Some of Irina Starykh's competitors are defending her, saying the investigation is not yet complete; administrators and coaches from Scandinavia wonder how stupid you'd have to be to try doping in the leadup to the Olympics; a former IOC medical director believes Starykh's coach and team doctor are the last vestiges of the old Soviet doping system, and hopes they will be weeded out.
In a letter to the Russian Biathlon Union, Irina Starykh confirmed that the IBU had notified her of a positive "A" sample. She resigned from the team until the situation is clarified, and also so that she could attend the opening of the "B" sample. Meanwhile, Alexander Tikhonov points out that a doctor sacked in 2009 after a doping scandal was re-hired this year, and was present on the World Cup circuit.
This might be Andrea Henkel’s swan-song season, but the 35-year-old German biathlete and multiple Olympic gold medalist showed she’s in the hunt for one of her best winters yet – sweeping the opening biathlon races last weekend in Sjusjøen, Norway. We spoke with Henkel last month when she was in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Ever wonder how skiers from places like Argentina get to go to the Olympics? The meet qualifying standards just like everybody else, while also meeting their own nation's criteria. Even in a place like New Zealand, it's not easy. " I do not understand New Zealand's reluctance to support winter sport, other than those in the top 16 in the world,” national-team member Sarah Murphy says.
At its highest level, biathlon is an extremely lucrative sport. After her first full year on the World Cup circuit, now-retired German star Magdalena Neuner reportedly earned 1.3 million Euros by endorsing products – and that was in 2007, before her several overall World Cup titles. By contrast, in 2010, after several seasons of World Cup racing, Petter Northug was worth just over a million dollars in total. But regardless of the top athletes’ success...
There is no mercy for the Russian biathletes who want to return to the World Cup after sitting out their doping suspensions. They can’t race before they repay prize money they earned while cheating.
The top 60 racers from yesterday’s sprint qualified to start in pursuit format for today’s World Junior/Youth Biathlon Championships in Torsby, Sweden. The last race of the Championships will be a team relay on Tuesday. Junior Men Leif Nordgren moved closer to the top of the results in today’s 12.5km pursuit, but was weighted with 5 penalties which kept him from closing in on the podium. After placing 6th in yesterday’s sprint, Nordgren started 47...
Leif Nordgren continues to climb the results list in the World Junior Biathlon races held in Tornsby, Sweden with today’s 6th place result. After placing just outside the top ten in Thursday’s individual race, Nordgren improved his shooting in today’s Junior 10km sprint race by taking just one penalty. Nordgren finished 47.4 seconds behind winner Evgeny Petrov (RUS) who shot cleanly, just 8 seconds off the pace of third place finisher Tom Barth (0,1) of...
This year’s World Junior/Youth Championships are off to a start this week in Torsby, Sweden. The first races were in the individual start format: 12.5/15 kilometer Junior and Youth Men’s races were held yesterday and 10/12.5 km Junior and Youth Women’s races were held today. There will be three more races in both divisions in the next five days including sprint, pursuit, and relay races. After last year’s World Junior Championships in Canmore, Leif Nordgren took...
In the final biathlon World Cup before the Olympics, Canadian biathletes Zina Kocher and Brendan Green showed strong form by both placing 14th in the IBU World Cup pursuit in Antholz, Italy. There were no U.S. finishers. Only two U.S. biathletes qualified for yesterday’s pursuit -Tim Burke in 31st and Haley Johnson in 59th – but Burke did not start the pursuit race and Haley Johnson did not finish. The U.S. biathletes have cited travel and race exhaustion as reasons to take this...
Battle in Final Loop of Decides First Place for Women’s IBU World Cup in Oberhof Svetlana Sleptsova of Russia barely escaped with a win in the Women’s 4 X 6K Relay competition, as Andrea Henkel of Germany shot clean and closed a big gap over the final 2K loop, but could not catch the Russian woman Russia had no penalties, but eight spare rounds in their 1:14:23.5 win, with Germany, having no penalties and eleven...
Tim Burke made history this morning as the first American to lead the overall IBU World Cup points list. Burke started in 8th place in today’s pursuit ranked second, but skiied with fire to end the race in 6th – enough to bump Christoph Suman (AUT) off the top of the leaders list and take the coveted yellow leaders jersey. Today’s 12.5 km pursuit was the third of three races in Pokluka, Slovenia Burke had three penalties in a...
“I guess that’s the best team result I’ve seen so far”, head coach Per Nilsson couldn’t help smiling after today’s sprint competition in Pokljuka, Slovenia. With three US athletes starting in tomorrow’s pursuit there are plenty of things to be happy about – or to even pray for. Burke has Chance on Yellow Bib Tim Burke’s eighth place in the sprint competition would already be amazing without the fact that he has a great chance...
Today’s sprint was the second of a three-race IBU World Cup event in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Russia swept the day in both women’s and men’s events, as Svetlana Sleptsova and Ivan Tcherezov won their respective fields. Tcherezov shot cleanly in both stages and took the win over Domi Landertinger (AUT) by 11 seconds. In third by 42 seconds was Thomas Frei (SUI) with one penalty. Tim Burke of the U.S. had another stellar result, placing 8th with two penalties and finishing...
Today’s team relay wrapped up the weekend for IBU World Cup #3, held in Hochfilzen Austria. The women’s relay was a competitive race from the start with Russia, Germany, and France as the teams to catch at the heart of the race. Sweden’s Helena Johnsson, who won yesterday’s pursuit race after shooting all her stages cleanly, again made it through the range without penalties and was able to pull her team back into the competition. Ultimately it was Russia’s anchor skier...
It has been a big weekend for Tim Burke, and he still has one race to go. Thursday’s second place followed by today’s third place finish at the Ostersund Biathlon World Cups combine to make Burke the only American to have captured 2 podium races at the same event. These were also the first (hopefully just the start!) podium finishes in Burke’s career. Burke admits that he is usually a better sprinter, but hopes that today’s successful distance...