Biathlon – Page 71 – FasterSkier

Biathlon General Interviews Regional / Local

Haley Johnson: “Creating Those Right Connections”

Chelsea LittleJanuary 13, 2011

As the SuperTour heads to Lake Placid, the ski community can learn a lot if it just takes a minute to look around. Two-time winter Olympic venue? Check. A love of sports bordering on the insane? Check. More snow than Rumford? Check. But one of the best lessons might be about giving back to the community. Olympic biathlete Haley Johnson, who was born and raised in the Lake Placid area, returned to her hometown after...

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Bailey Season-Best 16th Place in Rupholding 20k; With Win, Svendsen Snags Red Bib

Chelsea LittleJanuary 12, 2011

Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway hasn’t always been the most gracious competitor. After Sunday’s mass start race in Oberhof, Germany, he told the media that he was “shocked” about how fast his teammate Tarjei Boe had become. And after the season-opening World Cups in Ostersund, Sweden, he bragged that he was “in an attacking position all of the time. I feel unstoppable, really.” Since that claim, Svendsen has indeed been stoppable, but things changed today...

Biathlon Continental Cup General Results

Another Successful IBU Cup Weekend for U.S.

Chelsea LittleJanuary 11, 2011

In the fourth of eight weekends of IBU Cup racing in Europe, the U.S. biathlon team proved that their successful pre-Christmas campaign was no fluke. No, the Americans are there to stay. They aren’t going anywhere…. except maybe up. Haley Johnson and Jeremy Teela were added to the World Cup roster after their performances in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic this weekend, and will race at the next three stops on biathlon’s biggest stage: Rupholding, Germany...

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Ekholm Edges Henkel in Mass Start; Spector, Struggling in Standing, Finishes 25th

Chelsea LittleJanuary 10, 20112

After going six years without qualifying a woman for a World Cup mass start, U.S. biathlon finally had its day in the spotlight in Oberhof, Germany on Sunday. “During warmup, I think people were surprised to see an American out there,” said Laura Spector, the first American woman since Rachel Steer to compete in a mass start. “But I saw a few American flags on the side of the course, and it was really motivating...

Biathlon General Racing Results World Cup

Spector 19th in Oberhof, Earns Spot in Mass Start – Corrected

Chelsea LittleJanuary 9, 20111

Note: FasterSkier originally reported that Laura Spector was the first U.S. woman to compete in a mass start race. She is not; but she is the first since Rachel Steer, who started in three World Cup mass starts and one at World Championships between 2003 and 2005. With a 19th-place finish – her best ever in a World Cup – Laura Spector has earned something coveted by many a U.S. woman before, but seldom attained....

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Two Canadian Biathletes in Top-20 in World Cup Sprint – Updated

Chelsea LittleJanuary 8, 20111

Oberhof, Germany, has been kind to the Canadian biathlon team so far this year. After the men finished 11th in the relay on Wednesday, they had a banner day on Friday with finishes of 14th, 16th, and 34th from Brendan Green, Jean-Phillipe Leguellec, and Scott Perras. With a mass start competition coming up on Sunday, the team is feeling good. “With Brendan’s 14th place, we both managed to squeeze in the mass start race this...

Biathlon General Results

Germany Takes Victory In Gusty, Gutsy Men’s Biathlon Relay

Chelsea LittleJanuary 5, 20111

The second period of the biathlon World Cup opened in Oberhof, Germany on Wednesday with a…. ping. Lots of pings, actually. Huge wind gusts obliterated the men’s relay field, and the International Biathlon Union reported that the world’s best biathletes used 352 spare rounds, about three times the normal amount in a World Cup relay, and still had to ski 100 penalty loops. Ouch. One team, however, wasn’t fazed by the challenging shooting conditions. Although...

Biathlon General Juniors Results

13 Biathletes Selected for World Juniors

Chelsea LittleDecember 31, 20102

After a three-day series of trials races at Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho, Vermont, the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) has named thirteen athletes to the team for World Junior Championships. The event will be held in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, from January 29th to February 5th. The team is headlined by top qualifiers Ethan Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT/Dartmouth College/Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club/Ethan Allen Biathlon Club), Sam Dougherty (Anchorage, AK/Alaska Biathlon/Alaska Winter Stars), Corrine Malcom (Hayward, WI/Maine...

Biathlon Continental Cup General Opinion

Strong Finishes for North Americans on IBU Cup, but is Increased European Presence Best for Domestic Biathlon?

Chelsea LittleDecember 29, 2010

This year, the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) had a radical shift in its athlete development strategy: instead of sending a full squad to the World Cup and leaving the rest of the American biathlon field at home, they would minimize their World Cup presence to only those athletes who were succeeding, and field a much larger team at the IBU (International Biathlon Union) Cup races. While the U.S. biathletes that FasterSkier talked to, on and...

Biathlon General Juniors Olympics

USBA and USSA Announce Qualifying Criteria for 2012 Youth Olympics

Chelsea LittleDecember 26, 2010

While the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria are still more than a year away, both the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) have posted qualifying criteria for the event. Why so early? Entries for the Youth Olympics, which are scheduled for January 13th through 22nd, 2012, are due at the beginning of December, 2011. Since there won’t be much time for qualification events that winter, most of...

