Canada's Nathan Smith overcame what he considered the worst conditions he's seen so far this season and posted the 13th-fastest course time and 19-of-20 shooting to place sixth in Saturday's IBU World Cup pursuit in Ruhpolding, Germany.
On Sunday, French biathlete Jean-Guillaume Béatrix knew he was the luckiest man in Pokljuka, achieving the first World Cup victory of his career in a men’s 15-kilometer mass start he hadn’t planned on racing.
Germany's Simon Schempp won the second race of the week at the IBU World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia, with a 16-second pursuit victory over France's Martin Fourcade, while American Tim Burke raced up to ninth (after starting 14th) for his first top 10 of the season.
One day after missing out on a sprint victory by 1.1 seconds, Germany's Laura Dahlmeier picked up the pace late to top France's Marie Dorin Habert in Saturday's pursuit. Susan Dunklee placed 10th for the U.S. with 18-for-20 shooting.
Germany's Simon Schempp won his second-straight sprint at the third stop of the IBU World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Meanwhile, Lowell Bailey was one of nine men in the top 15 to clean, and his U.S. teammate Tim Burke finished just ahead of him in 14th.
The Italian women took their first-ever win in a World Cup relay Sunday in Hochfilzen, Austria, with Italy's Dorothea Wierer besting Germany’s Franziska Preuss by two tenths of a second in an all-out sprint to the finish.
If you were wondering whether a podium in the first race of the season took the pressure off Rosanna Crawford for the first individual women’s race on Thursday, the answer is no. The Canadian biathlete explains her mindset and physical form during the 15 k individual, in which she placed 13th.
Regardless of when winter officially starts, it's here as far as the ski world is concerned, and there's a lot to be excited about in North American racing. Canadian biathletes Rosanna Crawford and Nathan Smith jumped out to a relay podium in the first IBU World Cup race, and Canadian cross-country skier Alex Harvey took second in the men's 10 k skate in Kuusamo, Finland, for his first early season podium.
Rosanna Crawford has been shooting for the World Cup podium for a long time now. And on the first day of the season, she got there, along with teammate Nathan Smith. "It feels amazing," she said. "I feel so lucky to share the podium with my teammate who I’ve trained with for so long."
Former Cross Country Canada National Ski Team coach Eric de Nys has joined the staff of Biathlon Canada, after an 18-month stint with the junior nordic team at the WinSport Winter Sports Institute. The WinSport team is now in the hands of the Canmore Nordic Ski Club.
In search of better rollerskiing and longer uphills, the Canadian national biathlon team headed to Park City. "It is nice to get out of Canmore once in a while to break up the training routine," said Brendan Green.
It all started two years ago when Biathlon Canada’s head coach Matthias Ahrens struck up a conversation with a highland cow farmer. This month, Ahrens and Norwegian shooting coach Joar Himle led an international camp with athletes from Canada, Russia, Finland, Norway, and the U.S.
Biathlon Canada is seeking a High Performance Director to supervise the national team. The position will be based in Canmore and applications close July 12th.
After four years as High Performance Director with Biathlon Canada, Chris Lindsay will be leaving the organization to take over as High Performance Advisor to summer sports at Own the Podium.
Zina Kocher did not make Biathlon Canada's national team criteria this season, but successfully appealed under an injury/illness provision to regain her Athlete Assistance Program funding through Sport Canada. She believes a national team nomination should follow. Her federation does not.
Nathan Smith, Rosanna Crawford, Brendan Green, and Megan Heinicke headline the "A" team, while eight athletes were picked for the "B" team.
Nathan Smith, 1st place, Khanty-Mansiysk World Cup pursuit Canadian biathlete Nathan Smith saved his best performance for last, earning the first win of his career in the penultimate race of the World Cup season. After placing fifth in the sprint in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, Smith executed a flawless race in the 12.5-kilomter pursuit to pick up a 24-second victory. Not only was it the first win for him, but the first for both Canada and North...
Nathan Smith made history for Canadian biathlon this year, becoming the first man to ever win a World Championships medal; he later won his first World Cup. Teammate Rosanna Crawford came oh-so-close to her own first podium.
We caught up with Canadian biathlon staff and athletes to chat about the significance of Nathan Smith's World Cup in on Saturday, just the second in history for a Canadian man. It's good for Smith and good for the program - but Own the Podium is unlikely to reward it with money, because the funding body only considers World Championships and Olympic medal performances.
Hannah Dreissigacker rebounded from 75-percent shooting at IBU World Championships to hit 90 percent of her targets on Friday and place 14th for a career best in the final IBU World Cup sprint of the season in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Also for the U.S., Susan Dunklee finished 26th, and Canada's Rosanna Crawford was close behind in 28th.