Paul Schommer was named to the IBU Cup roster for the start of the 2019-20 season Photo: Rachelle Weymuller)
(Oct. 28, 2019) — Following the completion of the U.S. Biathlon Fall Festival and IBU Cup Trials held over the weekend in Soldier Hollow, Utah, 15 athletes have been nominated to the U.S. Biathlon teams competing at the opening events of the 2019-20 season.
“We had an impressively competitive trials this season, with several lead changes throughout the competitions,” said U.S. Biathlon Director of High Performance Lowell Bailey. “I feel really good about the teams we are sending and their ability to compete with the world’s best on the international stage.”
Six members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team have been selected to compete at the first three International Biathlon Union World Cup events on this year’s calendar, including women’s Olympic Team members Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Susan Dunklee (Barton, Vt.), Joanne Reid (Grand Junction, Colo.) and Emily Dreissigacker (Morrisville, Vt.). Named to the men’s World Cup team are 2018 Olympians Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.) and Leif Nordgren (Hinesburg, Vt.), along with Travis Cooper (Kenai, Alaska) and Alex Howe (Gilford, N.H.).
The IBU kicks off its 2019-20 World Cup season in Oestersund, Sweden, Nov. 30-Dec. 8. That will be followed by World Cups in Hochfilzen, Austria, Dec. 13-15, and Le Grand Bornand, France, Dec. 19-22.
Named to the U.S. squads competing at the IBU Cup competitions in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy, Dec. 12-15, and in Obertilliach, Austria, Dec. 18-21, are Kelsey Dickinson (Winthrop, Wash.), Hallie Grossman (South Burlington, Vt.) and Maddie Phaneuf (Old Forge, N.Y.) on the women’s side, and Lars Hammernes Leopold (Truckee, Calif.), Max Durtschi (Ketchum, Idaho), Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis.) and Jake Brown (St. Paul, Minn.) on the men’s side.
“It’s an exciting time for U.S. Biathlon, with several new names in the mix on our international teams. It will be fun to watch,” Bailey added.
Sean Doherty on his way to winning the men’s 12.5 k pursuit. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com)
USBA National Championships Jericho, Vermont 12.5 k/10 k pursuit
On Saturday, Sean Doherty (USBA) won the 12.5-kilometer pursuit in 34:19.1. Doherty shot 1+2+1+2 in taking the win. He began in bib 2, 5.8 seconds behind Jake Brown (CGRP). Brown placed second in Saturday’s pursuit finishing 17.0 seconds back. Max Durtschi (USBA/Strafford) raced to third (+1:36.6, 1+1+1+1).
Susan Dunklee during the women’s 10 k pursuit at the 2019 USBA National Championships. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com)
In the women’s 10 k pursuit, Susan Dunklee (USBA/CGRP), the winner of Friday’s sprint, won in 34:38.7 after shooting 0+3+1+3. Hallie Grossman (CGRP) placed second (+4:06.7, 0+05+1), with Kelsey Dickinson (CGRP) taking third. Dickinson shot 0+0+4+3 to place 4:41.0 back.
Hallie Grossman placed second in Saturday’s 10 k pursuit at the USBA National Championships. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com)
Kelsey Dickinson skiing to third in the 10 k pursuit. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com)
IBU World Cup in Canmore. (Photo: canmorebiathlon.ca screenshot)
Canmore, Canada IBU World Cup 4 x 7.5 k/ 4 x 6 k relay
Friday in Canmore was team relay day. Norway’s Lars Helge Birkeland, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen,Erlend Øvereng Bjøntegaard and Johannes Thingnes Bø won the men’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay in 1:16:36.6 hours while acquiring no penalties on the shooting range and using seven spares.
In second place was France’s Antonin Guigonnat, Emilien Jacquelin, Simon Fourcade, and Quentin Fillon Maillet. The French team finished 1:10.4 minutes back with no penalties while using eight spares.
Russia took the third podium position with Evgeniy Garanichev, Eduard Latypov, Alexander Loginov, and Alexander Povarnitsyn. With no penalties and using nine spares, the Russians crossed the finish line 1:48.4 minutes back.
Christian Gow, Scott Gow, Jules Burnotte, and Brendan Green racing for Canada all began in bib 18 as the 18th ranked team and hopped eight positions in the final standings to finish 10th (+4:53.2). In total, Canada had two penalties while using 18 spares. It was also the final race of Green’s career.
The U.S. team of Sean Doherty, Leif Nordgren, Max Durtschi, and Travis Cooper was lapped and not given an official time. Doherty skied the first leg and tagged off 41.4 seconds behind first-place France. Nordgren raced second and tagged Durtschi with a 2:49.7 minute deficit. Durtschi was lapped on his third and final ski loop after shooting 3+3 and 2+3.
The women’s 4 x 6 k relay Vanessa Hinz, Franziska Hildebrand, Denise Herrmann, and Laura Dahlmeier took the win in 1:10:16.3 hours. The German foursome had a total of one penalty lap while using 12 spares.
Emille Aagheim Kalkenberg, Ingrid Landmark Tandervold, Tiril Eckhoff, and Marte Olsbu Roeiseland raced to second place, 30.2 seconds back. Kalkenberg used all her spares and skied two penalty laps to put the Norwegians in an early hole. On the next three legs, Norway used four spares total to pull themselves back into contention.
Anais Chevalier, Justine Braisaz, Anais Bescond, and Julia Simon racing for France placed third (+41.6, 0+12).
The U.S women took eighth overall, finishing 3:58.4 minutes behind. Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, Joanne Reid, and Emily Dreissigacker had two penalties while using 12 spares during the race.
For Canada, Sarah Beaudry, Emma Lunder, Megan Bankes, and Rosanna Crawford For Canada, Sarah Beaudry, Emma Lunder, Megan Bankes, and Rosanna Crawford placed 18th. The Canadians were lapped on the final ski loop of the second leg.
Tomorrow’s scheduled sprints for both the men and women have been postponed to Sunday die to predicted cold temperatures.
Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway shot clean and skied fast in Canmore’s 15 k short individual race on Thursday. (Photo: biathlonworld.com screenshot)
IBU World Cup Canmore, Canada 15 k/ 12.5 k Short Individual Races
Sun, mountains, and what may have seemed like relatively warm temps allowed the IBU World Cup events to proceed on Thursday in Canmore, Canada. It’s been Polar Vortex cold in Canmore. Cold enough to thwart the original plans for traditional length 20-kilometer and 15 k individual races, for men and women respectively. With cold temperatures predicted all week, and a window of legal-limit warmer weather punching through on Thursday, the races were shortened to provide enough time during the warming window to hold both races.
For the men, this fill in the blank is easy: _________________ dominated the day in the men’s 15 k short individual race as he shot clean and skied faster than all the others.
Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway did shoot clean. And he skied fast. And he won in a time of 35:27.9 minutes. For the twenty-four-year-old Bø, it was his 12th win of the season as he continues to cement his grip on the IBU World Cup overall.
His Norwegian teammate Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen, finished second (+2:10.2, 1+0+0+1), with Alexander Loginov in third (+2:41.0, 1+1+0+0).
Canada’s Chirstian Gow posted a career best 10th place. Gow stopped the clock 3:05.4 minutes after the winning time, as he went 0+1+0+0 for a single penalty on the shooting range.
“I didn’t treat the race any differently,” Gow emailed when considering the 15 k format. “It is still an Individual where each penalty is a major set-back so I knew I needed to keep the same focus for the race. It was something new, so a bit more of an unknown going in to it … I actually started a bit harder than I normally would. I wasn’t sure if I could keep the pace going, but in the end I managed it so I’m happy that it worked out!”
For the U.S., Sean Doherty was the second best North American in 27th. Doherty finished 4:29.0 minutes behind, and went 0+1+0+1 on the range.
“Today the shortened format was welcome as the snow conditions were very abrasive and slow. as far as a tactics go the shorter distance is just a bit more aggressive pacing but that’s about it,” Doherty wrote FasterSkier to explain how the shortened race might impact his race strategy.
Much of the past week was prohibitively cold for athletes. Some ventured outdoors for training, with many making due with local gyms and indoor training facilities.
