the Summer Biathlon World Championships will be broadcast live on www.eurovisionsports.tv/ibu/ - the full competition schedule can be found here Albert Camus is believed to have once said that cavers "strive to reach [the depths of a cave] at risk of getting their neck's stuck in a narrow cleft this seems to me [ ...] an undertaking for the perverted or traumatised Who knows how Camus would have answered Alberto Dal Maso had he been in my shoes and heard Alberto talk about his project of climbing the long sliver of ice inside a dark cave on the Slovenian side of Mount Kanin the entrance is located at 2050m above sea level and it drops 910 meters down in the mountain’s belly but it’s certainly not a record; what is a record though is the size of the first chamber which is up there among some of the biggest in the world I’ll mention the fact that this immense cavity is lined by an almost continuous strip of ice which clings to its walls from -50m down to -350m An undertaking of this sort involves the use of caving techniques step one: transport 500 meters of ropes to the entrance Endless walks from Bovec across the plateau are all part of the game:6 hours breaking through the snow After two forays to transport gear and equip the cave finally on 21 March we were ready to climb There were only four of us: I was going to climb while Alberto was going to jumar up the fixed ropes I’d anchor to the belays Leonardo Comelli would document the climb with his camera while young Sara Segantin was in charge of lighting since this was one of her first times caving the temperatures were very low; inside the ice was a transparency I’d never seen before but unfortunately we were then forced to retreat This time the first ascent team is joined by climbers from Brescia: my friend Andrea Tocchini (nicknamed Anello) and Matteo Pota Rivadossi Matteo really needs no introduction and he’d already been here at Velb in 2005 and had imagined the climb but poor conditions had forced him to abandon his attempt: simply too dangerous But today things are quite different and the ice graciously accepts out ice axes Which makes it one of the longest and most continuous ice climbs in the Eastern Alps Rivadossi suggested he toprope the section that led to the cave’s exit This tuned out to be an enticing and delicate dry tooling pitch A dozen bolts would be needed to lead this pitch safely instead of toproping it The ascent of this icefall was the result of a collective effort from Trieste-Slovenia-Holland and Italy’s Carnia-Belluno-Trentino-Brescia it’s a good representation of typical caving outing is above all a team effort where what counts above all isn’t the individual performance Our group proved to be very close-knit: moral was always high What remains therefore is above all the memory of an unforgettable experience from the human point of view Norway was objectively stronger than all the other teams and even Johan Botn did relatively well in his stage - 3 extra rounds The rest of the Norwegians spent another 3 rounds Guiraud-Poillot dropped his team to 8th place but then Guigonna and Michelon corrected the situation and Bened at the last leg almost forced the fight on the Norwegian Maren Kirkeide because not very well-known biathletes competed there: Romanin Today almost all teams were forced to run penalty loops In addition to the leading France and Norway After a series of missed podiums during the two weeks in Brezno-Osrblie Camille Bened of France pulled off a perfect performance and finishing in 19:51.2 as well as being among the fastest on the course Bened claimed a well-deserved first-ever IBU Cup win after making it to the top six but just missing out on the podium more than once this season Clean-shooting Evgeniia Burtasova of Russia finished second the men's competition was postponed until tomorrow the ruling IBU World Junior Champion in the individual Bened has been amongst the favourites throughout the season She started her competition with a confident prone stage just .6 behind Joanne Reid of the USA who was the fastest on the tracks Close to them was also Sweden’s Sara Andersson who was at that time fifth With five athletes within five seconds after the prone stage All needed a clean standing stage to stay in the fight for the shiniest place Bened pushed herself into the lead by the standing stage Bened took her time in standing making it sure that she would take the lead Being an early starter and claiming the early lead she still had to keep an eye on her competitors as most  of the strongest athletes were yet to complete their shooting Reid picked up a penalty while Colombo and Andersson both missed twice Burtasova and Gerbulova however managed to close all the standing targets placing second and third The clean-shooters in the top six included Gilonne Guigonnat of France in fourth place 30.8 seconds back and Norway’s Jenny Enodd in sixth place Men’s sprint postponed until the 15th of January Due to the heavy wind burst at the Brezno-Osrblie biathlon