Rambunctious German crowds used to make Franziska Hildebrand nervous, but she excelled under pressure in the first IBU World Cup of 2016, winning Friday's sprint. American Susan Dunklee shot 9-for-10 en route to 11th, while Julia Ransom led Canada in 49th.
Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen overcame an early penalty with three clean stages thereafter and the fastest skiing of the day to win Sunday's 12.5 k mass start the IBU World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia. She bested the new overall World Cup leader, Gabriela Soukalová, by 11.8 seconds.
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.
While Rosanna Crawford missed five targets in Sunday's IBU World Cup pursuit, she shot quickly -- fifth-fastest overall -- and ended up 23rd to lead Canada in Östersund, Sweden. Her teammate Megan Tandy rose from 46th to 25th with near-perfect shooting, and Julia Ransom placed 36th.
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.
Heidi Weng climbed away from the crowd in Lysebotn, Norway, today, to take the win in the opening race of the Blink Festival by more than 30 seconds over Finland's Kaisa Makarainen. Susan Dunklee finished 15th, the top North American.
Darya Domracheva tried to shoot standing in a prone stage, then nearly dropped her rifle. But she was 100% focused when it counted, and now looks likely to capture the overall World Cup title. Rosanna Crawford of Canada shot 19-for-20 and moved from 28th up to 19th.
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.
Leave it to dads to predict medal potential. Ekaterina Yurlova's father did just that, one month before the Russian won gold at IBU World Championships in the women's 15 k on Wednesday. Susan Dunklee placed 12th with her best shooting in an individual race in the last week, and Megan Heinicke tallied her third-straight top 30 in Kontiolahti.
France's Marie Dorin Habert was essentially speechless in a post-race press conference after winning her second gold in as many days at IBU World Championships, and her third medal of the week. American Susan Dunklee skied the third-fastest course time, shooting excluded, and Canada's Rosanna Crawford and Megan Heinicke finished in the top 30.
The world's best biathletes battled blowing snow and variable conditions in the women's 7.5 k sprint at the 2015 IBU World Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland. In the end it was France's Marie Dorin Habert who walked away with the victory while Canada's Megan Heinicke was the first North American in 23rd.
The Czech Republic handled the soft-and-slushy conditions on the first day of 2015 IBU World Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland, better than any other team in the mixed relay, winning gold by a comfortable margin ahead of France and defending Olympic champs Norway.
Darya Domracheva literally weathered the storm better than anybody in Nove Mesto, including Finland’s Kaisa Mäkäräinen, to win Sunday's 10 k pursuit by 6.8 seconds. Susan Dunklee started ninth and led the U.S. in 18th with five penalties on an especially challenging Sunday.
Susan Dunklee had her best shooting of the year to move from eighth up to sixth in the World Cup pursuit in Antholz, Italy, on Saturday, the best U.S. result of the year. Canada put two women in the top 30, and American Hannah Dreissigacker moved from 60th up to 42nd - beating former star Miriam Goessner on her final loop.
Darya Domracheva of Belarus won her 21st IBU World Cup race on Friday by nearly 27 seconds over Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen in second, and Germany's Laura Dahlmeier tallied her first podium in third in the 7.5 k sprint. Susan Dunklee executed her plan to place eighth for a season best.
Darya Domracheva faced an 18-second deficit when she left the range for the last time in Saturday's mass start, but she made that up and more, winning her third competition of the season. Veronika Vitkova capped the "best week of my career" with a second-place finish; Canada's Rosanna Crawford was 20th and the United States' Susan Dunklee 27th.
Kaisa Mäkäräinen came back from a 29-second deficit and two standing penalties to win Sunday’s 12.5-kilometer mass start by 7.6 seconds over a very happy Anais Bescond. Rosanna Crawford capped off a string of career-bests in 12th, and Susan Dunklee was 22nd.
Darya Domracheva was the big winner on Saturday in the IBU World Cup 10 k pursuit, but there were some personal victories Canadians Rosanna Crawford and Megan Heinicke achieved throughout the race as well. For one, Crawford clawed her way back into seventh after two early misses, and Heinicke went from 41st to 14th as one of two women to clean.
Rosanna Crawford had been thinking about this kind of performance for a long time, and even on Friday, after placing 34th in the Hochfilzen sprint, she predicted it was coming. She just didn't think it would come on Sunday in the 10 k pursuit.
Down a quart heading into the IBU World Cup #2 in Hochfilzen, Finland's Kaisa Mäkäräinen rallied to win Friday's sprint by more than 10 seconds. Susan Dunklee led the U.S. in 29th and Canada's Rosanna Crawford was another 5 seconds back in 34th.