“The cold temperatures as we are dealing with here have some added challenges,” Doherty added. “The biggest one being keeping your hands warm. Lots of people have their own tricks but you usually sacrifice some dexterity in the range but it is necessary because it is even harder to shoot with numb fingers. The other thing you see is the tape on our faces to try to protect frostbite prone areas. Then it’s all about layers and you end up doing a lot of fussing around with all the clothing you are wearing.”
For the U.S., Leif Nordgren raced to 43rd (+5:48.3, 0+1+0+1), Max Durtschi 71st (+7:52.5, 0+2+1+2), Travis Cooper 73rd (+8:01.0, 1+1+1+2).
Also for Canada, Scott Gow placed 40th (+5:42.6), Jules Burnotte 57th (+7:00.2, 3+1+2+0), Aidan Millar 81st (+8:34.0, 2+1+1+2).
The women’s 12.5 k short individual race was run with increasing cloud cover and temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff took the win in 36:32.9 minutes with a single penalty. It was Eckhoff’s first career IBU World Cup win in the individual event.
The Czech Republic’s Marketa Davidova raced to second as she cleaned her shooting stages and finished 9.2 seconds back. Lisa Vittozzi of Italy was third, 20.9 seconds behind, while also shooting clean.
Megan Bankes was the top placed Canadian in 26th (+3:14.5, 1+0+1+0). Canmore’s local biathlete Rosanna Crawford was 29th (+3:21.7, 0+1+0+1). Sarah Beaudry was 34th (+3:36.5, 1+0+1+0), and Emma Lunder 63rd (+5:51.3, 1+0+4+1).
Clare Egan was he top American in 43rd (+4:17.5, 1+0+1+2). Joanne Reid skied to 64th (+5:55.9, 0+2+1+1), Emily Dreissigacker 66th (+6:07.1, 0+0+0+2).
Of the four Russian athletes starting the 15-kilometer classic mass start in Lahti, Finland three placed in the top four. Anna Zherebyateva won in 40:31.4 minutes as she was able to stretch her nine-second gap at 10 k to 23.5 seconds by the finish. Also from Russia, Lidia Durkina placed second (+23.5), Germany’s Katharina Hennig skied to third (+37.5).
“My tactic was to make a gap in the second loop,” Zherebyateva said during the post-race press conference. “So I did exactly what I wanted. It went really well. Tracks were exactly right for me. This gold medal is an important step for my sport career.”
Yana Kirpichenko was the third Russia in the top-five as she placed fourth (+41.6).
The best North American finisher was U.S. skier Hailey Swirbul who raced to 10th (+1:27.8). Swirbul was positioned 29th at the 5 k time check but steadily moved up in the field as the race progressed. By 10 k she had positioned herself in the top-15.
For the twenty-year-old Swirbul, this is her first go at U23 Worlds after participating in three Junior Worlds as an U20. Last season in Goms, Switzerland she placed second in the 5 k classic and third in the 10 k skiathlon.
Two other U.S. skiers raced into the top-30. Julia Kern placed 16th (+1:43.4), while Alayna Sonnesyn was 23rd (+2:24.9). Hannah Halvorsen, the fourth U.S. starter, placed 54th (+6:58.6).
Hannah Mehain was the top Canadian in 31st (+3:16.8), Sadie White placed 33rd (+3:18.6), and Natalia Hynes 51st (+3:40.9). Marie Corriveau did not start.
Similar to the U23 women’s race, Russian skiers dictated the pacing at the front of the pack — the four Russian starters swept first through fourth place.
Andrey Sobakarev won in 1:17:19.1 hours, Ivan Kirillov placed second (+3.5), Ivan Yakimushkin third (+4.9), and Anton Timashov fourth (+11.4).
Canada’s Antoine Cyr was the top North American in 27th (+2:26.8), while teammate Gareth Williams toed the line a fraction behind in 28th (+2:26.9). Also for Canada, Ritchie Graham was 41st (4:44.1), and Julian Smith 45th (+5:14.3).
Peter Holmes was the top U.S. finisher in 33rd (+3:15.7). Hunter Wonders placed 40th (+4:43.0), Braden Becker 53rd (+6:59.0), and Daniel Streinz 66th (+15:53.9).
Johannes Thingnes Bø scored his 10th IBU World Cup win of the season today in the 10 k sprint in Antholz, Italy. (Photo: biathlon world.com screenshot)
IBU World Cup Antholz, Italy 10 k sprint
In the groove is in the groove. Norway’s twenty-five-year-old Johannes Thingnes Bø scored his 10th IBU World Cup win of the season today in the 10 k sprint in Antholz, Italy. Bø won the race in 23:53.9 minutes with a single penalty in standing. The Norwegian leads the IBU World Cup overall and padded his lead with his fifth sprint win this year.
“It was quite difficult; the altitude here is quite heavy and with the new tracks, I felt dead from 5K so the last 5K was really tough,” Bø said to the IBU after the race. “I managed to have a good plan for the race. When I shoot nine targets, I was quite happy and then it was just to fight hard for the finish line. I like this year’s track; I liked last year’s too because it was not so painful.”
Bø’s season thus far has been a study in speedy skiing. His shooting stands at 87% for accuracy (82% standing, 91% prone) with his superior skiing speed carrying him to the World Cup overall lead. In Antholz today, his course time for each of his two 5 k laps were ranked first.
Norwegian teammate Erlend Bjøntegaard shot clean in both his shooting bouts to take second place, 17.5 seconds behind. France’s Antonin Guigonnat placed third (+20.2, 0+1).
Scott Gow of Canada was the top North American in 20th (+1:06.6, 0+0). Teammates Jules Burnotte raced to 48th (1:55.9, 1+1), Christian Gow 61st (+2:13.4), and Aidan Millar (+3:46.7, 2+2).
Jake Brown was the top American in 40th (1:42.4, 1+0). Sean Doherty finished in 55th (+2:06.2, 2+1), Max Durtschi 62nd (+2:13.8, 0+1), and Leif Nordgren 73rd (+2:43.1).
Racing continues tomorrow in Antholz for both the men and women with the 12.5k and 10 k pursuits.
Lake Placid SuperTour 5 k/10k Skate Individual Start
In the 5 k-freestyle individual start Jessica Yeaton (APU/Australian National Team) placed first with a winning time of 15:01.9 minutes. She was in a tight race for the top spot with U.S. Ski Team/SMS T2 athlete Sophie Caldwell who finished 3.0 seconds back. Caldwell is back home in Vermont training and preparing for the 2019 World Championships.
Katherine Ogden (Dartmouth Ski Team) placed third in a time of 15:17.8. Kelsey Phinney (SMS T2) placed fourth in 15:37.7.
“Today’s race went super well for me; I had awesome skis despite tricky conditions/weather leading into the race – our wax tech did a phenomenal job,” Yeaton wrote to FasterSkier. “The course here is really good for me with all the steady climbing in the first part- I just tried to push hard to the top of the course and then survive and carry my speed on the downhill, which turned out to be a good tactic.
“Between US Nationals and now I definitely feel like I am in a good place leading into Seefeld. I struggled with some injuries in the fall and was forced to do a lot of cross-training (especially on the bike) and skip the early season races in Nov/Dec. In retrospect I think this actually was a blessing in disguise, as I ended up putting in a super hard training block and gaining a lot of fitness. Looking ahead to Seefeld, my goal is to top 30 in one of the races, with my main focus being on the skate events (30k and sprint), and the 15km skiathlon. I am really excited for the rest of the races this weekend; they are my final prep before heading over to Europe to race on World Cup and in Seefeld.”
Kyle Bratrud (SMS T2) won the men’s 15 k skate in 25:27.1 minutes. Bratrud, who was recently selected to the 2019 U.S. World Championship Team, has been a top-performing distance skier this season on the SuperTour.
“Today went well,” Bratrud emailed. “After Nationals, I made the tough decision of turning down World Cup starts in Otepaa and Ulricehamn in order to get some quality training in for the World Champs. Today reflected that as I felt a little tired and pretty flat from not racing since Nationals. That being said, I expect to keep feeling better each race and I should be in a great place when I fly to Europe on the 4th!”
Bratrud recently won the NorAm/SuperTour 15 k classic in Sovereign Lake and the 15 k classic at U.S. Nationals. Bratrud placed second in West Yellowstone’s SuperTour 15 k skate, and the 30 k skate mass start at U.S. Nationals.
