Gabriela Koukalová – FasterSkier.com

Czech Women Receive News of Olympic Medal, Then Online Abuse and Threats

Chelsea LittleNovember 29, 2017

(Editor’s note: This article contains explicit language.) On Monday, the International Olympic Committee posted decisions were puzzlingly not redacted from an evidence document in the McLaren report, reacted. Gabriela Koukalová posted on her Facebook page about how frustrated she was with the scandal. A translated version reads, “I know that you all know… I mean about our Olympic medal from Sochi for the women’s relay, which we are going to receive with almost four years of delay....

Biathlon News Racing US Biathlon

Fourcade Wins Despite Ammo Flub; ‘Squirrel Drama’ in Women’s Mass Start in Oslo

Harald ZimmerMarch 19, 2017

Between breaking historic biathlon records and waiting for the imminent birth of his second child, France’s IBU World Cup dominator Martin Fourcade forgot one crucial detail of Biathlon 101 before Sunday’s final race of the season in the men’s 15-kilometer mass start: loading his ammunition clips. Fourcade only realized he had started with four empty clips when he crouched down on the shooting mat for the first prone shooting, then signaled for help. His coach...

Biathlon News Racing World Cup

Saturday Rundown: Quebec City, Oslo and Lillehammer (Updated x4)

FasterSkierMarch 18, 2017

FIS Cross-Country World Cup Finals (Quebec City): 10/15 k classic mass starts During Saturday’s 15-kilometer classic mass start at World Cup Finals, Canada’s Alex Harvey was in it until the end. But so were Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and Niklas Dyrhaug, and Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh, to name a few. Sitting in second with a few hundred meters to go, Harvey was primed to make his move on Dyrhaug, who was leading at the time. But then...

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Laukkanen Gets Her First Win in Oslo; Dunklee 7th; U.S. Men Secure 5th Quota Spot

Harald ZimmerMarch 17, 2017

For races and ski jumpings at the famous Holmenkollen arena on a hillside above Oslo, a frequent visitor in the audience is the King Harald V of Norway, a passionate and knowledgeable fan of all nordic sports. And usually the winners of the competition get the honor of being invited up to the royal suite overlooking the arena. On Friday in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint at the Interntional Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup final in...

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Dunklee Repeats in 5th; Eckhoff Gets First Win of Season in Kontiolahti Sprint

Harald ZimmerMarch 10, 2017

Over the last month, US Biathlon’s Susan Dunklee has become a familiar face for competitors and spectators at World Cup medal and flower ceremonies, highlighted by her silver medal in the mass start at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. On Friday in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint at the IBU World Cup in Kontiolahti, Finland, Dunklee once again returned to the flower ceremony after finishing fifth, which, coincidentally, was her third time in...

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Sunday Rundown: Harvey Wins World Champs Gold in Lahti; PyeongChang + Vasaloppet (Updated)

FasterSkierMarch 5, 2017

FIS Nordic World Championships (Lahti, Finland): Men’s 50 k freestyle mass start After a week of missing out on the medals at 2017 Nordic World Championships, Canada’s Alex Harvey, a four-time World Championships medalist from 2011, 2013 and 2015, achieved his first individual gold medal in the final race of this year’s World Championships in Lahti, Finland. Harvey, 28, won the men’s 50-kilometer freestyle mass start in a drag race to the finish. Entering the...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Biathlon

Dunklee Back in Podium Contention, Fifth in PyeongChang Sprint

Alex KochonMarch 2, 2017

For a while in Thursday’s 7.5-kilometer sprint, the first International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup race since IBU World Championships two weeks earlier, it looked like Susan Dunklee was on track for another podium. Dunklee, 31, of US Biathlon, had last raced to Results | World Cup standings

Biathlon General News Racing US Biathlon

Transcendant on the Shooting Range, Dunklee Claims World Champs Silver

Chelsea LittleFebruary 19, 2017

HOCHFILZEN, Austria—Lowell Bailey’s gold medal in the 20 k individual on Thursday was groundbreaking for the U.S. biathlon team. But Susan Dunklee had come with goals of her own. And if anything, they just got bigger. “I think back to a few years ago when he got his first podium in Kontiolahti [Finland], and I watched him do that,” Dunklee said. “I thought, he has been doing this for a long time and that’s possible....

Biathlon Biathlon Canada General News Racing US Biathlon

‘Stronger, Faster, Better’ Dahlmeier Wins 15 k Gold; Ransom 18th, Egan 22nd

Chelsea LittleFebruary 15, 2017

HOCHFILZEN, Austria—Every women’s race of the World Championships so far, the question has been: where’s Laura Dahlmeier? And in every race, the German has has turned in fantastic performances. Close to perfect on the range, fast on her skis, winning a medal each time. The 15 k individual was no exception. A late starter, Dahlmeier had just one miss, in her first prone stage, and then all was clear as she raced to another gold...

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Domracheva, the ‘Comeback Girl’, Silver Behind Dahlmeier; Dunklee 22nd in Pursuit

Chelsea LittleFebruary 12, 2017

HOCHFILZEN, Austria—For Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier in the 10 k pursuit today, it was another gold medal. One to match the mixed relay from this World Championships, a follow-up to her silver in the sprint, and a repeat of the pursuit gold from last year’s edition. “I’m very happy about the three medals — it’s really like a dream, two gold medals and one silver,” Dahlmeier said in a press conference. “The next races I will...

