World Cup

FasterSkier will be providing extensive coverage of these races. Check back often throughout race days for updated info! Schedule of Events: Jan 22, 2008 Pursuit 11:00 Women 15km 12:30 Men 30km Jan 23, 2008 Sprint Classic 12:30 Women & Men 1.2km Jan 25, 2008 Free Technique 11:00 Women 10km 12:30 Men 15km Jan 26, 2008 Sprint Free 12:30 Women & Men 1.2km

Antholz, Italy – Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) led the US men with a 26th place finish in the 10K Sprint competition at the Antholz Biathlon World Cup today. Burke, in just his second week of competition after being ill over the holiday break, showed some of the spark that propelled him to seventh in the Biathlon World Championships at this same venue last February. He finished 1:29.1 back, with two penalties behind Michael Greis...

CALGARY — With just over two years remaining until the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the world’s best cross-country skiers will cut their first Canadian tracks on the trail to Vancouver when the gun blasts to kick off the Alberta World Cup in Canmore, Alta., January 22-26, 2008. Canada’s top cross-country skiers will host nearly 200 athletes, representing 21 countries, for four World Cup races at the recently renovated Canmore Nordic Centre. In addition to...

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy (Jan. 13) – Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) protected his second-place ranking Sunday as he finished seventh in a nordic combined World Cup sprint. He had the fastest time for the third straight race and moved up 18 places after jumping. Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was fifth fastest and finished 11th. Germany's Sebastien Haseney, who was two-tenths of a second behind Demong Saturday in an individual competition, out-skied Jason Lamy Chappuis...

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 13. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), after a clean shooting 17th place in the 10K Sprint on Saturday moved up one place today with a 16th place finish in the 12.5K Pursuit. Hakkinen was not able to repeat his clean shooting of yesterday on another windless afternoon, as he had three penalties in the final three stages today. He breezed through the first prone stage as did teammate Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY),...

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) tore through a steady rain Saturday with the fastest time to finish second in a World Cup nordic combined individual competition. It's Demong's fifth top-3 of the season, his third in the last four World Cups as he moved into second place overall. World Cup leader Ronny Ackermann of Germany, who was second in jumping, won by 34.1 seconds over Demong with Sebastien Haseney of Germany...

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 12. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) on the heels of 10-for-10 shooting placed 17th in the 10K Sprint competition here today. With his first clean shooting of the season, Hakkinen had his best result since the season-opening 20K Individual in Kontiolahti, Finland where he placed 9th. Although a light drizzle fell all afternoon, nothing fazed Hakkinen, shooting confidently in both the prone and standing stages. He had what Coach Per Nilsson called, “a...

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 10. With a new starting order of Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) leading off, followed by Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK), the US Men finished in a season best eighth place tonight in the 4 X 7.5K Relay competition. This best result of the season for the foursome came was set up by the legs of Bailey and Hakkinen, who put the US...

The second annual Tour de Ski came to an end in exciting fashion on Sunday. Young Charlotte Kalla of Sweden overtook Finn Virpi Kuitunen on the final climb for the women’s victory. Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic finished off a dominating week by extending his lead an winning the men’s crown by almost three minutes. The Tour de Ski is modeled on cycling stage races. Eight events were held over ten days, with distances...

Ruhpolding, Germany, January 9. This evening, the Ruhpolding Biathlon World Cup opens here under the lights with the Women’s Relay competition starting at 5:20 PM (CET). The World Cup last week in Oberhof, Germany is the largest on the circuit, drawing more than 20,000 spectators over each of 5 days, while Ruhpolding expects about 90,000 total spectators. Nevertheless, Ruhpolding outdoes Oberhof for the Bavarian party atmosphere, which spills out from the stadium to every street...

SCHONACH, Germany – Norwegian Petter Tande, second in jumping, took the victory by 11.7 seconds over Hannu Manninen of Finland, who has won the last four World Cup titles. Ronny Ackermann of Germany was third and took over the World Cup points lead from teammate Bjoern Kircheisen. Magnus Moan of Norway out-lunged Demong for fourth place while Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) didn't start the 15K after jumping poorly. Demong, who skipped his trial jump...

Charlotte Kalla (SWE) won the 2007-2008 Tour de Ski in spectacular fashion on the last stage today. The 20 year old Swede caught Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) a third of the way up the Alpes Cermis Final Climb, then made a decisive break with one kilometer to go. Arianna Follis (ITA) took third place, just ahead of Valentina Shevchenko (UKR) who skied the fastest women's time of the day to move up from 10th place to...

Lukas Bauer (CZE) was never in doubt on his way to cross the line first on the Final Climb of the 2007-2008 Tour de Ski. The 30 year old extended his lead over second place by nearly another minute on the 10km stage up Alpes Cermis. Rene Sommerfeldt (GER) took second place in a dramatic finish with Georgia Di Centa (ITA), posting the fastest time of the day to catch and out-sprint the Italian in...

SCHONACH, Germany (Jan. 5) – Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) finished second Saturday, two-tenths of a second back in a nordic combined World Cup sprint for his fourth podium of the winter and second consecutive second-place finish. Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 20th behind Jason Lamy Chappuis of France. “Not a bad start for 2008. Billy was second in the last event of 2007 last weekend and now he picks up with another podium to...

Oberhof, Germany. Under challenging conditions, with wind, light snow, and incoming fog, Bailey had his best shooting day of the season. His clean shooting made Bailey, in 46th place, the top finisher for the US Biathlon Team. He finished 2:20.1 behind Tomasz Sikora of Poland. Sikora also shot clean to win in 28:13.3. It took the perfect shooting to keep the Polish athlete ahead of the fast skis of Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway. Bjorndalen...

These Sprints will be the first individual competitions of the New Year on the Biathlon World Cup Circuit, following the relays today and yesterday. The women with Lanny and Tracy Barnes (Durango, CO) will kick off the day in the Women’s 7.5K Sprint at 12:30 CET, with the Men’s 10K at 2:55 PM CET. Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) are the US entrants. Tim Burke (Paul...

The Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski by Craft Sportswear continued with Stage 6 in Asiago (ITA) yesterday. In the free technique sprint race, Charlotte Kalla of Sweden World Cup sprint compeition by beating Natalia Korosteleva (2nd, RUS) and Justyna Kowalczyk (3rd, POL) at the finish. Virpi Kuitunen of Finland, the Tour leader and holder of the golden bib, finished 11th (5th in B-Final) in Asiago, collecting 32 bonus seconds. Thanks to her second fastest qualifying...

Women's Freestyle Sprint With an impressive victory in the Stage 6 Sprint in Asiago Charlotte Kalla (SWE) is now neck and neck with Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) in the Tour de Ski overall standings. After six races Kuitunen leads by just two tenths of a second. The 9th fastest in the qualification, Kalla had no problems through the heats and led all the way in the A-final to win ahead of Korosteleva (RUS) and Kowalczyk (POL)....

The Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear continued today in Val di Fiemme (ITA) in snowy conditions. In today’s 7th Stage, a mass start race over 20km in the classical technique, Odd-Bjoern Hjelmeset (NOR) edged his teammate Jens Arne Svartedal in a photo finish (both same time). Franz Goering of Germany finished 3rd, just 3.2 seconds back. Lukas Bauer (CZE), the leader of the Tour Overall Standings and wearer of the Tour...