Akeo Maifeld-Carucci (CGRP) placed second in a time of 26:18.9. It was Carucci’s second SuperTour podium of the season and his best career SuperTour result. In West Yellowstone, he was third in the 15 k skate behind Ben Lustgarten (CGRP) and Bratrud.
Alexis Dumas (CNEPH) of Canada was third in 26:32.2. U.S. skier Adam Martin was fourth, 3.1 seconds behind Dumas.
The men’s 4 x 7.5 k relay in Ruhpolding, Germany. (Photo: screenshot biathlonworld.com)
IBU World Cup Ruhpolding, Germany 4 x 7.5 k / 4 x 6 k Relay
In relatively calm weather on Friday in Ruhpolding, Germany the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup sent the men’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay on its way. Under overcast skies, a slight 5 mph wind and temps trying to break freezing saw Norway’s team of Lars Helge Birkeland, Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen,Tarjei Bø, and Johannes Thingnes Bø win in 1:09:54.3 hours. The Norwegian foursome raced to the top podium spot with no penalties and using eight spares.
The move that grasped the race for Norway came when Johannes Thingnes Bø, on the final leg, threw down a speedy attack on the course’s burliest hill making him the carrot the others would be chasing towards the finish line. In less than a kilometer, Bø put in the almost 14 second gap back to Germany
Germany’s Rees Roman, Johannes Kuehn, Arnd Peiffer, and Doll Benedikt placed second 13.5 seconds behind Norway. Rees shot clean for Germany as did Peiffer – in total the German team shot with no penalties and used six spares.
The final podium spot went to France’s Emilien Jacquelin, Martin Fourcade, Quentin Fillon Maillet, and Simon Desthieux. France finished 26.2 seconds back while skiing no penalties and using nine spares.
Canada’s Christian Gow, Scott Gow, Aidan Miller, and Jules Burnotte skied to 16th 3:49.0 minutes behind Norway. In total, the Canadians skied one penalty and used 16 spares.
The U.S. team of Leif Nordgren, Sean Doherty, Jake Brown, and Max Durtschi raced to 17th, stopping the clock 4:01.2 after Norway. Over the duration of their four legs, the U.S. skied a single penalty lap while using 13 spares.
Twenty seven teams were entered in the men’s race.
The Canadian selection races for senior World Championships combined with a NorAm and Québec Cup weekend hosted by the Mont Orford club, began with freestyle sprints today.
Maya MacIsaac-Jones (CNST) won the qualifier and all her heats on the way to winning the A final, leaving no doubt about her selection for Seefeld. MacIsaac-Jones’ 2:36.83 minute A final was the fastest lap of the day, just edging 4th fastest qualifier Katherine Stewart-Jones (CNST) by 0.05 seconds. Laura Leclair (CNEPH) was third at 3.77 seconds after qualifying second. Third-place qualifier Cendrine Browne (CNST) was fourth, 4.99 seconds back, with Zoë Williams (Nakkertok) fifth (+5.18) and U.S. skier Madison Morgan sixth (+8.92.)
On the men’s side, Evan Palmer-Charrette (Team R.A.D.) won the A final in 3:06.58 minutes, 0.11 seconds ahead of Julien Locke (CNST). Top qualifier Russell Kennedy (Team R.A.D.) was third, 2.26 behind Palmer-Charrette and 0.24 seconds ahead of Sebastien Boehmler-Dandurand (AWCA). Antoine Briand (Skibec) finished sixth (+5.12), followed by Dominique Moncion-Groulx (Nakkertok) in sixth (+5.93).
Racing continues for two more days with an interval start classic on Saturday and mass start skate on Sunday. The top Canadian each day qualifies for World Championships.
The brothers Bø. Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø (right) of Norway with the sprint in Ruhpolding, Germany. His brother Tarjei (left) placed second. (Photo: biathlonworld.com screen capture)
IBU World Cup Biathlon Ruhpolding, Germany 10 k / 7.5 k sprint
Cutting to the chase: it has been dumping in certain regions of the alps. Ruhpolding, Germany, site of this week’s International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup’s has been no exception.
The men’s 10-kilometer sprint that went off today under clear skies had been postponed, it was scheduled to run Wednesday. Race officials postponed the race due to a weather related (read heavy snowfall) state of emergency in the district of Traunstein, where Ruhpolding is located.
With a bit more rest in their legs, Norway’s Bø went one and two in the results.
The younger of the brothers, twenty-five-year-old Johannes Thingnes Bø won in a time of 22:56.3 minutes after skiing a single penalty lap. Johannes Bø cleaned his prone stage, while missing one target while standing.
The elder Bø, thirty-year-old Tarjei Bø placed second (+7.9) after cleaning both shooting stages. It was Tarjei’s second individual podium of the season. Benedikt Doll of Germany was third (+10.5), with one penalty while standing. France’s perennial biathlon star Martin Fourcade was fourth (+15.9) with no penalties.
Sean Doherty of the U.S. was the best placed North American in 23rd (+1:10.2, 1+0). As of late, Doherty has been racing consistently in the top-30.
Also for the U.S., Jake Brown shot clean to finish 47th, 1:40.8 minutes back. Leif Nordgren placed 50th (+1:45.3, 0+0), and Max Durtschi 103rd (+3:29.0, 2+2).
Canada’s Scott Gow skied to 42nd (+1:36.0, 0+1). His brother Christian Gow placed 56th (+1:52.7, 0+1), Jules Burnotte skied and shot to 67th (+2:01.5, 1+0), and Aidan Millar 102nd (+3:26.4).
Friday’s racing in Ruhpolding will feature a 4 x 7.5 k and 4 x 6 k relays for the men and women respectively.
Anatasiya Kuzmina won the women’s 7.5 k sprint on Thursday in a time of 19:15.1 minutes. It was Kuzmina’s second win of the 2018/2019 IBU World Cup season. Kuzmina’s day was made a bit easier as she cleaned both her prone and standing shooting stages.
Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi placed second 11.5 seconds behind Kuzmina. Vittozzi also shot clean. In third place was Sweden’s clean shooting HannahÖberg. She finished 29.1 seconds back.
Susan Dunklee for the U.S. placed 20th overall, 1:11.3 minutes behind with a single penalty. Teammate Clare Egan, placed 35th (+1.44.6, 2+0). Also for the U.S., Joanne Reid finished two places back in 37th (+1:45.2, 1+0).
Rosanna Crawford was the top Canadian in 27th. She skied a single penalty loop to cross the finish line 1:32.3 minutes behind. Megan Bankes placed 68th (+2:32.7, 1+1), Emma Lunder 88th (+3:17.9, 3+2), and Sarah Beaudry 96th (+3:40.3, 1+3).
Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø with the first place hardware after winning the men’s IBU World Cup 10 k sprint in Pokljuka, Slovenia. (Photo: Biathlonworld,com)
IBU World Cup Pokljuka, Slovenia Men’s 10-kilometer Sprint
The men’s 10-kilometer sprint in Pokljuka, Slovenia was won today by Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø in a time of 23:46.3 minutes. During the two shooting stages, Bø skied a single penalty lap after missing one shot while standing.
Bø led the race from beginning to end, marking the fastest split at the first time check and never relinquishing control of the race.
France’s Antonin Guigonnat placed second 16.1 seconds back. Guigonnat shot clean, skiing no penalty laps. Alexander Loginov of Russia was third. He also shot clean and finished 16.4 seconds behind winner Bø.
Canada’s Christian Gow had another strong performance, placing 17th (+1:01.2) after shooting clean. Christian Gow placed 16th in yesterday’s 20 k individual race.
Also for Canada, Brendan Green finished 81st (+2:36.9). Green had three penalties, one in prone, two standing. Nathan Smith was 88th (+2:54.4) after missing one target shooting prone. Scott Gow placed 93rd (+3:08.6) with four penalties. He missed two targets shooting prone, two standing.
American biathlete Sean Doherty placed 26th (+1:15.1) while shooting clean. Also for the U.S., Leif Nordgren crossed the line in 31st (+1:20.90.) He missed a single target shooting prone, and shot clean standing. Travis Cooper placed 103rd (+3:57.4). Cooper missed two targets shooting prone and three standing. Max Durtschi finished in 108th (+4:36.4) missing six targets in total; two in prone, four standing.
