France's Martin Fourcade was once again nearly 40 seconds ahead of everyone in the World Cup field on Friday in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. With his 17th podium of the season now in the bag he stands poised to take the overall title with the conclusion of the season on Sunday.
Next year’s Olympics could be good news for France and bad news for everyone else, as Martin Fourcade clocked the fastest course time for the second race in a row and picked up a huge 42-second victory in the 10 k sprint.
While Martin Fourcade of France joked that now he has his gold medal from Sochi, Tim Burke finished the day with important insight, too: namely, that he can ski among the fastest times on the trails that will hold Olympic competition next winter. With only one missed shot in the 20 k race, the American made the top five for the second competition in a row.
The classic races of World Championships took place in Val di Fiemme: interval start, relay, marathon. Biathletes competed in Oslo, Americans held their own in Slavic Cup action, and Swedes (and everyone else) gave it their all in the Vasaloppet. Summaries of the action, along with links to reporting and results.
Martin Fourcade seemed to have everything under control, Tim Burke seemed to be out of the picture after two penalties - how much can change in the final lap of a biathlon race. Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic held off Fourcade in the 15 k mass start to earn his first win, while an audacious charge past several top racers left Burke just off the podium.
With Tarjei Bø, who edged Martin Fourcade by 0.1 seconds in the sprint, still lacking fitness after a late start to the season, Fourcade skied away with the win in Oslo today. But he couldn't have been more happy than the third-place finisher: this year's double gold medalist at World Junior Championships, Alexandr Loginov moved up from fifth in the sprint after earning his first World Cup starts.
Norway's Emil Hegle Svendsen is off to one heck of a start at Biathlon World Champs with three wins in as many races. Brian Gregg found similar success in two out of three races over the long weekend, and Sophie Caldwell made the Scando Cup podium in a skate sprint.
Photos from the men's 12.5 k pursuit.
When Martin Fourcade used a formidable uphill sprint to take the lead with a kilometer to go, it looked like Emil Hegle Svendsen was out of the picture, relegated to silver. But the Norwegian somehow managed to drag himself back onto Fourcade's tails and slingshot around him into the finishing lanes, then win one of the closest World Championships photo finishes in recent memory.
Although he said he wasn't thinking about last year, when Martin Fourcade of France bested him in race after race and took home three World Championships titles, Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway certainly seemed like he was on a mission, notching the fastest ski time to earn his second gold in Nove Mesto.
In the timespan of just two seasons, Nove Mesto has transformed itself from a ho-hum IBU Cup venue to an exhilarating superstadium for biathlon - one where, as several athletes claim, the fans are even louder and more enthusiastic than those at the traditional capitals of Ruhpolding and Oberhof in Germany.
While Norway had seldom a worry en route to another mixed relay title, France and the Czech Republic capitalized on a late-stage meltdown by Russia's Dmitry Malyshko to earn their spots on the podium. The Czech medal was especially exciting to the home crowd, and the racers struggled to express how special the moment was.
Despite a few penalties - "bugs" that he hoped he could work out before World Championships - Anton Shipulin led Saturday's biathlon pursuit in Antholz, Italy, wire to wire. Jakov Fak turned on the afterburners so snag second place, and Daniel Mesotitsch finished third.
After romping to a win in the sprint on Saturday, Martin Fourcade of France had to work far harder on Sunday, draining his reserves to outsprint Dmitry Malyshko at the end of the 15 k mass start. Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway staged an impressive comeback from two penalties to take third; Tim Burke was 17th in his first race back from illness.
Martin Fourcade celebrated vocifericously at the finish of today's World Cup sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany, but he clearly didn't expect Andriy Makoveev of Russia to make a late charge from bib 95. While Makoveev didn't get the win, he did make it onto the podium, placing third behind teammate Evgeniy Ustyugov.
In the men's 4 x 7.5 k relay in Ruhpolding Martin Fourcade anchored France to a 9-second victory over Norway, redeeming themselves of their last memory of the venue. Lowell Bailey and Leif Nordgren put the U.S. in second at the halfway mark, but the Americans ended up 14th.
50,000 fans in a soccer stadium. Bulletproof glass protecting them from a shooting range. 20 of the world's best biathletes. Magdalena Neuner suspended on a trapeze. This is what you'll find at the World Team Challenge, a which happened in Germany today. Susan Dunklee shared her experience after placing tenth with Tim Burke.
Tim Burke (USA) has not only recovered from his compartment syndrome scare two winters ago, but he has also finally regained his confidence after having surgery. Andreas Birnbacher (GER) won the mass start, but Burke was on the podium for the first time since 2010.
After erratic shooting kept him from his usual spot on the podium all season, Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway used calm and focus to best Martin Fourcade in the final stage of today's 12.5 pursuit in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
Jakov Fak (SLO) earned his first regular-season victory last weekend in Hochfilzen, Austria, and on Thursday in Pokljuka, Slovenia, he built off that success in front of a home crowd. His slim 0.8-second win in the 10 k sprint over Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen was the first World Cup victory Slovenia has ever seen on home soil.