After last week’s post where I looked at the athletes that were trending upwards at the end of last season in the men’s field, this week it’s the women’s turn. As a reminder, I’m not looking at the women who I think have the best shot at winning the globe, but those who you would least expect to go for the globe, based on their results in the latter stages of last season. The points per Race averages for the women were as follows:
Eckhoff and to a lesser degree Roeiseland were well above the rest of the field, but after that, it gets a lot closer. Both Preuss and Alimbekava had solid ends to their season…
… but they could not really be considered outsiders, landing in 3rd and 5th place for the season in the Points per Race stat. The same goes for Hanna Oeberg and Hauser, although the end of their seasons wasn’t as good:
That brings me to athletes who could be a surprise next year. How about Yuliia Dzhima and Hana Sola? Dzhima tapered off right towards the end, but Sola (who came from lower rankings) had a strong finish to the season:
Tandrevold and Herrman are two athletes who have been good in the last couple of years but just don’t seem to be right at the top. They wouldn’t be shockers but at the same time, it would be nice to see them take the final hurdle and challenge for the top spots. The last outsider would be Kaisheva, who was consistent all season and improving towards the end. If she can keep that trend going in the upcoming season, she could be someone to watch out for:
What are your thoughts, and who are your outsiders for next season? Let me know in the comments, or on Twitter (@biathlonanalyt1)!