France’s Martin Fourcade shooting clean ans skiing fast as he won the men’s 20 k individual race in Pokljuka, Slovenia, site of the IBU World Cup’s first series of races this season. (Photo: Biathlonworld,com)
IBU World Cup Pokljuka, Slovenia 20 k/15k Individual
Not the least of the myriad variables affecting biathlon races, fickle weather has played games in Pokljuka, Slovenia, site of the first round on the IBU World Cup. The men’s 20-kilometer individual race was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed to Thursday due to fog.
For each missed shot in the individual races, athletes are penalized one minute. With a large cost for any shooting mistake, a single miss can punish a potential podium performance.
None other than France’s Martin Fourcade took the win today in 47:09.2 minutes. (Fourcade is a seven-time winner of the overall IBU World Cup.) Fourcade shot clean in all four of his shooting bouts. And shooting clean was the theme for the podium, the top-three finishers had no misses on the shooting range.
Second place went to Johannes Kuehn of Germany, finishing 4.2 seconds back. Third place was secured by Simon Eder, who stopped the clock 19.7 seconds back.
For Canada, Scott Gow skied to 14th (+1:43.3) with one miss. Brother Christian Gow was 16th (1:59.2) after also missing only a single target. Brendan Green skied to 100th (+9:04.1) after difficult shooting, during which he missed seven targets. Nathan Smith did not start.
For the U.S. Leif Nordgren was the best placed American in 40th (+3:24.5). Nordgren missed two shots. Teammate Sean Doherty was 59th (+4:28.2) after missing three shots, Max Durtschi was 102nd (+9:37.0), after missing six targets. Travis Cooper raced to 105th (+10:02.0), while missing six shots.
The women’s 15 k individual was won by Ukraine’s Yuliya Dzhima 43:06.6 minutes. She was clean in her shooting in her first career IBU World Cup win. Poland’s Monika Hojnisz had a single penalty as she placed second (+5.9). The result was a best-ever result for Hojnisz at this level of competition. The Czech Republic’s Marketa Davidova also missed a single target on her way to her first career podium, finishing 16.5 seconds back in third place.
U.S. biathlete Susan Dunklee missed one target on her way to placing 11th (+1:00.09). With each miss adding an additional minute to an athlete’s finishing time, it was a solid effort and indicator for Dunklee.
“I’m psyched to have a great result so early in the season,” Dunklee emailed FasterSkier.
Dunklee, the U.S. team veteran, made note of U.S. skier Clare Egan’s race day performance. “Clare also threw down an impressive ski split, so in spite of our 3 start quota challenge, our team future looks bright,” Dunklee added.
Egan placed 60th (+4:23.3) after amounting five penalties. She raced the 13th fastest ski time. Emily Dreissigacker, also for the U.S., placed 69th (+5:17.0). Dreissigacker has four penalties.
Canada’s Megan Tandy finished in 62nd (+4:30.4), after missing three shots. Rosanna Crawford, also for Canada,was 64th (+4:34.7) with four misses, Meghan Bankes 71st (+5:22.) with three misses, and Nicole Moser 98th (+10:20.4) with seven misses.
For the women, Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, and Joanne Reid all pre-qualified based on last season’s results. Emily Dreissigacker was named to the team on Monday. The women’s World Cup team has three start spots per race in Pokljuka. According to Monday’s announcement, coaches will determine which athletes get specific starts at a later date.
After the Pokljuka races, only three U.S. women will travel to Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, the host of this season’s second IBU World Cup .
The fourth biathlete will head to Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy to race the second weekend of IBU Cup on Dec. 10-16. (The IBU Cup’s first weekend of racing will take place in Idre, Sweden on Nov. 26-Dec. 2).
Leif Nordgren and Sean Doherty both pre-qualified for the men’s opening World Cup races. The men’s side has four start spots in Pokljuka. Along with Nordgren and Doherty, Paul Schommer and Travis Cooper have been named to the first World Cup team roster.
Cooper’s path to Pokljuka will include a stop at the IBU Cup races in Idre. According to U.S. Biathlon, Cooper must first race in Sweden in order to earn his qualification for the IBU World Cup. Max Durtschi will travel to Pokljuka as a reserve athlete.
IBU Cup Teams
The SoHo and Jericho rollerski trials also served as a springboard to the second series of IBU Cups in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy. Hallie Grossman, Deedra Irwin, and Kelsey Dickinson were named as U.S. athletes for those races. They will be joined by one member of the women’s IBU World Cup team racing in Pokljuka.
The men also have four start spots at the second IBU Cup. Durtschi, Alex Howe, Jake Brown, and Vasek Cervenka have been named to the team for the Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy competitions.
Below is the schedule for the first two IBU World Cup and IBU Cup races.
Schedule for the first IBU World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
Schedule for the second IBU World Cup in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.
Schedule for IBU Cup #1 in Idre, Sweden.
Schedule for IBU Cup #2 in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy.
Emily Dreissigacker tags off to Joanne Reid in the women’s World Cup biathlon relay in Ruhpolding, Germany. Both women are on the roster for the U.S. for the next year of international biathlon. (Photo: USBA/NordicFocus)
For the first time in years, the roster features more women than men. Following the retirements of Lowell Bailey, Russell Currier, and Tim Burke, Alex Howe (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) netted his first senior national team nomination, and joins 2018 Olympians Sean Doherty and Leif Nordgren, as well as Paul Schommer (Moose Nordic).
On the women’s team, all five members of the 2018 Olympic team have been renamed: Susan Dunklee, Clare Egan, and Emily Dreissigacker (all Craftsbury Green Racing Project), Joanne Reid (Colorado Biathlon), and Maddie Phaneuf (Polar Bear Ski Club). Dunklee and Egan recently said that they were not certain yet about retirement, but appear on the roster. The newest addition to the women’s senior team is Chloe Levins, who finished all three individual races at 2018 World Junior Championships in the top seven.
The “A” team athletes will be primarily based in Lake Placid, New York, while designated “B” team athletes (Phaneuf, Schommer, and Howe) will be based at regional training centers or with clubs, according to national team selection documents.
The federation has also named a development squad of Deedra Irwin (Wisconsin Biathlon), Travis Cooper and Jake Ellingson (National Guard Biathlon), Jake Brown (Loppet Nordic Racing), and Max Durtschi. All saw international race starts last season.
In addition, an 11-member Junior Development Group has been named, many of whom we interviewed this winter – see the links below to read about their experiences at World Youth and Junior Championships.
High Performance Team – Women
Susan Dunklee (Barton, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project), A1 Team Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Craftsbury Green Racing Project), A2 Team Chloe Levins (Rutland, Vt.), A3 Team Joanne Reid (Boulder, Colo./Colorado Biathlon), A3 Team Emily Dreissigacker (Morrisville, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project), A3 Team Maddie Phaneuf (Old Forge, N.Y./Polar Bear Ski Club), B Team
High Performance Team – Men
Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.), A1 Team Leif Nordgren (Marine, Minn.), A3 Team Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wisc./Moose Nordic), B Team Alex Howe (Gilford, N.H./Craftsbury Green Racing Project), B Team
Development Team – Senior Women
Deedra Irwin (Pulaski, Wisc./Wisconsin Biathlon)
Development Team – Senior Men
Travis Cooper (Kenai, Alaska/National Guard Biathlon) Max Durtschi (Sun Valley, Idaho) Jake Brown (Houghton, Mich./Loppet Nordic Racing) Jakob Ellingson (Minnetonka, Minn./National Guard Biathlon)
Youth and Junior Development Group – Women
Helen Wilson (Eagle River, Alaska/Alaska Biathlon Club) – 20-for-20 interview Lexie Madigan (Truckee, Calif./Auburn Ski Club) – 20-for-20 interview Emma Stertz (Grand Rapids, Minn./Mt. Itasca Biathlon) – 20-for-20 interview Grace Gilliland (Eagle River, Alaska/Alaska Biathlon Club) – 2017 20-for-20 interview Sarah Beaulieu (Fort Fairfield, Maine/Outdoor Sports Institute) Arianna Woods (Bozeman, Mont./Bridger Biathlon Club)
Youth and Junior Development Group – Men
Vasek Cervenka (Grand Rapids, Minn./Mt. Itasca Biathlon) – 2017 20-for-20 interview Garrett Beckrich (Grand Rapids, Minn./Mt. Itasca Biathlon) – 20-for-20 interview Tim Cunningham (Springfield, N.H./Saint Lawrence University) – 20-for-20 interview Eli Nielsen (Stehekin, Wash./Methow Valley) – 20-for-20 interview Marcus Gore (Vail, Colo./Casper Mountain Biathlon Club)
The jumping portion of the Nordic Combined World Cup Seefeld Triple on Friday in Seefeld, Austria. (Photo: Garrott Kuzzy / LumiExperiences.com)
Nordic Combined World Cup (Seefeld, Austria): Individual normal hill/5 k
On the first of the three-day Seefeld Triple Nordic Combined World Cup, Japan’s Akito Watabe took the win and Taylor Fletcher was the top American in 28th in the individual normal hill/5-kilometer Gundersen on Friday.
