PyeongChang 2018: What to watch on day 7
04.03.2018Paralympic champions in biathlon and snowboard will be decided
Ukraine's Taras Rad won three medals in the World Cup in Oberried
© • Diana Saurer/IPC
Day seven (16 March) of competition at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games will see medal events in biathlon and snowboard, and semi-finals in wheelchair curling.
The last biathlon medals will be awarded on day seven at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre, with six Paralympic champions to be crowned in the long distance (12.5km for women and 15km for men).
The men and women’s sitting competitions will kick off the day. Once again, the USA’s Oksana Masters is the one to watch as she was dominant throughout the World Cup season. But her worst performance on the circuit came in this very event in Oberried, Germany, where she finished ninth. The Worlds bronze medallist will likely face tough competition from Germany’s reigning world champion Anja Wicker. For the men’s sitting, another Germans defending world champion Martin Fleig is a strong favourite. However, Ukrainian teenager Taras Rad could impress on his Paralympic debut following consistent World Cup podium finishes in biathlon.
Standing and vision impaired categories will follow in the afternoon.
France’s world champion Benjamin Daviet won the event at both his World Cups from this season in the men’s standing. Worlds bronze medallist Vitaliy Lukyanenko from Ukraine showed strong form at the last World Cup in Vuokatti, Finland, to win the men’s vision impaired event. In the women’s side, neutral Paralympic athlete Ekaterina Rumyantseva captured the overall biathlon crystal globe, while Ukraine’s Liudmyla Liashenko carries the gold medal from the Worlds in Finsterau, Germany. Ukraine’s Oksana Shyshkova won the vision impaired category at the World Cup Finals. As the defending world champion, she can upgrade her bronze from Sochi 2014.
Snowboard will wrap up at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre, where the first Paralympic banked slalom champions will be crowned; at Sochi 2014, only snowboard-cross was contested.
The USA’s reigning world and recently crowned overall World Cup champion Brenna Huckaby heads the women’s SB-LL1. The Netherlands’ Bibian Mentel-Spee holds the 2017 world title in the women’s SB-LL2 but was not able to compete this season due to cancer treatment. Her compatriot Lisa Bunschoten and Australian overall World Cup winner Joany Badenhorst are in stronger form to run for the gold.
France’s defending world champion Maxime Montaggioni and the USA’s Worlds runner-up Mike Minor have gone back-and-forth this season in the men’s SB-UL. Dutch rider Chris Vos owns the world title, but the USA’s Mike Schultz has had a strong year to finish with the overall men’s SB-LL1 World Cup title. The men’s SB-LL2 will be a tight challenge among Japan’s overall World Cup winner Gurimu Narita, the USA’s Sochi 2014 medallists Mike Shea and Evan Strong, and Finland’s world champion Matti Suur-Hamari.
Semi-finals take place, with the No. 1 team from the round-robin stages facing the No. 4 team, and No. 2 versus the No. 3 team.
This is a rest day for the teams competing for medals. Meanwhile, two games will be played to determine the No. 5-8 placements.
Every competition as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies can be watched live right here on the International Paralympic Committee’s website. Highlights of each day’s action will also be made available.
Tickets for PyeongChang 2018 can be purchased here.