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Koukalová Nabs First World Title; Egan 20th in World Champs Sprint

Harald ZimmerFebruary 10, 2017

It was a day of redemption. Both for a biathlon superstar and for the best North American in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint at the 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. A year ago, Czech Republic’s Gabriela Koukalová (back then starting under her maiden name Soukalová) was disappointed when she failed to win any medal at the Oslo World Championships, twice placing fourth, once fifth, and twice sixth with her team. She...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing World Cup

Friday Rundown: Egan 20th in IBU World Champs Sprint

FasterSkierFebruary 10, 2017

IBU World Championships (Hochfilzen, Austria): Women’s 7.5 k sprint Gabriela Koukalová, formerly Soukalova, had been so close to a World Championships individual gold medal, yet through five World Championships and two Olympic Games, a world title still eluded her — until Friday. In the second race of 2017 IBU World Championships (and first individual competition), the 27-year-old Koukalova, of the Czech Republic, raced to first in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint, edging Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier, the...

Biathlon News Racing US Biathlon

First Win for Veteran Horchler; Dunklee 24th in Antholz Mass Start

Harald ZimmerJanuary 21, 2017

“That’s just biathlon for you,” biathletes often like to say when trying to explain the drastic ups and downs that are typical in their sport, both within one race and over the longer timeframes of a season or even a career. On Saturday in a surprising race outcome that should give hope to many biathletes on the fringes of the World Cup level struggling with these constant shifts, Germany’s 30-year-old Nadine Horchler achieved the first victory...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Biathlon

Mäkäräinen with Back-to-Back Victories; Dunklee Moves Up to 24th

Harald ZimmerJanuary 15, 2017

Over her 12-year storied biathlon career since the 2004/2005 season, Finland’s Kaisa Mäkäräinen had failed to reach the spot at the top of the podium during any World Cup race in Germany despite more than 50 race starts there. But this weekend at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in Ruhpolding, Germany, the 34 year old ended that streak and made it two for two, following up asprint and pursuit there and finishing second with Sweden’s relay....

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Biathlon

Mäkäräinen in ‘Different League’ in Ruhpolding Sprint; Dunklee 33rd

Harald ZimmerJanuary 14, 2017

Kaisa Mäkäräinen skied in a league of her own on Saturday. The five biathletes currently leading the International Biathlon Union (IBU) women’s overall standings also occupied the top five of Saturday’s 7.5-kilometer sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany. But when Mäkäräinen shoots clean in a race, even those fast skiers cannot keep up with “the Finnish flash,” as an announcer for German TV broadcaster ARD dubbed her, as she finished in 20:51.8 minutes for her first World Cup win of the season and...

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Sunday Rundown: Alpe Cermis, Oberhof, Lahti, Soldier Hollow (Updated x5)

FasterSkierJanuary 8, 2017

U.S. Cross Country Championships (Soldier Hollow): Classic sprints Jennie Bender of Bridger Ski Foundation and Kevin Bolger of the University of Utah won national titles in the classic sprints at 2017 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow earlier Sunday afternoon. They each took narrow – but, for sprinting, relatively uncontested – victories, as each was in the lead coming into the stadium and led through the final 180-degree turn into the finishing straight. In the women’s race, Bender took the...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Biathlon

Koukalová Wins Second Mass Start of Season; Dunklee 9th, Crawford 25th

Harald ZimmerJanuary 8, 2017

After twice shooting clean on Sunday, American Susan Dunklee found herself in third place going out on the next loop of the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, pushing hard to keep up with Czech Republic’s Gabriela Koukalová and Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier. “I was not skiing a sustainable pace,” Dunklee explained in an email to FasterSkier. “Sometimes it makes more sense to keep yourself in the race...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Nationals

Dorin Habert Prevails in Windy Oberhof Pursuit; Crawford 22nd

Harald ZimmerJanuary 7, 2017

On Friday, the starters in the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup women’s sprint enjoyed some of the nicest weather longtime veterans of the sport ever witnessed in Oberhof, Germany. The next day for the 10-kilometer pursuit, the traditional biathlon venue in the heart of the Thuringian Forest mountain range showed its extremely windy and cold side again. “Today was back to a bit more normal Oberhof, except that it was really cold, -10 [degrees Celsius, 14°F] and...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada Canadian National Ski Team News Racing Tour de Ski US Biathlon US Nationals US Ski Team World Cup

Saturday Rundown: Val di Fiemme, Oberhof, Soldier Hollow, Planica (Updated x3)

FasterSkierJanuary 7, 2017

U.S. Cross Country Championships (Soldier Hollow): 10 k skate [UPDATED] Don’t bet against Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg) in a distance skate event. The 36-year-old took another national title in the 10-kilometer freestyle individual start at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah, earlier today in the first event of the 2017 U.S. Cross Country Championships. Gregg’s winning time was 27:00.6 on a cold, slow-snow morning at SoHo. Chelsea Holmes (Alaska Pacific University) was second, 2.2 seconds back,...

Biathlon Biathlon Canada News Racing US Biathlon

Koukalová Starts New Year with Sprint Win; Crawford Nabs Season-Best 21st

Harald ZimmerJanuary 6, 2017

Gabriela Koukalová achieved the closest equivalent to a start-to-finish victory possible in a race against the clock in the women’s 7.5-kilometer sprint on Friday at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup in Oberhof, Germany. Starting and finishing the race as the very first athlete of the day in bib 1, the star biathlete of the Czech Republic managed to shoot clean in both stages, and because she also skied the second-fastest course time, no...

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