Nathaniel Herz – Page 20

Bailey Blunder Likely Costs Him Top-20, Mass Start Spot

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 12, 2011

After some strong results in last weekend’s races in Presque Isle, Lowell Bailey appeared to be on his way to another solid finish in Fort Kent. Through two of four shooting stages in Saturday’s 12.5 k pursuit, the American had just one penalty, and had moved up substantially from his starting bib of 31. As he skied into the range for the third time, he unslung his rifle, and looked down for his next clip....

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Germans Sweep Fort Kent Podium; Studebaker Clean in Second Straight Sprint

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 11, 2011

Northern Maine is best known for its ties to Scandinavia—both New Sweden and Stockhom are within striking distance of the biathlon venues in Fort Kent and Presque Isle. But in the raw conditions for Friday’s 7.5 k World Cup sprint, it was the German women who felt more at home in Fort Kent. Battling through frigid temperatures and a swirling breeze, Andrea Henkel led her country to a sweep of the top three, with Miriam...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

Svendsen Sensational in World Cup Return in Fort Kent

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2011

For Emil Hegle Svendsen, it was admittedly a bit of a gamble to fly to the U.S. from his home country of Norway, for a single weekend of racing. “It’s always a risk,” he said. But after his first of three World Cup races in Fort Kent, the trip has already paid off, thanks to the $15,000 Svendsen will collect for his win in Thursday’s 10 k sprint. A candidate to represent Norway in the...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Mixed Results for N. American Men in Fort Kent; Perras Hits Career Best

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 10, 2011

Fort Kent is only 50 miles from Presque Isle, but competitors in the biathlon World Cups were greeted with an entirely different environment when the circuit picked up and moved northward on Monday. Swirling winds and grinding courses were the challenges in Presque Isle; frigid temperatures and one massive hill welcomed athletes in Fort Kent. On the Canadian and American teams, members hail from locations across the entire continent—from Lake Placid and Quebec to Alberta...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Rugged Racing on Tap for Fort Kent World Cup

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 9, 2011

Cold snow, Spartan living, and one wicked long, wicked steep hill—welcome to Fort Kent. “Reminds me of Russia,” said Norwegian biathlete Tarjei Boe, the leader of the men’s overall World Cup standings. After a week in the relative metropolis of Presque Isle, the biathlon World Cup circuit has now moved to the small town of Fort Kent, in Maine’s northern-most reaches, for three more races. Both women and men will race a sprint, a pursuit,...

General Juniors News Olympics Racing US Ski Team World Cup

From Team Smigun to Team USA

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 9, 2011

Traces of skiing legends are all over Otepaa, Estonia, where American athletes were contesting the cross-country World Junior and U-23 Championships in late January. Framed posters of the country’s Olympic medalists were scattered near the entrance to the venue, in the “Park of Estonian Skiing Heroes.” Jaak Mae’s Mercedes Benz was parked across the way. But inside the American service cabin, in the guise of a pudgy, unassuming figure at one of the wax tables,...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Scottie Pippen Could Make Fort Kent Appearance

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 8, 20112

There’s plenty of star power already in Fort Kent, in the form of the European athletes preparing for this weekend’s biathlon World Cup. But if everything goes according to plan, there will be at least one more celebrity on the sidelines on Friday and Saturday: former Chicago Bulls basketball player Scottie Pippen. “Right now, we’re planning for a visit from Scottie Pippen,” said Nancie Thibodeau, the event director for the Fort Kent World Cup. Pippen,...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

French Biathlete Boeuf to Race World Champs Sprint in Oslo

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 7, 2011

Alexis Boeuf didn’t have to sprint to win Sunday’s World Cup biathlon pursuit in Presque Isle, since his margin of victory was a decisive 10 seconds. But if the event had come down to a last-minute drag race, it’s unlikely that Boeuf would have had much trouble dispatching his competition. The 24-year-old Frenchman is a talented sprinter. How talented? Well, in December, he raced in a cross-country World Cup sprint in Davos, Switzerland, and qualified...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Berger Takes Women’s Pursuit in Presque Isle; Studebaker 28th

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 6, 2011

Biathlon is a tough sport to dominate, with millimeters often meaning the difference between a missed target, and a win and second place. But over the past few weeks, Norway’s Tora Berger has still been close to unstoppable, with five victories in her past six races. After a minor hiccup in Friday’s sprint—in which she finished second—Berger was back to the top spot on the podium on Sunday, topping France’s Marie Dorin and Belarus’s Darya...

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Boeuf Steals Pursuit Win After Peiffer Implosion; Bailey 16th

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 6, 2011

For three quarters of Sunday’s 12.5 k pursuit in Presque Isle, Arnd Peiffer had the biathlon race locked up. The German started the day in bib one, with a 16-second advantage over France’s Martin Fourcade, and grew his lead to more than a minute in the first half of the race—thanks to strong skiing and just one penalty over three shooting stages. To his competitors, Peiffer seemed untouchable—each time they entered the range, he was...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

US Just Misses Top Half in Presque Isle Mixed Relay

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 6, 2011

It’s not often that the U.S. biathlon team gets to race a relay in front of a home crowd—in fact, it hasn’t happened in more than seven years. So when the American squad of Sara Studebaker, Haley Johnson, Jay Hakkinen and Jeremy Teela took to the course in Presque Isle in Saturday’s World Cup mixed relay, the race was just as much for the hundreds of red-white-and-blue-clad spectators as it was for the athletes themselves....

