Oberhof – Page 4 – FasterSkier

After Rainy, Warm Weekend, Oberhof Finally Blasted With Snow During Men’s Relay; “Hurricane On The Range”, Says Bailey

Chelsea LittleJanuary 6, 2012

When Thursday’s men’s relay in Oberhof, Germany kicked off, the television cameras could barely even show the start. After days of rain and warm conditions, the snow gods of Thuringia finally decided to let the World Cup biathletes see their worst. The snow was falling so thickly that zoomed shots from the cameras could barely pick out the skiers. “That was one of the hardest relays during my coaching career,” said U.S. Head Coach...

Biathlon World Cup

After Devastating Implosion By Neuner, Russia Takes Women’s Relay Victory, Fourth Consecutive Win

Chelsea LittleJanuary 5, 2012

The best biathletes in the world got a warm welcome in Oberhof, Germany, on Wednesday – in fact, they could be forgiven if they felt that they were in the Thuringian version of a tropical storm. Although it didn’t actually rain during the evening race, the temperatures hovered just around freezing, humidity was close to 100 percent, and the wind, despite averaging around two meters per second, was recorded to gust up to 35 miles...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Notes and Quotes: American Men on TDS Stage 2

Nathaniel HerzDecember 31, 2011

OBERHOF, Germany – Kris Freeman had a good day, notching the 20th-fastest standalone time of the race and moving into 30th place. His thoughts on the race: “I wanted to move up into the points, and I got a point, so I’m pretty satisfied on the day. It’s only the second time I’ve taken points this year, so it feels good to know I can still race. I’ve come back from a lot of stuff,...

General News Racing Tour de Ski US Ski Team World Cup

Randall First-Class in Tour’s Stage Two, Skis to Sixth Place

Nathaniel HerzDecember 30, 20111

OBERHOF, Germany – Kikkan Randall should consider a job with the U.S. Postal Service, because she just keeps on delivering. Not pain, not snow, nor gloom of Oberhof could stay Kikkan Randall from the swift completion of her appointed rounds here on Friday. By the time she arrived at the end of her three laps of the race course, Randall had notched yet another stellar distance result, finishing Stage 2 of the 2012 Tour de...

General News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Sweden’s Fast Man Returns to Action in Oberhof

Nathaniel HerzDecember 30, 2011

OBERHOF, Germany – Emil Jönsson is neither black nor 6’5”, but athletically, he’s cross-country skiing’s Usain Bolt—the sport’s fastest man in a drag race. Since last March, though, the World Cup circuit has been suffering from an acute absence of the Swedish speed-demon, with a hamstring injury and a cold limiting Jönsson to a single sprint start before the 2012 Tour de Ski. As evidenced by his podium finish in that race in Davos, Switzerland,...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

After Auspicious Tour Start, Canucks Eye Stage 2

Nathaniel HerzDecember 29, 2011

OBERHOF, Germany – Thursday’s freestyle prologue will probably not end up being significant in the grand scheme of the 2012 Tour de Ski, which includes eight more competitions and 100 kilometers of racing spread across two countries. But that doesn’t mean good results here didn’t give athletes a boost. Led by Alex Harvey’s sixth-place finish, the Canadian men are flying high after Stage 1 of the Tour. With Harvey just seven seconds away from the...

Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Northug Takes No Chances in Tour Prologue; Tops Cologna and Manificat

Topher SabotDecember 29, 20113

OBERHOF, Germany – If the Prologue is any indication, the 2012 Tour de Ski will play out as predicted by the media hype—a battle between Petter Northug (NOR) and Dario Cologna (SUI). Northug edged his rival, and defending Tour champion, Cologna, by .7 seconds in the men’s prologue in Oberhof, Germany. Maurice Manificat (FRA) placed third, four seconds off the pace. As expected, times were tightly compressed on the fast hard track. The course was...

Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Kowalczyk Claims Round One of Tour Bout with Bjørgen

Nathaniel HerzDecember 29, 20116

OBERHOF, Germany – Oh, it’s on. The battle between Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) for Tour de Ski queendom has officially begun—with Kowalczyk landing the first blow. By a scant 0.4 seconds, the Polish strongwoman claimed victory in the first stage of this year’s Tour on Thursday afternoon, covering the icy 3.1-kilometer freestyle prologue in just over seven minutes. Bjoergen was second, with 21-year-old Swede Hanna Brodin earning her second-ever World Cup podium...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Freeman Looks to Tour for Fresh Start

Nathaniel HerzDecember 28, 20111

OBERHOF, Germany – If there’s anything positive about Kris Freeman’s struggles in the first half of the 2012 season, it’s that they haven’t been too much of a mystery to him. Through nine competitions this season, Freeman’s head has been “everywhere but racing,” as a result of a big change in his personal life: Just before he departed for Europe, he and his girlfriend parted ways after 10 years together. Following a week of rest...

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Ekholm Edges Henkel in Mass Start; Spector, Struggling in Standing, Finishes 25th

Chelsea LittleJanuary 10, 20112

After going six years without qualifying a woman for a World Cup mass start, U.S. biathlon finally had its day in the spotlight in Oberhof, Germany on Sunday. “During warmup, I think people were surprised to see an American out there,” said Laura Spector, the first American woman since Rachel Steer to compete in a mass start. “But I saw a few American flags on the side of the course, and it was really motivating...

Biathlon General Racing Results World Cup

Spector 19th in Oberhof, Earns Spot in Mass Start – Corrected

Chelsea LittleJanuary 9, 20111

Note: FasterSkier originally reported that Laura Spector was the first U.S. woman to compete in a mass start race. She is not; but she is the first since Rachel Steer, who started in three World Cup mass starts and one at World Championships between 2003 and 2005. With a 19th-place finish – her best ever in a World Cup – Laura Spector has earned something coveted by many a U.S. woman before, but seldom attained....

Biathlon General Results World Cup

Two Canadian Biathletes in Top-20 in World Cup Sprint – Updated

Chelsea LittleJanuary 8, 20111

Oberhof, Germany, has been kind to the Canadian biathlon team so far this year. After the men finished 11th in the relay on Wednesday, they had a banner day on Friday with finishes of 14th, 16th, and 34th from Brendan Green, Jean-Phillipe Leguellec, and Scott Perras. With a mass start competition coming up on Sunday, the team is feeling good. “With Brendan’s 14th place, we both managed to squeeze in the mass start race this...

Biathlon General Results

Germany Takes Victory In Gusty, Gutsy Men’s Biathlon Relay

Chelsea LittleJanuary 5, 20111

The second period of the biathlon World Cup opened in Oberhof, Germany on Wednesday with a…. ping. Lots of pings, actually. Huge wind gusts obliterated the men’s relay field, and the International Biathlon Union reported that the world’s best biathletes used 352 spare rounds, about three times the normal amount in a World Cup relay, and still had to ski 100 penalty loops. Ouch. One team, however, wasn’t fazed by the challenging shooting conditions. Although...

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