Japan’s Akito Watabe heading out of the gate second in the 5 k Gundersen on Friday at the Seefeld Triple Nordic Combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria. Watabe went on to win the race by half a second. (Photo: Garrott Kuzzy / LumiExperiences.com)
Watabe put himself in second in the jump portion and started the 5 k ski race 21 seconds behind Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber in first. Watabe caught Riiber and beat him at the finish line, taking the win in 11:22.3 minutes, while Riiber followed 0.5 seconds back in second place. Germany’s Fabien Rießle followed in third, 32.4 seconds out of first, after starting the 5 k in sixth and 1:03 minutes back.
Norway’s Jan Schmid jumped to third and ended up fourth (+37.8). Watabe’s brother, Yoshito Watabe placed fifth (+47.2), losing one place in the ski race after jumping to fourth.
Two Americans competed, with Fletcher jumping to 30th and ending the day in 28th, and Jasper Good finishing 52nd (+3:45.6) after jumping to 49th. Both are headed to the 2018 Olympics next month in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Taylor Fletcher (USA Nordic) starting the 5 k Gundersen on Friday at the Seefeld Triple Nordic Combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria. He started in 30th and finished 28th. (Photo: Garrott Kuzzy / LumiExperiences.com)
***
U.S. SuperTour (Craftsbury, Vermont): Classic sprints
Forrest Mahlen (APU) celebrates his first time atop the SuperTour podium on Friday after winning the men’s 1.4 k classic sprint final in Craftsbury, Vermont. (Photo: Forrest Mahlen/Instagram)
Kaitlynn Miller and Forrest Mahlen won their respective classic-sprint finals at Friday’s SuperTour in Craftsbury, Vermont.
The 1.4-kilometer classic sprint kicked off a three-day race weekend at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. On Saturday, the Craftsbury Marathon will be held (not a SuperTour event), followed by 5/10 k freestyle SuperTour races on Sunday.
Miller, of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, started Friday by winning the women’s qualifier. She went on to win both her quarterfinal and semifinal before topping the final as well in 3:40.9 minutes. Also on Friday, it was formally announced that Miller was named to the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team’s Olympic squad, which will compete in PyeongChang, South Korea, Feb. 10-25.
Kelsey Phinney, of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF), placed second in the women’s final, 0.63 seconds back, and Felicia Geisor (CXC Team) was third (+1.67). Erika Flowers, of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) T2 Team placed fourth (+3.2), Canada’s Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (Rocky Mountain Racers) — fresh off NorAm Western Canadian Championships last weekend in Alberta — finished fifth (+5.46), and Alaska Pacific University (APU) skier Rosie Frankowski (who also made the U.S. Olympic team) placed sixth (+6.27).
On the men’s side, APU’s 24-year-old Mahlen qualified fifth, then won his quarterfinal and semifinal before taking the final for his first-career SuperTour win in 3:06.81. Ben Saxton (SMST2) initially won the qualifier and won his quarterfinal as well before placing second to Mahlen in the first semifinal. Saxton ended up 0.55 seconds back in second place in the final, just three-hundredths of a second ahead of Kevin Bolger (SVSEF) in third place (+0.58). Another half second back, Kris Freeman followed in fourth, just 1.09 out of first, Eric Packer (APU) was fifth (+1.39) and Canada’s Andy Shields (Lappe Nordic), who also competed at Western Canadian Championships last weekend) sixth (+8.99).
The men’s 10 k sprint podium at IBU Open European Championships, with Latvia’s Andrejs Rastorgujevs (c) in first, Russia’s Alexander Loginov (l) in second, and Bulgaria’s Krasimir Anev (r) in third. (Photo: IBU/Biathlonworld)
IBU Open European Championships (Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy): Men’s and women’s sprints
Canada’s Macx Davies led the North Americans on Friday on Day 2 of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Open European Championships in Ridnaun, Italy, placing 27th in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint with 9-for-10 shooting (1+0). Davies finished 1:32.3 minutes behind Latvia’s Andrejs Rastorgujevs, who took the win in 24:03.0 with a single penalty as well (0+1).
Russia’s Alexander Loginov placed second, 5.5 seconds back, with one penalty (1+0), and Bulgaria’s Krasimir Anev shot clean to finish third (+24.5).
“At the [last] World Cup in Anterselva [Italy], I have had a difficult time in the shooting range, and so I spent a lot of time in the last few days working on my shooting,” Rastorgujevs told the IBU after. “Today it was clear that all this hard work paid off. It is also a great motivator for Olympic gold.”
For Davies, who’s also headed to the Olympics next month, the result tied his best individual result this season after he placed 27th in an IBU Cup sprint earlier this month in Osrblie, Slovakia.
Canada entered four in the men’s race, with Carsen Campbell finishing 75th (+2:34.6) with one miss (0+1), Aidan Miller placing 91st (+3:18.2) with three penalties (1+2), and Matt Hudec finishing 119th (+4:31.6) with four misses (1+3).
Five American men raced, with Alex Howe finishing 53rd (+2:15.1) with one penalty (1+0), Jake Brown 84th (+3:02.0) with four misses (1+3), Jakob Ellingson 85th (+3:07.0) with one miss (1+0), Max Durtschi 111th (+3:50.1) with four misses (3+1), and Paul Schommer 114th (+3:59.8) with four penalties (2+2) as well.
The women’s 7.5 k sprint podium at IBU Open European Championships in Ridnaun, Italy, with Ukraine’s Iryna Varvynets (c) in first, France’s Chloé Chevalier (l) in second, and Japan’s Fuyuko Tachizaki (r) in third. (Photo: IBU/Biathlonworld)
In the women’s 7.5 k sprint that followed, Chloe Levins of the U.S. was the top North American in 59th, 2:01 behind the winner Iryna Varvynets of Ukraine. Varvynets shot clean and posted the fastest finishing time of 20:54.1, 12.5 seconds faster than France’s Chloé Chevalier, Wednesday’s 15 k champion who had one miss (0+1) on Friday and ended up second. Japan’s Fuyuko Tachizaki reached the podium in third (+15.5) and was one of four women in the top five that shot clean (only Chevalier did not).
“After the individual competition on Wednesday, I was not at all happy with my shooting,” said Varvynets, who placed fifth in the 15 k. “Today I therefore concentrated especially hard in the shooting range. It was my luck that not many finished without errors, otherwise it would probably not have been enough for the victory.”
“Two races, two medals — it could not have gone better for me,” Chevalier said. “In the standing shooting I missed the first disc and got a little nervous, but thankfully, there were no further errors.”
Tachizaki called the bronze medal a “big dream come true”.
“The focus of my season had been the Olympics and I ‘only’ took part in Ridanna as part of the preparations, but with this result I have exceeded everything I have achieved so far,” she said. “At the end of the race I did not only fight hard in the track, I was already dreaming of a medal. Now I’m in seventh heaven.”
Levins had one miss in each stage (1+1), as did fellow American Maddie Phaneuf, who finished 63rd (+2:19.0) with two penalties. Clare Egan followed in 70th (+2:34.2) with four misses (3+1), Deedra Irwin was 85th (+3:38.1) with four penalties (1+3) as well, and Jennie Bender 97th (+5:52.8) with six misses (3+3).
Two Canadians started the race, with Sarah Beaudry finishing 76th (+3:02.9) with four misses (1+3). Erin Yungblut did not finish.
Open European Championships continue Saturday with the men’s and women’s pursuits. The top 60 from the sprint qualify, which, for the North Americans, means Davies, Howe, and Levins.
The championships end Sunday with single mixed and mixed relays.