venue the Jury decided to postpone the men's sprint until tomorrow resulting in a schedule change for the final day of the IBU Cup 5 Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates bought a stake in Dutch beer maker Heineken Gates paid around USD 902 million for a 3.76 percent stake in the Dutch company Heineken Holding according to the Dutch Financial Markets Regulatory Authority (AFM) FEMSA is the bottler of Coca-Cola and owner of the convenience store chain Oxxo FEMSA decided to get rid of its Heineken stake after a strategic review of its portfolio In an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit in 2018 "When I end up at something like a baseball game I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers,” Gates said According to financial magazine Forbes' most recent ranking Gates is currently the sixth richest person in the world Heineken is the number one brewer in Europe and the second largest in the world It owns over 165 breweries in over 70 countries in addition to Heineken it also controls Amstel In Czechia, Heineken brands together are number three on the Czech market after Plzeňský Prazdroj and Staropramen breweries Heineken acquired the Starobrno brewery in 2003 They produce 2.5 million hectoliters of beer and cider at the Czech breweries Heineken employs over 500 people in production Your morning coffee deserves a great companion. Why not enjoy it with our daily newsletter? News from Czechia, curated insights, and inspiring stories in English. After two muddy rounds of the European Enduro Championship in 2019 so far Kristof Kouble is establishing himself as favourite for the title – his worst result to date is a second place finish on day one at the previous round in Brezno.  Kouble tops both the overall and the Junior 2/3 class with a 25-point advantage over Albin Elowson Elowson has been fast but has suffered with DNFs so far this season and if it wasn’t for his gearbox failure on day two in Brezno the points standings would look different.  Roni Kytonen leads the Junior E1 class and sits third overall But Roni had a confidence inspiring win in the Junior class at last weekend’s EnduroGP round in Italy so will surely be one to watch The battle for the lead in the 250 two stroke class is tight between Thomas Hostinsky and Maurizio Micheluz Hostinsky leads Micheluz by just three points The previous round was a hell of a ride for the Women’s class Nieve Holmes lands in Latvia with the first place on the points but she’ll have to keep an eye on Hanna Berzelius as they are in a draw on points.  The riders will be completing 180 kilometres and two special tests, one cross test and one enduro test, each day and as weather conditions look better for this round they’ll be happy to leave the mud behind. Keep updated with live timing from Madona More information about the EEC: European-Enduro.com  Photo credit: Robert Pairan + Vision Off Road Media Create a personal Enduro21 account to access our new forum receive exclusive competitions and money saving offers Enduro21 is all about motorcycle enduro and off-road riding. Read more Donations to Enduro21 can make a huge difference to what we do Learn more We're on the lookout for writers, photographers, videographers and enduro enthusiasts, from all around the world. Read more This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse Tower outside Brezno offers views of the Lower Tatras and the Horehronie region Several peaks surrounding the town of Brezno provide tourists with spectacular views of local nature A recently opened lookout tower outside the town grants them a similar experience The 40-metre attraction stands on Horné Lazy Hill in the locality of Banisko and its construction began in December 2018 the tower offers panoramic views of national parks “We are very happy that one of the tallest towers in Slovakia stands just above our town,” Brezno mayor Tomáš Abel told the MY Bystrica regional newspaper. the tower is said to be the second tallest in the country right after a new lookout tower of over 50 metres was constructed in Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras the town created a new educational 700-metre trail explaining to visitors what animals and plants live and grow around Horné Lazy and children can even look forward to wooden animal sculptures and nature lovers will reach the top of Horné Lazy Hill in about an hour The tower is said to be accessible all year round While in the summer tourists can hike or cycle to the area the trails leading to the hilltop should transform into cross-country skiing ones in winter the new attraction is lit at night and can be seen from several directions The construction of the new landmark cost more than €500,000 and the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region (BBSK) contributed a sum of €52,500 to the project “The Horehronie region was one of the poorest regions in the past,” said BBSK chair Ondrej Lunter We are happy to support projects that contribute to making the