Biathlon General News Racing World Cup

Germany Takes Prime Time Mixed Relay in Presque Isle

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 5, 2011

Germany’s biathlon team is deep enough that most other countries have their hands full even when they field their best athletes. But in Saturday’s mixed relay, many only put forth their second string—and the result was predictable. With a crowd of up to five million watching a rare prime-time broadcast back home, the German squad of Kathrin Hitzer, Magdalena Neuner, Alexander Wolf and Daniel Boehm raced to a convincing 30-second win in Presque Isle, ME,...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

Studebaker Races to Best American Finish in Years; Ekholm Wins in PI

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 4, 2011

Sara Studebaker could not have picked a better day for it all to come together. Thanks to clean shooting and a strong day on her skis, the 26-year-old American raced to a career-best 14th place in front of a home crowd in northern Maine, for what U.S. Biathlon staff called the top women’s World Cup result for an American in at least five years, if not a decade. In the 7.5 k sprint in Presque...

Biathlon Racing World Cup

Peiffer Takes Presque Isle Sprint; Bailey Leads Americans in 25th

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 4, 2011

It’s not the Super Bowl yet, but there was no lack of enthusiasm from fans greeting World Cup biathlon’s return to northern Maine. Hundreds of spectators turned out to the Nordic Heritage Center on Friday morning to watch Germany’s Arnd Peiffer win the men’s 10 k sprint in Presque Isle, the first elite-level international race on American soil in seven years. Peiffer, a burly 23-year-old, shot clean to top France’s Martin Fourcade and Russia’s Ivan...

Racing World Cup

Despite Small Fields, Rybinsk World Cup Here to Stay

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 3, 20111

If you’re a woman, do yourself a favor and hop on the next flight to Russia, stat. On Friday morning, near the city of Rybinsk, the International Ski Federation (FIS) has scheduled the first of three World Cup races for this weekend. Just 30 female athletes are on the start list—beat one of them, and you’ll be in possession of a World Cup point. Field sizes in Rybinsk appear to be slightly larger than they...

Canadian National Ski Team Juniors Racing US Ski Team

Oestberg Takes Women’s Pursuit; Bjornsen 17th

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 31, 2011

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg only got one shot at a U-23 World Championship title this year, since she decided to race at Norwegian nationals earlier this week. She made the most of it, skiing to a victory in her only start in Otepaa, Estonia on Monday, in the women’s 15 k pursuit. Her teammate Britt Ingunn Nydal made a late charge to take second, just ahead of Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen, who had pushed the pace...

Juniors Racing

Harvey Skis to U23 Gold

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 31, 2011

It’s not very often that one hears the Canadian national anthem at the medals ceremony for a World Championships cross-country ski race. But sure enough, there it was on Monday, ringing out in the stadium in Otepaa, Estonia. Canadian Alex Harvey had just outsprinted Russian Evgeniy Belov to win the 30-kilometer U-23 pursuit race, collecting his first-ever gold medal from the International Ski Federation. “This year, even though there’s World Championships coming, I really wanted...

Juniors Racing

Norwegians Win Men’s Relay Over Russia; Canada, US 9th and 10th

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 31, 2011

The Norwegians took all the fun out of Monday’s women’s relay at the World Junior Championships, winning by a comfortable margin over the Russians. But no matter—their men created enough suspense for two races. Trailing the Russians by 15 seconds heading into the final leg in Otepaa, Estonia, Norway’s Sindre Bjornestad Skar closed down the gap in the final kilometer, passing Denis Kataev in the stadium for a thrilling conclusion to the race, in what...

Canadian National Ski Team General Juniors News Racing US Ski Team

Norway Takes Women’s Relay; Americans Seventh

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 31, 2011

With a squad composed of four individual medalists, the Norwegians skied to victory in the women’s relay at the World Junior Championships on Monday. The Norwegians were trailing slightly to Germany after a tough first leg by Ragnhild Haga. But Martina Ek Hagen took over, closed the gap, and handed the race off to Heidi Weng, who broke the Russian and Swedish teams with a big attack on the skate course’s steepest, toughest climb in...

Canadian National Ski Team General Juniors News Racing US Ski Team

Weeger Wins Pursuit the Hard Way; Shields, Patterson 31 and 35

Nathaniel HerzJanuary 30, 20111

There was no doubt who was the strongest man in Sunday’s 20 k pursuit at the World Junior Championships. Germany’s Markus Weeger won the race the hard way, attacking halfway through and maintaining a 20-second advantage over a small group of chasers all the way to the line. Russia’s Konstantin Kuleev was second, outsprinting Finland’s Perttu Hyvarinen. The 19-year-old Weeger, who hails from near Nuremberg but trains in the ski mecca of Oberstdorf, collected his...

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