Matt Liebsch (l) and his men’s age-group “1” 4 x 5 k winning relay team on Wednesday at 2018 Masters World Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo: SkinnySki/Instagram)
2018 Masters World Cup (Minneapolis, Minnesota): 4 x 5 k relays
Matt Liebsch, 34, anchored the winning relay of the youngest men’s age group (AG 1) at 2018 Masters World Cup on Wednesday, crossing the line in 45:57.2 minutes (the fastest relay time of the day) and teaming up with fellow Americans Christopher Harvey, Mark Johnson and Zach Varty. Two teams competed in that age group’s 4 x 5 k relay, with Italy finishing second, 1:22.6 minutes back.
The U.S. won all five women’s 4 x 5 k relays on Wednesday, and eight total between the men’s and women’s age groups. Finland had the second-most relay victories with five in the men’s categories.
Canada won the men’s AG 4, beating out four other teams with Gabriel Babin, Bruce Macneil, Luc Tremblay, and Michel Labrie, who finished the 4 x 5 k in 49:41.9. Germany placed second (+36.4), and the U.S. third (+54.1).
Piotr Bednarski, head coach of Loppet Nordic Racing, which is based out of Theodore Wirth Park, anchored the men’s AG 5 to a win in 49:39.1, with teammates Rune Harkestad, Dennis Paul and David Sjogren.
Masters World Cup continues with 15/30/45 k classic distance races on Thursday at Wirth Park.
Day 4 Age Group (AG) 4 x 5 k Relay Winners
Men:
AG 1: USA (Christopher Harvey, Mark Johnson, Zach Varty, Matt Liebsch) 45:57.2
AG 2: Finland (Jouni Leinonen, Mika Kilpeläinen, Johan Gustafsson, Joachim Gustafsson) 47:53.4
AG 3: Russia (Ivan Batyutenko, Andrey Lushnikov, Sergey Degtyarev, Aleksandr Pushkarev) 46:43.3
AG 4: Canada (Gabriel Babin, Bruce Macneil, Luc Trembley, Michel Labrie) 49:41.9
AG 5: USA (Rune Harkestad, Dennis Paul, David Sjogren, Piotr Bednarski) 49:39.1
AG 6: USA (Milan Baic, Odd Bersvendsen, Kent Murdoch, Barry Makarewicz) 48:48.3
AG 7: Finland (Heikki Ruokonen, Tapio Tikkanen, Timo Pullinen, Aito Pennanen) 51:56.3
AG 8: Finland (Leino Nisula, Pauli Halonen, Yrjo Teravainen, Harri Makela) 54:58.4
AG 9: Finland (Veikko Piirainen, Tapio Ikaheimonen, Paavo Raisanen, Vaino Paakko) 58:18.9
AG 10: Finland (Alpo Virtanen, Tapio Wallenius, Jouko Laiho, Riku Kyllonen) 1:02:39.7
Women:
AG 1: USA (Kathleen Dewahl, Tamra Kornfield, Davya Flaharty, Gina Chythlook) 56:49.3
AG 2: USA (Bonnie Weiskopf, Kim Rudd, Mary Mckelvey, Mary Wellington) 56:23.9
AG 3: USA (Elizabeth Youngman, Kelly Milligan, Jan Guenther, Kelly Skillicorn) 56:23.6
AG 4: USA (Kate Ellis, Magdenla Bowen, Joann Hanowski, Muffy Ritz) 1:00:33.6
AG 5: USA (Gabriele Andersen, Constance Meek, Dagmar Eriksson, Kati Campbell) 1:14:23.4
France’s Chloe Chevalier after winning the women’s 15 k individual on Day 1 of IBU Open European Championships in Ridnaun, Italy. (Photo: IBU/Biathlonworld)
IBU Open European Championships (Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy): 15/20 k individual
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) Open European Championships opened Wednesday in Ridnaun (Val Ridanna), Italy, with several North Americans competing in the women’s 15- and men’s 20-kilometer individual races.
Austria’s Felix Leitner racing to the win in the first race of 2018 IBU Open European Championships, the men’s 20 k individual, on Wednesday in Ridnaun, Italy. (Photo: IBU/Biathlonworld)
Canada’s 23-year-old Carsen Campbell raced to 19th in the men’s 20 k, shooting 19-for-20 (1+0+0+0) and finishing 3:18.5 minutes behind the winner, Austria’s Felix Leitner, who clocked the fastest time in 53:32.8 — also with one penalty (0+0+0+1).
Leitner, 21, won by 43 seconds over Tomas Krupcik of the Czech Republic, who also had a single penalty in the last standing stage (0+0+0+1) and placed second.
Germany’s Philipp Horn reached the podium in third (+56.6), with 19-for-20 shooting as well (1+0+0+0).
According to an IBU press release, Leitner is one of the youngest athletes to win the 20 k, the longest race on the circuit.
“I had many problems with my shooting lately, but today it was probably the best in the last two seasons,” Leitner said, according to the release. “I believed in myself and knew that I have to run fast from the beginning, and if the shooting would be as good as during the training, I could be in the top.”
Campbell, of Biathlon Canada’s National “Z” Team, was the top North American in 19th in his second trip to Open European Championships. Previously, his best individual result was 64th last year.
Paul Schommer led the U.S. men in 46th (+5:22.6) with three penalties (0+1+1+1). Max Durtschi also shot 17-for-20 (1+0+1+1) and ended up 56th (+6:18.5), Jakob Ellingson followed in 58th (+6:23.5) with two penalties (0+0+1+1), and Jake Brown finished 74th (+8:06.7) with seven penalties (1+1+3+2). Alex Howe did not start.
For Canada, Macx Davies, a senior national team member who is headed to the Olympics, placed 67th (+7:32.7) with five penalties (2+2+1+0). Matt Hudec was 96th (+12:00.5) with six penalties (0+2+1+3), and Aidan Miller 105th (+14:49.0) with nine penalties (2+1+1+5).
In the women’s 15 k that followed, Sarah Beaudry, of Biathlon Canada’s Senior National Team as well as Olympic team, was the top North American in 23rd, 4:55.6 out of first. Beaudry, 23, shot 18-for-20, with her two misses coming in the first prone (2+0+0+0).
France’s Chloe Chevalier won the women’s race, with spring-like temperatures around 6 degrees Celsius, in 46:32.9 with a single penalty, also in the first stage (1+0+0+0). The second- through fourth-place finishers all shot clean, with Italy’s Alexa Runggaldier placing second (+47.7), Russia’s Victoria Slivko taking third (+55.9) and Ukraine’s Yuliia Zhuravok missing the podium by half a second in fourth place (+56.4).
“After that penalty in the first prone, I relaxed and did not worry about the result,” Chevalier said after, according to an IBU press release. “I just enjoyed being out on the tracks on a beautiful sunny. Maybe the key to success is relaxing and not worrying about the result.”
Two Canadian women entered the event, with Erin Yungblut finishing 83rd (+13.19.9) with eight penalties (2+3+1+2).
Chloe Levins was the top American woman in 60th (+7:18.6) with four penalties (1+2+1+0), and Maddie Phaneuf, who made US Biathlon’s Olympic team, followed in 65th (+8:10.8) with four misses as well (1+2+0+1). Deedra Irwin finished 82nd (+13:15.8) and Jennie Bender was 87th (+15:05.0), both with 10 penalties apiece.
Open European Championships continue Friday with the men’s and women’s sprints, followed by pursuits on Saturday and relays on Sunday.
Emil Iversen celebrates his win in the 30 k classic mass start in Falun, Sweden, on Sunday. Norwegian teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby finished second and Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson third.
FIS Cross-Country World Cup (Falun, Sweden): 15 / 30 k classic mass start
In the women’s 15-kilometer classic mass start on Sunday, Norway swept the podium with Marit Bjørgen taking the win in a time of 41:28.8 in Falun, Sweden. Crossing just half a second behind her was her teammate, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in second place. Rounding out the podium was Heidi Weng in third (+8.1).
American Jessie Diggins was the first to cross the line for the U.S. in 10th (+1:37.5). Three other U.S. women finished in the top 30, with Sadie Bjornsen finishing 21st (+2:43.6), Rosie Brennan 24th (+2:57.0), and Liz Stephen in 29th (+3:24.5).