region more attractive.” The town is also planning to build a water dam in the area of Banisko A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide Maze has area of more than 600 square metres Locals and tourists in Brezno can enjoy a new winter attraction in the square – a snow maze with an area of more than 600 square metres The snow was delivered to the square from the surrounding ski resorts and national biathlon centre “The snow conditions and weather are not ideal so it was crucial to connect forces,” said Petra Ridzoňová Hlásniková from the Regional Organisation of Tourism Horehronie Brezno mayor Tomáš Abel said that the town is trying to bring novelties to the square that would cheer up not only locals but also visitors who are coming to the Horehronie region The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.skSubscribe now for full access Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail) PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk Kosodrevina and Krupová are Chopok Peak cable car stations in central Slovakia A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers for you Slovakia travel guide Chopok will soon come to life with the fifth annual competition for the Grand Prize of Jasná The international krňačky (wooden sledge) race is scheduled for February 24 while the opening ceremony will take place on February 23 at the square in Brezno the southern slopes of Chopok will be conquered by competitors not only from Slovakia but also from the neighbouring Czech Republic and Poland German mountain climbers have also promised to participate," announced the Regional Tourism Organisation (OOCR) Horehronie Region organising the event together with Tatry Mountain Resorts "The folk traditions of our ancestors traditional costumes and a variety of accompanying activities constitute a promise of spectacular entertainment a fun and adrenaline-filled experience for both competitors and spectators," OOCR staff said adding that it is an important event for the entire region They added that the spectators will also participate in various competitions linked directly to the traditions and the primary use of krňačky in the work of our ancestors "The overall atmosphere will be completed by musical singing and dancing performances on a modern and folk note," noted the co-organisers of the opening ceremony during which pairs will compete in the categories of men Registration is scheduled for February 24 from 8:30 to 11:00 in the morning at the boarding station of the Krupová - Kosodrevina cable car "Sledgess will be taken out by the cable car continuously from 9:00 The main export time is from 11:00 until midday which the contestants will receive at registration will be entitled to free lift by cable car The entry fee is €10," explained OOCR They emphasised that the race will take place in the ski resort so the competitors will have to respect this when moving to the start and the general movement around the resort with sledges It will be possible to race only on wooden sledges without plates and slides not bent reptiles (reptiles - typically the crooked shape of the lower part The organisers will check them during registration They recommend a helmet and remind the public that competing under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances will be prohibited It will be possible to travel to and from the races by ski bus from Brezno Bystrianska Dolina valley to Krupová A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundreds of tourist spots A detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? It's impossible with our City Guide stretching between Gemer and Horehronie regions Purple and white flowers are among the first heralds of spring. Many times they "peek out" from under the melting snow cover, the My Novohrad website writes a tower reminiscent of the mill from the Slovak fairytale added to the beauty of the meadows around the farm Many cannot resist and head up the hill to the lookout tower to capture the spring beauty with their camera The view of the snowy Low Tatras is equally renowned it should be remembered that Carpathian saffron is protected by law According to the decree of the Interior Ministry the social value of one flower is calculated at €9.95 believe that there are many more interesting things worth seeing than just the aforementioned lookout tower One is the Educational Trail of Jakub Surovec with a secured path through the Čertova dolina (Devil's Valley) gorge "It leads through the Furmanec Stream equipped with belaying fixed ropes and iron risers in four sections it was passable only for more skilled visitors as driftwood deposits often made it impossible to pass through," reads the information board right next to the main road From there you can turn off to the Salaš Zbojská restaurant or walk up the hill to the wooden viewpoint and the massive statue of the bandit Jakub Surovec A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers for you Slovakia travel guide The