22-year-old Canadian biathlete Julia Ransom just wanted to score some World Cup points this year - top 40's - to feel like she was on track. She blew that goal out of the water in the Antholz, Italy, on Saturday, shooting a perfect 20-for-20 and skiing to 19th place.
Two Russians cleaned Thursday's sprint at the IBU World Cup in Antholz, Italy, and both landed on the podium. Olga Podchufarova captured her first World Cup win, finishing 8 seconds faster than Italian runner-up Dorothea Wierer, and Russia's Ekaterina Yurlova hit every target for third. Meanwhile, three North Americans qualified for the pursuit: Rosanna Crawford in 33rd, Susan Dunklee in 37th and Julia Ransom in 46th.
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.
Gabriela Soukalova picked up the tenth win of her career in a snowy mass start in Ruhpolding, Germany: "Just before the start of the season, I was talking with a friend about whether I would ever this tenth World Cup. I put ten as a goal before the finish [of the season]. So that now I'll have to increase that a little.”
Italy's Dorothea Wierer tried not to overthink Thursday's 15 k individual race at the IBU World Cup in Ruhpolding and ended up cleaning the four-stage race for her second-career win. Rosanna Crawford returned to the circuit and placed 18th, and Susan Dunklee missed five to finish 50th.
One day after missing out on a sprint victory by 1.1 seconds, Germany's Laura Dahlmeier picked up the pace late to top France's Marie Dorin Habert in Saturday's pursuit. Susan Dunklee placed 10th for the U.S. with 18-for-20 shooting.
For Susan Dunklee, it felt really good to smell the roses again at the IBU World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia. She placed sixth for her best sprint result in two seasons, and three Canadian women, led by Rosanna Crawford in 23rd, qualified for the pursuit as well.
The Italian women took their first-ever win in a World Cup relay Sunday in Hochfilzen, Austria, with Italy's Dorothea Wierer besting Germany’s Franziska Preuss by two tenths of a second in an all-out sprint to the finish.
Germany's Laura Dahlmeier rose from sixth to first in the women's pursuit at the IBU World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria, for her first pursuit victory. Meanwhile, up-and-comer Maren Hammerschmidt notched her second-straight podium for Germany.
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.
While Rosanna Crawford missed five targets in Sunday's IBU World Cup pursuit, she shot quickly -- fifth-fastest overall -- and ended up 23rd to lead Canada in Östersund, Sweden. Her teammate Megan Tandy rose from 46th to 25th with near-perfect shooting, and Julia Ransom placed 36th.
If you were wondering whether a podium in the first race of the season took the pressure off Rosanna Crawford for the first individual women’s race on Thursday, the answer is no. The Canadian biathlete explains her mindset and physical form during the 15 k individual, in which she placed 13th.
Regardless of when winter officially starts, it's here as far as the ski world is concerned, and there's a lot to be excited about in North American racing. Canadian biathletes Rosanna Crawford and Nathan Smith jumped out to a relay podium in the first IBU World Cup race, and Canadian cross-country skier Alex Harvey took second in the men's 10 k skate in Kuusamo, Finland, for his first early season podium.
Rosanna Crawford has been shooting for the World Cup podium for a long time now. And on the first day of the season, she got there, along with teammate Nathan Smith. "It feels amazing," she said. "I feel so lucky to share the podium with my teammate who I’ve trained with for so long."
It looks like winter at the Canmore Nordic Centre, even if the race loop is only 900 meters long. Rosanna Crawford of the Biathlon National Team and Graeme Killick of the National Ski Team won 8 k and 10 k skate races there on Saturday.
Rosanna Crawford was aggressive on her final lap around a rain-soaked Norwegian city loop, taking top honors in the biathlon sprint. Four other North Americans also made the finale, while Barbro Kvåle and Calle Halfvarsson won the cross-country sprints. Plus, video of the whole festival.
It all started two years ago when Biathlon Canada’s head coach Matthias Ahrens struck up a conversation with a highland cow farmer. This month, Ahrens and Norwegian shooting coach Joar Himle led an international camp with athletes from Canada, Russia, Finland, Norway, and the U.S.
Heidi Weng climbed away from the crowd in Lysebotn, Norway, today, to take the win in the opening race of the Blink Festival by more than 30 seconds over Finland's Kaisa Makarainen. Susan Dunklee finished 15th, the top North American.
Nathan Smith, Rosanna Crawford, Brendan Green, and Megan Heinicke headline the "A" team, while eight athletes were picked for the "B" team.
Nathan Smith, 1st place, Khanty-Mansiysk World Cup pursuit Canadian biathlete Nathan Smith saved his best performance for last, earning the first win of his career in the penultimate race of the World Cup season. After placing fifth in the sprint in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, Smith executed a flawless race in the 12.5-kilomter pursuit to pick up a 24-second victory. Not only was it the first win for him, but the first for both Canada and North...