Germany's 27-year-old sprint specialist Denise Herrmann made a big announcement on Wednesday: she's going to be a biathlete. "The switch to a new discipline will be a big challenge, I am aware of that, but I am confident that I can do it with diligence, courage, and determination!" Herrmann wrote.
With darkness quickly setting in on Presque Isle's World Cup trails early Saturday evening, the Czech Republic won the women's relay by 25 seconds over Ukraine and Germany, respectively, while the U.S. women combined for their best result of the season in 10th.
After leading into the final loop of the women’s 4 x 6 k relay on Sunday, Ukraine successfully held off Germany at the finish, to the audible dismay of the packed stadium in Ruhpolding, Germany. The Ukrainian women took the win by 1.2 seconds, Germany finished second and Italy edged Russia in a sprint for third.
Who was happiest: Franziska Hildebrand, who claimed her first win? Maren Hammerschmidt, who started second to last but crossed the line with the second-fastest time in just her 11th World Cup? Or Miriam Gössner, who is finally back from a devastating injury and placed third? Rosanna Crawford was the only North American to crack the top 40.
German skier and biathlete Miriam Gössner, who had a strong 2013 campaign with three World Cup biathlon wins and a near-podium at FIS Cross Country World Championships, has been unable to come back from four fractured vertebrae sustained in a bike crash in Norway in May. She announced in a press conference on Friday that she is ending her season.
Norway, Russia, Germany, France: it's hard to see a biathlon race where these guys aren't on the podium. Here's what you need to know about the biggest teams going into the 2013-2014 season - injury updates, shooting problems, psychological battles, promising juniors, team-naming squabbles. Read on.
Gabriela Soukalova didn't want to race Thursday morning. Who could blame her? It was freezing in Siberia and she was set to start a 7.5 k sprint that evening. The Czech overcame her dread and won the IBU World Cup race over Germany's Andrea Henkel and Miriam Gössner. Susan Dunklee led the Americans in 29th.
Take a multi-time World Champion, a speed demon who has improved enough on the range to win World Cups - and then add a junior racer and an Olympic gold medalist skier who recently turned biathlete. It's not the usual formula, but it got Germany a win over Ukraine and Norway in the women's biathlon relay in Sochi today.
Miriam Gössner of Germany got lots of attention when the biathlete finished fourth in Tuesday's 10 k skate, just half a second from the podium - but she wasn't alone in making the jump between sports. Friends Kaisa Makarainen of Finland and Selina Gasparin of Switzerland also acquitted themselves well, and offered light-hearted insight on the difference between the sports.
Marit Bjørgen's not unbeatable, but she's a pretty tough nut to crack. Therese Johaug proved its possible in a 10 k freestyle, winning the individual start on Tuesday for her second individual gold at World Championships. Yulia Tchekaleva broke through for Russia in third, German biathlete Miriam Gössner just missed a medal in fourth and American Liz Stephen captured fifth.
Germany's Miriam Gossner used her trademark light and quick skiing to combat some dry, sticky, and slow new snow that fell on the Ruhpolding course today and pick up her third win of the season. Annelies Cook (USA) overcame "herky-jerky skiing" to notch a career best and her first top 30.
Norway already had a winning women's relay team, but the addition of Ann-Kristin Flatland, a former World Cup winner who took last season off to have a baby, only made them more dominant. The Norwegians collected a 54-second victory over Russia, even though their rivals used only a single spare round to clean their 40 targets. The U.S. was 13th and Canada 14th.
Miriam Gossner was unable to repeat yesterday's victory, missing all five targets on her first of four shooting stages and ten of twenty in total. Instead Olga Zaitseva of Russia rose to the top, after starting in fifth position and accumulating three penalties in the middle of the race.
Miriam Gossner - at just 22 years old already an Olympic silver medalist in cross country skiing, from the relay in Vancouver - skied so fast that not even two penalties in the 7.5 k sprint could keep her from the top spot on the podium. Sara Studebaker (USA) had a season-best performance, shooting clean to finish 29th.
A willingness to be cold and wet were requirements for success in Oberhof today; ability to see targets through the fog and also to stay fuzzy-side-up on the course's steep and slushy downhills were encouraged, but not required, to be on the podium. Valj Semerenko noted that she'd prefer if it were minus five and sunny, but Ukraine won the women's relay anyway.
The fog in Pokljuka, Slovenia, tripped up everyone in the 12.5 k mass start - but Tora Berger overcame her penalties and collected the 20th win of her career. Rosanna Crawford of Canmore, meanwhile, picked up her fifth top-30 result in a row and is heading home for the holidays happy.
Miriam Gossner had five penalties and Gabriela Soukalova shot a perfect 20 for 20, but the German still prevailed for a 0.7-second win in the 10 k pursuit in Pokljuka, Slovenia today.
Taking herself, her coaches and the biathlon world completely by surprise, 23-year-old Gabriella Soukalova (CZE) won the 7.5 k sprint in Pokljuka, Slovenia, on Friday. The win is her first ever on the World Cup; prior to this she had only one top-ten on her record. Second place went to Miriam Gössner (GER) and third to Nadezhda Skardino (BLR).
RUHPOLDING, Germany – Right from the start of the 4 x 6 k relay here at World Championships, the German women made it clear that they were going to give their fans a show – and, most likely, the gold medal that they so vocally craved. Tina Bachmann, a lithe, six-foot-tall 25-year-old, put the field on notice when she turned in the fastest first-leg time, making up for the single spare round she used to...