reconstruction of the gorge path took place in 2020 The operator of the secured route is the Slovak Paradise National Park Administration It is not recommended for children under 5 years of age to set out on a trip to the gorge Movement is possible individually or alongside guide with expertise you must report to Salaš Zbojská Opéré récemment d'un syndrome des loges le Jurassien Oscar Lombardot intègre la sélection Tricolore pour les épreuves IBU Cup prévues à Brezno-Osrblie.. qui a débuté la saison en coupe du monde avant de redescendre sur le circuit IBU Cup a ensuite fait une pause nécessaire pour retrouver l'ensemble de ses moyens physiques Il a éte opéré en décembre du syndrome des loges Une douleur au niveau du tibia qui le handicapait lors des courses Oscar Lombardot a ensuite reçue une injection d’acide botulique ça m’empêche de m’exprimer à mon plein potentiel expliquait-t-il à l'Est Républicain. Ce n’était vraiment pas facile de courir c’est une décision qu’on a prise avec les membres du staff après la dernière IBU Cup que j'ai fait en décembre." les choses sont visiblement rentrées dans l'ordre puisque Lombardot figure dans la sélection Tricolore pour les épreuves prévues cette semaine à Brezno-Osrblie Camille Bened - Chablais Nordic (Mont Blanc) Sophie Chauveau - Armée Le Grand Bornand (Mont Blanc) Voldiya Galmace Paulin - Villard Sur Boëge (Mont Blanc) Gilonne Guigonnat - Villard sur Boëge (Mont Blanc) Léonie Jeannier - Les Verrières – La Cluse (Massif Jurassien) Amandine Mengin - La Bressaude Section Ski (Massif des Vosges) Rémi Broutier - Bauges Ski Nordique (Savoie) Edgar Geny - Sallanches Tête Noire (Mont Blanc) Théo Guiraud Poillot - Villard sur Boëge (Mont Blanc) Oscar Lombardot - ES Saugette (Massif Jurassien) Gaëtan Paturel - Pays Rochois (Mont Blanc) Two weeks after parliamentary elections I went to Revúca to test some of the hypotheses explaining the election results I wonder how many of the 17 percent of locals who voted for the party of the regional governor Marian Kotleba have noticed that the roads administered by the regional government have not improved at all My colleague turns to a big map of Slovakia right behind his desk and asks where Revúca is Somewhere in Central Slovakia…the finger moves from Banská Bystrica towards East and then slightly down…and here it is the capital of one of Slovakia’s poorest regions despite being located in a beautiful environment nearby the Muránska planina National Park a few caves including one enlisted on UNESCO World Heritage List and a handful of castles Two weeks after parliamentary elections I took my backpack and went to Revúca to test “on the field” some of the hypotheses launched by talking heads on TV screens to explain the elections’ results – displeased citizens gave their protest votes to extreme and “non-standard” political entities After slightly under six hours spent on a bus travelling from Bratislava I reached Revúca on a Friday afternoon The first sight: a nicely reconstructed central square with historical buildings competing for attention with the metal cubicle of a discount supermarket But locals clearly have a sense of humor – just across the street from the bus station a pharmacy called “Cannabis” seems eager to offer some relief to visitors feeling dizzy after travelling on the bumpy narrow roads leading to town near Brezno there are billboards in which his party thanks voters for support and promises not to disappoint them Planning to go to a local community center in Revúca I asked two young people for directions Smartly dressed and standing next to a collection of religious leaflets they quickly asked me what I am looking for on that particular street because “Roma live there There are only blocks of flats full of Roma there” Jesus Christ’s warm eyes staring at us from the cover of one of the booklets almost muttered “love thy neighbour” And off I went to meet them with my experience of covering such topics whispering at the back of my head – here we go again the far right comes to a poor region with a significant Roma community usually long-term unemployed and living on benefits and promises to install what they call law and order struggling with low-paid jobs or on benefits too clap their hands ignoring the fact that the source of all their sorrows I have already seen it many times but what I have never seen in Slovakia is ordinary people taking to the streets to show some solidarity with their fellow Roma when they are targeted Usually only a handful of NGOs and activists issue some statements They have been warning for years about the rise of the extremist movements banking on the so-called “Roma card” And it does not matter if someone lives in Revúca or ran away to richer Bratislava and prefers not to look back I found the community centre closed for the day but around it there were plenty of people eager to tell me their stories; from Dana who must work as a caretaker in Austria to Erik and Mário who although disappointed by Slovak politicians felt