Biathlon General World Cup

After Biathlon World Cup, Hotel Find Raises Doping Questions in Ostersund

Chelsea LittleDecember 22, 20101

On December 16th, the Swedish tabloid Expressen reported that doping materials had been found in a trashcan at the Scandic Hotel in Ostersund, where the Russian, Belorussian, and German biathlon teams had stayed during the opening week of World Cup competition. While a number of officials tried to dismiss the report as sensationalist, as the days went by it became clear that the Swedish police were investigating the matter. Other news sources, such as Germany’s...

Biathlon Continental Cup General Results

The More the Better: Four More Biathletes Head to Europe after Minnesota Trials

Chelsea LittleDecember 20, 20102

With eleven athletes already racing in Europe – that’s more than the U.S. Ski Team can say – what could the U.S. biathlon community possibly ask for from their governing body? Well, if some is good, then more is better. After a second series of trials races in Mount Itasca, Minnesota, the U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) named four more athletes to the IBU Cup roster (the series one level below the World Cup), as well...

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Even Without Ferry, Sweden Continues Golden Weekend with Thrilling Mixed Relay Victory

Chelsea LittleDecember 20, 20101

In Saturday’s World Cup sprint race, Bjorn Ferry gave habitual powerhouse Sweden its third victory of the new season, and its first in a men’s race. On Sunday, Sweden took win number four. After Helena Ekholm and Anna Carin Zidek, the team’s first two World Cup victors this season, left the Swedes within striking distance of the podium, Carl Johann Bergman used some last-minute heroics to take a 0.3 second win over Ukraine France and...

Biathlon General Results Uncategorized World Cup

In Return To Form, Ferry Wins World Cup Sprint; Neuner Tops for Women – Updated

Chelsea LittleDecember 18, 2010

In the World Cup sprints in Pokljuka, Slovenia on Saturday, two athletes took their first wins of the season. But while they hadn’t been atop the podium in Ostersund, Sweden, or in Hochfilzen, Austria, their strong performances weren’t entirely surprising: both Bjorn Ferry (SWE) and Magdalena Neuner (GER) were gold medalists at the Vancouver Olympics last year. Canadians led the North American contingent in both the men’s and women’s races. Men When FasterSkier

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Berger and Makarainen Duel, Leaving Rest of Biathlon Field Behind

Chelsea LittleDecember 16, 2010

For most of Thursday’s 15 k individual race in Poklujuka, Slovenia, it looked like Kaisa Makarainen of Finland was firmly in control and would ski – rather easily – to her third World Cup win of the season. In the last shooting stage, Makarainen missed one target, but thanks to her superior skiing, she still had a jump on the field. When she crossed the finish line, she led the race by an astonishing margin...

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Norwegian Men Are Human After All; Mesotitsch Gets Third World Cup Win

Chelsea LittleDecember 16, 20101

For the first time this season, someone who wasn’t Norwegian stood atop the men’s World Cup biathlon podium. After six straight races of Norwegian dominance, the spell was broken in Pokljuka, Slovenia on Thursday. The top Norwegian finisher, Tarjei Boe, didn’t even make the top ten. But Norway’s loss was Austria’s gain, as Daniel Mesotitsch picked up his third career World Cup victory, by almost a minute over Benjamin Weger of Switzerland. Sergui Sednev of...

Biathlon General Interviews Olympics

Sarah Konrad, Record Setter and Athlete-Advocate In Chief

Chelsea LittleDecember 14, 20101

Five years ago, Sarah Konrad made history as the first U.S. woman to compete in two different sports at the same Winter Olympics. In Torino, Konrad finished 32nd in the 30 k mass start in cross country and was part of the U.S. relay team. She also contested both the individual and sprint events in biathlon. In the three-year period from 2005 to 2007, Konrad racked up some of the best results for U.S. women...

Biathlon Continental Cup General Results

North American B-Teamers Rack Up Biathlon Results, Too – Updated

Chelsea LittleDecember 13, 2010

The U.S. Biathlon Association (USBA) decided to try something new this year: instead of sending all of its best athletes to the World Cup, they would send a smaller group of developing athletes to the IBU Cup – biathlon’s equivalent of the Continental Cup, but more competitive – as well. “It’s better for athlete development to go to the IBU Cup and have success, than it is to go straight to the World Cup,” USBA...

Biathlon General Results

Weather Wreaks Havoc on World Cup Biathlon Relay; U.S. Has “Worst Race Possible”

Chelsea LittleDecember 12, 20101

At the first handoff of the men’s World Cup biathlon relay in Hochfilzen, Austria on Sunday, it looked like Norway might not be able to turn in the performance that everyone expected of them. Then Ole Einar Bjorndalen took over, and things went back to normal. Alexander Os, Norway’s first-leg skier, can be forgiven for turning in a less-than-perfect performance. Conditions were stacked against him, with huge wind gusts that held the range’s indicator flags...

Biathlon General Results Uncategorized

Henkel and Germany Take a Victory Lap in Women’s Biathlon Relay – Updated

Chelsea LittleDecember 11, 2010

Last weekend, if you had asked which country had the best female biathletes, the answer probably would have been Sweden. Anna Carin Zidek and Helena Ekholm both graced the podium multiple times at the World Cup openers in Ostersund, Sweden. But last weekend, Magdalena Neuner wasn’t racing. In Hochfilzen, Austria, things are different. In Saturday’s 4 x 6 k relay, Neuner was Germany’s second skier. She took the tag in third place, twenty seconds behind...

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