Just outside of scoring World Cup points was American Caitlin Patterson in 32nd (+3:47.6) and Ida Sargent in 34th (+4:02.8). Canada’s Cendrine Browne finished 46th (+5:41.4) and American Liz Guiney 49th (+6:22.6).
After losing the skate sprint yesterday in a photo finish to Italy’s Federico Pellegrino, Emil Iversen ascended to the top step of the podium in the men’s 30 k classic mass start on Sunday in Falun.
The Norwegian was often near the front, but hadn’t tried to lead a breakaway like his teammates Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Sjur Røthe did earlier in the race. In the final two kilometers, Sundby – the overall World Cup leader – put in a sprint to try to drop the field. But Iversen caught up, drafting his veteran teammate into the stadium. In the final up-and-over before the finish line, Iversen made a pass and then accelerated down the finishing stretch to beat Sundby by 1.14 seconds.
“I got motivation from yesterday’s last 20 meters,” Iversen told FIS in a finish-line interview. “So today I fought all the way, and I was really stronger. It is amazing for me to be second yesterday and first today. I’m really proud of that.”
Calle Halfvarsson, who had been falling off the back of the lead pack just a few kilometers earlier, managed to get back to the front and claim third place for Sweden (+1.72 seconds) in a photo finish with Røthe (+1.76 seconds). Niklas Dyrhaug was next (+2.52 seconds) to give the Norwegian men’s team four in the top five.
In his return to the World Cup stage, Norway’s Petter Northug finished 31st (+3:10.6).
Alex Harvey was the lone Canadian on the start line. After skiing near the front of the field for the early part of the race he was dropped by the lead pack in the final kilometers, finishing 15th (+1:17.5).
Erik Bjornsen and Noah Hoffman took 35th and 37th places for the United States, finishing +3:30.8 and +3:59.8, respectively. SuperTour leader Matthew Gelso — familiar with the Falun course after competing in 2015 World Championships — finished 44th (+5:23.6), and Andy Newell placed 53rd (+7:45.3).
IBU Open European Championships (Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland): Single mixed & mixed relay
Russia’s Alexander Loginov (center) is greeted at the finish by his teammates Irina Starykh, Svetlana Sleptsova and Alexey Volkov after anchoring his team to the gold medal in the mixed relay at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)
[UPDATED] The Russian victory in the final 2 x 6 + 2 x 7.5-kilometer mixed relay event of the 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland, was only briefly in doubt, when Alexander Loginov skiing the anchor leg required all spares in his prone shooting stage. But with his final shot he managed to also hit that target to avoid the penalty lap, leaving the range with a lead of more than 30 seconds.
Loginov then did not need any spares in the last standing stage, and could take his time on the final loop. Unlike Russia’s Evgeniy Garanichev earlier in the day during the single mixed relay, he also managed to pick up a flag for the final meters of the race, crossing the line in a time of 1:12:26.0 hours.
The Russian team with Irina Starykh, Svetlana Sleptsova, Alexey Volkov and Loginov led from the first exchange and required only six spares with zero penalties.
With this medal, the 28-year-old Volkov became the most successful athlete in history at European Championships, according to an IBU press release, surpassing the retired Polish biathlete Tomasz Sikora. Russia was the most successful team of the 2017 Open European Championships with six gold, four silver, and three bronze medals.
Behind them, a number of teams vied for the positions on the podium. Sweden initially looked like a strong contender exchanging in second place after the women, but fell back with three penalty laps to only finish 10th.
Still six seconds back after the final shooting, Norway’s Fredrik Gjesbakk caught up to and outsprinted Ukraine’s Ruslan Tkalenko in the finishing stretch to claim the silver medal (+36.4) with the bronze left for Ukraine (+37.1).
“I thought that I made sufficient gap to win silver,” Tkalenko told the IBU. “But in the end, on the final downhill before the finish, I was very surprised when the Norwegian guy passed me, I truly did not expect that.”
The Norwegian team with Karoline Erdal, Marion Rønning Huber, Erlend Bjøntegaard, and Gjesbakk needed nine spares and had no penalties.
Ukraine with Anastasiya Merkushina, Yulia Dhzyma, Oleksander Zhyrnyi (who originally started for Russia before making the switch in 2014) and Tkalenko required six spares, and Dhzyma had to ski a penalty lap only temporarily setting the team back.
Bulgaria finished fourth (+1:16.4), with its anchor Vladimir Iliev narrowly beating Czech Republic’s Lukas Kristejn (+1:17.4) in the finishing stretch. Both teams needed 11 spares and had no penalties.
Jakob Ellingson skiing the anchor leg for the U.S. mixed relay at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. The U.S. team finished 14th. (Photo: IBU/Eurovisionsports.tv screenshot)
Starting at the back of the field in bib 20, US Biathlon’s Emily Dreissigacker got her team off to a strong start with a clean prone shooting and one spare round in standing, exchanging in 10th, a minute behind the leaders. Hallie Grossman needed one spare in each of her stages, tagging off to the men in 14th position and now 2:39 behind. Max Durtschi also had one miss each in prone and standing, coming into the last exchange still in 14th position, but another minute back. Jakob Ellingson required all three of his spares in his prone shooting stage narrowly avoiding the penalty lap, and one more in his final shooting stage. As the team from Finland was racing over a minute behind the Americans, he was able to keep the 14th position into the finish (+4:47.4), with a team total of nine spares and no penalties overall.
For Biathlon Canada, Erin Yungblut starting in bib 19 shot clean in her prone stage and required two spares in her standing shooting, tagging off in 18th position and more than two minutes back from first. Leilani Tam von Burg stayed clean in her prone shooting stage and needed one spare in standing, moving up two positions to exchange in 16th place, yet more than four minutes behind the leaders. After the exchange to the men, both Matthew Neumann and anchor Carsen Campbell managed to shoot clean in all of their stages, but lost additional time on the course to finish 16th (+6:39.9) ahead of four lapped teams.
Canada had the best shooting result of all 20 teams starting the relay, with just three spares and no penalty.
Russia’s Daria Virolaynen (l) and Evgeniy Garanichev after winning Sunday’s single mixed relay at the 2017 Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)
Earlier on Sunday, pretty much the only thing that went wrong for Russia’s Daria Virolaynen and Evgeniy Garanichev in the single mixed relay happened on the last meters of the finishing stretch, with Garanichev gesturing for a Russian flag he wanted to cross the line with. But the handoff was too short and the flag dropped past his outstretched hand to the snow. He glanced back, weighing if his lead was big enough to ski back, but decided it was not worth the risk, instead skiing into the arms of his partner waiting for him behind the line in a time of 37:10.2 minutes.
Russia needed seven spare rounds and incurred zero penalties. Garanichev secured the victory in the final shooting, when he only needed one spare – albeit fumbling a few seconds to insert it – while his direct opponents standing next to him required more time to hit their targets.
“Probably, I took some risk at the last standing,” Garanichev said, according to an IBU press release. “I wanted to shoot fast and clean, but missed with the last shot. But in general, I felt very comfortable; came and worked at the range in my rhythm.”
6.3 seconds behind, Norway with the team of Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold and Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen placed second, with seven spares and zero penalties.
“These are very short loops,” Christiansen commented on the fairly new, single mixed relay format. “You feel the pressure from the crowd and to shoot fast every time.”
The 20-year-old Tandrevold previously earned three bronze medals, including one in the single mixed relay, also with Christiansen, at last year’s Open European Championships in Tyumen, Russia.
To big cheers from their home crowd fans who had come out to the Duszniki Arena in beautiful but cold weather, the Polish husband-and-wife team of Krystyna Guzik and Grzegorz Guzik placed third with just five spares and zero penalties (+13.9), not quite able to keep up with Christiansen on the final loop after leaving the range together within a second.
“It is so nice to win a medal here in Poland,” Krystyna Guzik said. “We were both very disappointed with all of our mistakes in the other competitions. So today, we were relaxed and laughing before the competition, hoping not to have those mistakes again. We did not … and now have a medal.”
It was the first medal for Poland at these championships.
Ukraine with Iryna Varvynets and Andriy Dotsenko finished fourth, also with five spares and zero penalties (+20.9).
