Since building his confidence back at Open European Championships last week, Leif Nordgren is still on the rise, using just one spare on Friday to bring his team up to fourth in the IBU World Cup mixed relay. The Americans finished seventh and just 0.2 seconds from sixth.
Nathan Smith had never finished a mass start before Sunday, but he knew if all went according to plan, he could be in a competitive position. The Canadian found himself in sixth at one point, and with two penalties, secured his second-best World Cup result in ninth.
After a wildly disappointing 20 k individual on Wednesday where he missed six shots and finished more than ten minutes behind the winner, French biathlon star Martin Fourcade pulled himself together and turned in a dominating performance in the 10 k sprint today, winning by 28 seconds.
Emil Hegle Svendsen knew exactly how Tuesday’s 15-kilometer mass start was going to play out — or so he said. The Norwegian timed his sprint showdown with France's Martin Fourcade to a T, nearly losing gold at the finish. But if you ask him, he had it in the bag.
Martin Fourcade described the final loop of Monday’s 12.5-kilometer pursuit as “one of the worst” in his whole life. That's ironic because he won by 14 seconds to definitively capture his first Olympic gold, but it didn't come easy and there was plenty that could've gone wrong.
A 20-year-old Norwegian, Johannes Thingnes Bø, racked up his second career victory in Annecy, France, in Sunday's 12.5 k pursuit, winning by nearly 40 seconds. Canada's Nathan Smith cut his personal best in half, rising from 16th to eighth.
Young gun Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway was the fastest in a field of clean shooters on Saturday in the IBU World Cup men's 10 k sprint in Annency, France. Nathan Smith led the way for Canada with a career-best 16th.
The French biathlon team seemed to have mastered the blustery conditions in Ostersund - that is, until four-time World Champion Martin Fourcade took over. Instead, it was the Czech Republic who had the most to celebrate as they took the win, their first in the history of the discipline.
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.
The Russian men continued their exceptional weekend in Oberhof, with Dmitry Malyshko shooting perfectly and winning the pursuit unchallenged. Evgeniy Garanichev made up for his singly penalty and placed second, repeating his own finish from the sprint.
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.