Leif Nordgren continues to climb the results list in the World Junior Biathlon races held in Tornsby, Sweden with today’s 6th place result. After placing just outside the top ten in Thursday’s individual race, Nordgren improved his shooting in today’s Junior 10km sprint race by taking just one penalty.
Nordgren finished 47.4 seconds behind winner Evgeny Petrov (RUS) who shot cleanly, just 8 seconds off the pace of third place finisher Tom Barth (0,1) of Germany and 45 seconds down to second place finisher Manuel Mueller of Germany (0,1).
Nordgren will work off today’s results when he races in tomorrow’s pursuit.
Canada’s Scott Gow also qualified for tomorrow’s pursuit by finishing 21st with two penalties.
Junior Women
Maren Hammerschmidt (GER) won the women’s Junior 7.5 race with clean shooting. This was her third World title. Sophie Boilley of France took second with one penalty, and Synnøve Solemdal of Norway had three penalties to finish 43.5 seconds back in third place.
Yolaine Oddou of Canada was the top American finisher in 31st place. With two penalties, she was just 4.3 seconds outside the top thirty. The top U.S. finishers were Grace Boutot and Addie Byrne, taking 45th and 46th place with two penalties each.
Youth Men
In the Men’s Youth 10km sprint, Casey Smith was the top U.S. finisher, in 32nd place. He missed the top 30 by just over 2 seconds and had one penalty. The race winner was Johannes Kuhn of Germany(0,1). Aleksander Rechenkin (RUS) was second (1,1) and Vetl Sjastad Christiansen (NOR) was third(1,1).
Other U.S. Results: Casey Smith, 32nd (0,1); Eathan Dreissagacher ,45th (0,3); Raileigh Goessling, 69th (2,2); Conrad Roberts, 75th (3,2)
Youth Women
Russia’s Elena Badanina, second place in Thursday’s individual race, won today’s 6km sprint by dropping all of her targets. Ingela Andersson of Sweden was second with one penalty, finishing 17 seconds back. Monika Honjnisz (POL) took third, also with one penalty.
Canada’s Marie-Rose Cote, who had taken a bronze in Thursday’s individual race, continued her streak of clean shooting today but was unable to crack the top ten. Cote finished in 13th place, 1:23.2 off the winning pace and 45.2 seconds down to third place. Teammate Julia Ransom was not far behind, placing 15th with two penalties.
No other Americans made the top 30. Other U.S. finishers were: Afton Snyder, 57th (1,1); Kelly Kjorlien, 58th (1,1); Andrea Mayo, 65th (1,2); Silke Hynes, 71st, (1,2).