compassion for refugees at the Macedonian border “who fled war and live like animals now in the mud” I spoke to local butcher Emil who has no problems with his Roma clients and to a lady owning a glazier shop who despite trying to avoid “getting angry with politicians at 4pm on Friday” delivered a solid analysis of investment opportunities in the region off the record because she seemed to associate the microphone with politicians who made her angry.I met the young owner of a guesthouse who kept on asking why do I think Revúca deserved special attention when there are many towns like that in Slovakia And I was followed around by a young football tennis player who was sure that as a journalist I can persuade Ronaldo to come to Revúca to see him play This is what heaven looks like for any Bratislava-based journalist still interested in talking to ordinary people but who is more often than not told off when trying to do so on the streets of the capital If that journalist is a foreigner then the openness and curiosity of locals is a sweet bonus In 15 minutes in Revúca I have received more questions about my own country than in three months in Bratislava and I know from experience that the level of knowledge on this topic in the Slovak capital is not high even among educated people The day ended with some specialty of the local cuisine which despite a provocative name Gemerské guľky sdynamitom (Gemer style balls with dynamite) proved peacefully tasty Then another kind of cultural shock for the Bratislava-based journalist – the cook improvised some salad for me on the spot I guess he did not know that in Bratislava the rule is to angrily flip through the menu pages to show to the daring customer that the restaurant has only three standard types of salad from which only the cabbage one is in fact available as the kitchen ran out of other types of vegetables This is how a simple salad had suddenly got a special taste was almost as expensive as in the rich and far-way Bratislava maybe as a tribute to the many locals who work north of the Morava River and whose remittances support life back home You can listen to the report from Revúca broadcast by Radio Slovakia International here Anca Dragu is a journalist with Radio Slovakia International, which is available in Bratislava in English on 98.9 FM at 6:30pm and 8:30pm and at www.rsi.sk. The opinions expressed in this blog are her own A CABLEWAY at Chvatimech near the municipality of Valaská in Brezno District celebrated its 55th birthday on February 12 Although it lost its operational licence to carry people 15 years ago fans of the cableway are seeking to have it work again so that skiers and tourists can once again ride up the hill on this technologically-unique facility A CABLEWAY at Chvatimech near the municipality of Valaská in Brezno District celebrated its 55th birthday on February 12 “The idea is to connect two technological monuments – as the historical narrow-gauge forest railway is also in the vicinity,” the operator of the cableway The cableway lies in the Slovenské Rudohorie mountain range on a hill called Chvatimech and is still operational even though the operators forgot to have it undergo an inspection 15 years ago and it lost its license for public operation Hauer leased the cableway in 2003 from a former club of Slovak skiers and tourists knowing that it no longer had a valid license for public transport “So I just transported cargo up the hill and from time to time also several tourists an inspection stopped me from doing that.” Hauer tried to save the cableway through Slovak authorities but failed and then turned to the International Museum of Cableways in Germany in Berlin “They came here and as soon as they saw the facility they were astonished with the unique technology we have preserved here.” The Museum issued a certificate that Chvatimech cableway is a technological monument is over 600 metres long and covers a vertical drop of about 280 metres “Its approximate transport capacity is 120 people per hour,” Ján Palinský adding that “the wonderful thing about this cableway is that as early as the 1950s people didn’t have to unfasten their skis when using it.” Skiers arriving at the bottom station could immediately mount the chairlift and leave it in an equally comfortable way at the top station He explained that the cableway has a unique construction style The motor system - a reel - is also different from standard cableways and was originally meant for sea ships “This should be proof of how perfect and inventive in engineering our grandparents were,” Palinský said The facility was built by volunteer ski fans in about two years “This was not an official construction and we did it as volunteers,” said one of the cableway’s builders Their decision to start building the lift was also influenced by a ski slope nearby as in 1950 the Slovak Championship in downhill skiing was held there The father of the project was Gábor Ťatliak a technical designer in the Strojárne Piesok machine works .