article by Nicholas Pucci
Until the 1980 Lake Placid edition, when the 10 km sprint race was also introduced, biathlon at the Olympic venue consisted of just two events: 20 km and 4×7.5 km relay. And as those American days draw near, Frank Ullrich, champion who comes from the eastern part of Germany, exactly from Trusetal, in Thuringia, where he was born on January 24, 1958, has to his credit a bronze medal in the relay at the 1976 Innsbruck Games and four gold medals at the World Championshipsin the 10 km and in the team exercise both in Hochfilzen in 1978 and in Rupholding in 1979, to which to add a silver in the 20 km always in Hochfilzen and the success in the final classification of the World Cup in 1978. In short, he has the stigmata of the championalso given that in the current year the success in the World Cup is about to be repeated, which will also be followed by those of 1981 and 1982, which dresses him as the big favorite at the Olympics that are about to open in Lake Placid.
So here we are in America, where dreams are chased and sometimes come true, and if the International Federation opts to add the biathlon sprint test to the 20 km race, for Ullrich it really is godsendgiven that of the short distance he is, in fact, the double world champion in office.
It begins on February 16 with the 20 kmand if the wind that blows laterally conditions the performance of the biathletes in the shooting sessions, the heavy toll is paid by champions of the caliber of the East German Klaus Siebert, who made the world title his own in Rupholding, of the Norwegian Odd Lirhus, in his time winner on the long distance in Hochfilzen, and the Finnish Heikki Ikola, vice-Olympic champion four years earlier in Innsbruck, who roll into the rear. After the first stop at the shooting range, the 28-year-old Soviet Anatoly Alyabyev takes the leadwho has a 3″ lead over the Finn Erkki Antila, while Ullrich, penalized by an error, is provisionally ninth with a delay of 33″. The German is very fast on skis, and if he doesn’t tremble at the second polygon, here he is taking the lead with a 1″ lead over Alyabyev, who shoots flawlessly but doesn’t slide quickly on the snow. Everything is decided in the last two shooting sessions, with the Soviet proving to be infallible and Ullrich, penalized by two other errors, able to almost completely recover the two additional penalty minutes, finishing in 1’08″27, exactly 11″ worse than Alyabyev who keeps just enough margin to get to the top neck the gold medal. Ullrich is second ahead of compatriot Eberhard Roesch, who arrives more than 3 minutes late, and sharpens his weapons and skis, it is appropriate to say, waiting for the 10 km race.
On February 19 we return to Mt. Van Hoevenberg Recreation Area for the 10 km race, and for those looking for revenge, it’s the right day. The Norwegian Kjell Sobak, who started with bib number 3, is in the lead after the first shooting session, but it is certainly not with him that Ullrich will have to compete to try to win the longed-for Olympic gold medal. In fact, the East German is already the fastest of all, as well as not missing a beat, and leaps to the lead, 11″ better than the Soviet Vladimir Alikin, with Alyabyev provisionally fifth less than four seconds behind his compatriot. It’s a three-way challenge, the one that is worth a place on the podium, and if Alikin doesn’t fail at the shooting range, he’s not fast enough on skis, as Ullrich manages instead who, despite two aiming errors, completes the course in 10 km in 32’10″69, 42″ better than Alikin who completes the podium together with Alyabyev, third with a delay of 58″.
The biathlon Olympics closes on February 22 with the 4×7.5 km relay, and inevitably we witness yet another challenge between the USSR and East Germany. Alikin and Alyabyev are joined by the legendary Aleksandr Tikhonov, who hangs up his skis and rifle chasing the fourth gold at the Games in the relay, and Vladimir Barnaschov, while Mathias Jung completes the German quartet. Effectively, Alikin already brings a 23″ advantage over the young Jung after the first lap, which Tikhonov noticeably increases to almost 1’30” competing with Siebert. Ullrich is the third fractionist to launch, and if he manages to halve the disadvantage, recovering 47″ from Barnaschov, the infallibility of the Soviets, who do not record even a penalty, produces the final difference, 1’34″03 against 1 ’34″57, with the last fractionist, Alyabyev, who rejects Roesch’s run-up attempt.
The hammer-and-sickle flag flies from Olympia’s tallest flagpole, but at Lake Placid 1980 Frank Ullrich, with 1 gold and 2 silver, confirms himself as one of the greatest biathletes ever.