Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers. *** IBU Cup in Beitostølen: 7.5/10 k sprints [UPDATE] With the second set of men’s and women’s sprints IBU Cup sprint on Friday.) In the women’s...
After making the US Biathlon national team three years in a row, but missing out on qualifying for the 2015/2016 season, Russell Currier is back and ready to race the World Cup. “It was a huge relief,” Currier said of his renomination this November.
Biathlon Canada's World Cup team selection races wrapped up last Thursday, with two sprints at Frozen Thunder. Along with Canada's Rosanna Crawford, Julia Ransom, Megan Tandy, and Scott Gow, Americans Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke, Joanne Reid, and Susan Dunklee reached the podium by the end of trials.
US Biathlon's Tim Burke leaves nothing up to chance as he preps for the upcoming race season. The 34-year-old team veteran recently explained he's not averse to double pole training and has been perfecting his shooting from one of the Jedis of American sport shooting.
Photos and high-performance observations from last weekend's 2016 US Biathlon Rollerski Nationals at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vt., held in hot and muggy temperatures. "When you stopped the whole body felt like [it was going] to explode," Bernd Eisenbichler noted.
The nordic baby boom continues with US Biathlon veteran Lowell Bailey, who welcomed his first child on June 15. On top of being a father, Bailey is also continuing his career as a biathlete with his sights on the 2017 World Championships and 2018 Olympics, as well as recently joining the Bridger Biathlon Club Board of Directors.
On Tuesday, the IOC Executive Board responded to the McLaren report and listed provisional measures for international sports federations moving forward. Fortunately for FIS and the IBU, they're not on the same timeline as summer sports, and will convene at a meeting in just over two weeks in Rio.
On Sunday evening, 60 Minutes aired a 13-minute interview with Vitaly and Yuliya Stepanov, the whistleblowers who prompted a German documentary on Russia's systematic doping in track and field and WADA's resulting ban on the entire team. Vitaly suggests the corruption extends to Russian Winter Olympians as well, including at least four who achieved gold in Sochi with the help of federal agents.
Looking back on 2015/2016, there were a long list of biathlon results for the U.S. and Canada to be excited about. Here are a few of the best, three of which included medals.
After mulling it for over a year, Annelies Cook knew a few weeks ago: it was time to retire. She was able to go out on top after winning the mass start at NorAm Championships on Saturday. "It has been a really amazing adventure," she said. "I don’t think there’s a sport like it that makes you feel so much."
Germany's Simon Schempp felt the power in his legs to get the job done on the final loop of the men's 12.5 k pursuit on Saturday, while Tim Burke of the U.S. reached the flower ceremony for the second-straight day in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. "These are my two best results of the season so I can't be too disappointed," Burke explained.
In the final sprint of the season, Julian Eberhard won his first race, earned his first podium and became the first Austrian to win an IBU World Cup sprint in 15 years. Meanwhile, Tim Burke placed sixth for his best result of the 2015/2016 season, and the U.S. men notched a team-best sixth overall in the Nation Cup.
At home in Oslo, two Norwegians reached the podium in the final race of 2016 Biathlon World Championships, as Johannes Thingnes Bø won the men's mass start and Ole Einar Bjørndalen placed third, fewer than 7 seconds back. Americans Lowell Bailey and Tim Burke placed 10th and 12th, respectively.
Martin Fourcade was on a quest to sweep the individual medals of World Championships. But one man stood in his way: Norway's Johanne Thingnes Bø. “Today I was a little bit stronger than him in the track," said Bø. "I think my motivation for winning one gold was bigger than his for a fifth gold.”
OSLO, Norway—With one of their best shooting days, the U.S. men’s biathlon team finished eighth in the World Championships relay, 1:27.3 behind host country Norway. The squad of Lowell Bailey, Leif Nordgren, Tim Burke, and Sean Doherty used just five spare rounds, tying them for the best shooting in the field with second-place Germany and third-place Canada. (
Americans Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke and Leif Nordgren all qualified for Sunday's World Championships mass start, while Canada's Scott Gow tallied a career-best while placing 18th in the 20 k individual on Thursday.
Martin Fourcade easily won the 12.5 k World Championships pursuit, despite three penalties. More surprised was Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who repeated his silver medal performance from the sprint. Nathan Smith of Canada placed 15th and Tim Burke of the United States 17th.
Martin Fourcade versus Simon Schempp: Two perennial rivals duking it out on the final loop of Thursday's mixed relay. It was a fitting end to the first race of the 2016 IBU World Championships in Oslo, Norway. While Fourcade anchored France to gold and Germany took second, the U.S. placed 10th and Canada 11th.
The third and fourth legs in the IBU World Cup men's relay on Saturday, the Bø brothers led Norway to a 30-second win over France, while Germany picked off three places on the last leg to notch third. The U.S. came close to an unprecedented fourth, finishing fifth behind Russia in a photo finish.
The third starter, Martin Fourcade overcame a 29-second deficit and two penalties on a tricky shooting day to win the IBU World Cup pursuit in Presque Isle for his 44th World Cup win. Tim Burke tied his season best in seventh, and Germany's Arnd Peiffer crashed into a tree on his final loop and suffered a severe concussion.