Martin Fourcade was behind some race drama on Saturday in the IBU World Cup men's pursuit, which the man who finished second behind him -- Simon Schempp -- called a "psycho race." American Lowell Bailey was in the hunt for a top 10 and placed 13th with a single penalty.
Nathan Smith did the expected and placed ninth in Saturday's IBU World Cup sprint, despite two misses. Meanwhile, another Canadian, Macx Davies, turned heads as the only man in the 100-plus field to shoot clean. He finished 10th for his career-best result by 30 places.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen has seen a lot in his 20-plus years on the IBU World Cup circuit. “The overall level of the athletes has changed a lot," he told FasterSkier in a recent exclusive interview in Norway. "When I first started, there were a lot fewer who skied really fast,”
Ole Einar Bjørndalen swore that this would be his last season - and after missing six weeks of training due to illness, he had doubts whether he would make Norway's World Championships team. But the 41-year-old is back and won big on the World Cup, and now teammates and competitors are wondering if he has another Olympics in him.
The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports has authorized the release of VO2max test data by its nordic Olympians – in the name of science.
Ole Einar Bjørndalen is pulling out all the stops for this season, including a 20-ton custom RV that he plans to take on the road with him so that he can train in all weather conditions. And at 41, why? So he can win the one gold medal that alludes him at a home World Championships in Oslo, Norway.
Just 2 percent of IOC members come from a snow sports background, and one of those two - biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen - skipped the vote for who should host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Between this imbalance and the fact that IOC members are no longer allowed to visit bid cities, the financial might and huge consumer market of China won out over other factors in the decision-making process.
While Slovenia's Jakov Fak outlasted Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic and two Norwegians, Tarjei Bø and Ole Einar Bjørndalen, on the last lap to win the mass start at IBU World Championships, four North Americans put down races they were proud of: with Lowell Bailey in 13th, Tim Burke in 14th, Brendan Green in 21st, and Nathan Smith in 23rd.
Simon Schempp and three teammates combined for Germany's second gold in the last two days of relays at 2015 IBU World Championships, topping Norway and France, respectively. The U.S. got off to a strong start with Lowell Bailey, but finished 14th with two penalties. The Canadians had two penalties as well and ended up 19th.
The podium-surprise streak at IBU World Championships ended on Thursday, with regulars Martin Fourcade, Emil Hegle Svendsen and Ondrej Moravec taking gold, silver and bronze in the men's 20 k individual, respectively. Canada's Brendan Green placed 21st to lead the North Americans, and three U.S. men placed in the top 33.
Norway took the team relay in the World Cup men's 4x7.5 k biathlon in Antholz, Italy.
Emil Hegle Svendsen and Lowell Bailey had a few things in common on Thursday. While Bailey started the four-leg race for the Americans and Svendsen anchored the Norwegians, both led to the finish and capitalized on one critical hill to do so.
Despite heroic efforts by the organizing committee to truck in snow and repair a race course that melted overnight, nobody seemed happy to race in Oberhof, Germany, today. Skiing was treacherous, shooting unfair - even race winner Martin Fourcade suggested the IBU rethink its schedule.
There was wind. There was fog. There were crashes. In a normal World Cup relay, 12 spare rounds and a penalty loop would place a team far back indeed. But in Oberhof, Germany, today, it represented excellence - and Russia claimed their third-straight men's relay victory.
Emil Hegle Svendsen talked about throwing out his skis; Ole Einar Bjørndalen didn't use his best. Nathan Smith hopes for stonegrinding before the next World Cup and Susan Dunklee's skis might go back to Fischer for care. One thing is certain: Östersund did a number on skis. How do you come back from that?
Martin Fourcade came out firing, missing several of his targets on Sunday, but pulling off a 10-second victory in the men's 12.5 k pursuit on the last day of the Östersund World Cup nonetheless. Canada's Nathan Smith cleaned three stages to reach the top three, but missed three on his last stage to finish 16th.
Emil Hegle Svendsen, the third-winningest man in World Cup history, said earlier this year that he was losing motivation for biathlon. Well, with perfect 20/20 shooting and a monster win in Östersund, Sweden, he's remembering exactly what he loves about the sport: winning.
Curved ski poles and all, Ole Einar Bjørndalen picked up his first win of the season. The 40-year-old Norwegian biathlete showed nerves of steel with a clean final shooting stange, then kicked it in on the last lap of the Sjusjøen mass start and pass teammate Lars Helge Birkeland.
Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who became the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time this past winter in Sochi, Russia, was awarded Best Male Athlete of the 2014 Olympics on Friday in Bangkok.
Far from just a tourist relying on the strength of his team, 40-year-old Ole Einar Bjørndalen was integral in Norway's gold medal in the biathlon mixed relay, shooting perfectly and skiing the fastest time by a mile on his leg of the relay. He now has eight Olympic gold medals and 13 total medals, the most in history. "It's cool," the legend shrugged.