Biathlon Canada’s Aidan Millar skiing the final loop of the single mixed relay at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. With teammate Sarah Beaudry, Canada finished 13th (Photo: IBU/Eurovisionsports.tv screenshot)
For Biathlon Canada, Sarah Beaudry and Aidan Millar required seven spares during their race and had no penalty, just like the winning Russians and Norwegians, but could not quite keep up with the best teams on the course in the fast-paced race format with short loops somewhat comparable to a team sprint in cross-country.
Beaudry cleaned her first shooting stage and then needed one spare to hit all targets in standing. At the first exchange Canada was 10th, 35.8 seconds behind the then leading team from Poland.
Millar missed one shot in his first prone stage, leaving the range again in ninth position. Then he needed two spares in his standing shooting on the way to exchanging back to Beaudry in 11th (+56.4).
On her second leg, Beaudry had one miss in prone and required two spares in standing, falling back a bit to exchange in 13th (+2:12.0).
On his final leg, Millar was able to shoot clean in both stages, reducing the time gap to the top but not able to make up another position, and finished in 13th place (+1:56.1).
US Biathlon is only represented with two women at the Open European Championships in Poland, and decided to forgo a start in the single mixed relay, instead entering a team in the mixed relay later on Sunday.
Katerina Smutna (left) and Tord Asle Gjerdalen (right) of Team Santander won the 2017 Marcialonga. (Photo: Visma Ski Classics)
Tord Asle Gjerdalen won the Marcialonga, a Worldloppet and Swix Ski Classics marathon for the third time – in a row. This year was on a shortened course, “just” 57 rather than the traditional 70 kilometers.
The Team Santander athlete finished in two hours, eight minutes, and 36 seconds, edging Johan Kjølstad (Team United Bakeries) and Morten Eide Pedersen (Team BN Bank) in a sprint finish by 2.6 and 2.9 seconds, respectively.
Tyler Kornfield and David Norris of Alaska Pacific University finished 43rd (+5:03.8) and 66th (+10:43.1). Canadian Paralympian Brian McKeever finished 57th (+9:13.5) and guide Graham Nishikawa 81st (+12:56.5), followed by Ian Murray in 85th (+13:37.5) and Erik Carleton in 111th (+17:50.2).
In the women’s competition, Katerina Smutna, also of Team Santander, won her third straight Ski Classics competition. She crossed the line in two hours, 22 minutes, and 46.4 seconds. Britta Norgren of Team Lager 157 was second by just 0.8 seconds, and Sara Lindborg (Team Serneke) third, +4:22.2. University of Utah alum Maria Graefnings was tenth, +10:35.8.
US Biathlon’s Paul Schommer shooting prone in the men’s 10 k sprint at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. He was the top North American on Friday in 58th. (Photo: IBU/Eurovisionsports.tv screenshot)
IBU Open European Championships (Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland): Men’s & women’s sprints
On Friday in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint, two Bulgarian athletes were able to break the Russian dominance at the 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland.
The men’s 10 k sprint podium on Friday, with Bulgaria’s Vladimir Iliev (c) in first, Russia’s Alexander Loginov (l) in second, and Bulgaria’s Krasimir Anev (r) in third at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)
Bulgaria’s 29-year-old Vladimir Iliev, who has competed on the IBU World Cup since 2007 and posted a career-best fifth (which he achieved earlier this season), claimed the win in a time of 24:26.9 minutes despite one penalty in the standing stage (0+1), giving a kiss to his fast skis in the finish. Russia’s Alexander Loginov, who won the men’s 20 k individual race on Wednesday after returning this season from a two-year doping suspension, placed second (+4.9) with clean shooting. Behind them, Iliev’s teammate Krasimir Anev took third (+16.7), also shooting clean, to push Latvia’s Andrejs Rastorgujevs off the podium by just 0.6 seconds (+17.3). Rastorgujevs started early in bib 4 and skied the fastest course time of the day, but incurred two penalties in his standing stage (0+2), which ultimately set him back too far for a podium.
“It was a long way to this medal and this win,” Iliev said his first career victory, according to an IBU press release. “I was ready for a high result for many years, but many things have happened, so I’m really happy to get a victory today.”
“I did not expect anything in this race, because yesterday I had health problems so even my coach advised me not to start,” Anev said after winning his second medal of the championships, following up on a second place in the individual. “So [I] went into competition without any expectations.”
In beautiful weather conditions with little wind and the sun shining on the new arena in Duszniki-Zdrój throughout the race, US Biathlon’s Paul Schommer was the best of 11 North American starters, finishing 58th (+2:14.9) with three penalties (1+2). Schommer was less than a second faster than his U.S. teammate Alex Howe, who finished 59th (+2:15.3), after skiing two penalty laps (1+1). The third American Jakob Ellingson placed 64th (+2:24.6) with one penalty (0+1), Russell Currier was 75th (+2:41.4) with four penalties (2+2), Max Durtschi was 88th (+3:16.1) with three penalties (1+2), and Michael Gibson was 103rd (+4:30.4) with two penalties (1+1).
Matthew Hudec led the Canadians on Friday in 80th (+2:54.7) with one penalty (1+0). Also for Canada, Aidan Millar finished 86th (+3:13.9) with three penalties (1+2), Carsen Campbell 89th (+3:18.3) with three penalties (2+1), Pearce Hanna 92nd (+3:24.7) with two penalties (1+1), and Matthew Neumann 94th (+3:31.8) with four penalties (1+3).
In the large field of 125 starters, Schommer and Howe qualified for Saturday’s pursuit race by placing in the top 60.
The women’s 7.5 k sprint podium on Friday, with Ukraine’s Juliya Dzhyma (c) in first, Russia’s Svetlana Sleptsova (l) in second and Russia’s Irina Starykh (r) in third at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)
[UPDATED] In the women’s 7.5 k sprint that followed, Ukraine’s Juliya Dzhyma managed to win in convincing fashion in a time of 21:02.3 minutes, shooting clean and skiing the second-ranked course time. It was the first individual career victory for the 26 year old in either a junior or senior championships, after she won a gold medal with Ukraine’s relay team at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“When I saw that everyone was cleaning, I knew that to get in to top three, I have to do the same,” Dzhyma commented on her race, according to an IBU press release. “But honestly, I have no idea how I hit all the targets today; for the whole season, it was my first competition where I had zero.”
“I was just trying to do my best and to make the gap bigger because tomorrow is the pursuit!” she added, regarding her last loop when she increased her lead by another ten seconds.
Also shooting clean but 27 seconds off the win was Russia’s 30-year-old Svetlana Sleptsova, who, earlier in her career, won five World Cups and gold medals in the women’s relay at the 2009 World Championship and 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Starting behind Sleptsova, her Russian teammate Irina Starykh, the winner of the women’s individual race on Wednesday, and like Loginov, also coming back from a two-year suspension for EPO use, claimed third (+37.8) with one penalty in her standing stage (0+1). Starykh bumped Germany’s Karolin Horchler, who had led the race early on after starting in bib 2 to fourth (+42.2, with no penalties). Horchler won her first World Cup a week ago in Antholz, Italy.
“Before the competition I already felt that it would be very hard for me to shoot today,” Starykh told the IBU. “And in the end it came out that way, it was tough for me to shoot at the prone and at the standing. But just one penalty is a pretty good result, based on how I feel.”
Horchler’s teammate Denise Herrmann, who made the switch from cross-country skiing to biathlon this season, followed in fifth (+47.7) with the fastest course time of the day, but missed two targets in her standing stage including her very last shot (0+2) to miss the podium.
American Hallie Grossman during her standing stage in the women’s 7.5 k sprint on Friday at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. She finished 70th with three penalties as the second-best North American. (Photo: IBU/Eurovisionsports.tv screenshot)
In stable weather conditions, though not as sunny as during the men’s sprint earlier on Friday, US Biathlon’s Emily Dreissigacker was the top North American woman in 69th (+3:31.1), with three penalties (2+1). Just one position behind her, American Hallie Grossman also missed three (2+1) on her way to a 70th (+3:34.4). For the 23-year-old Grossman it is her first season overseas racing in the IBU Cup.
Canada’s Erin Yungblut finished 81st (+5:50.0) with four penalties (1+3). Her teammate Leilani Tam von Burg did not finish after incurring two penalties in her prone shooting stage, and the third Canadian, Sarah Beaudry did not start.
None of the North American woman qualified for Saturday’s pursuit.
Russia’s Alexander Loginov racing to the win in the men’s 20 k individual on Wednesday, the first race of 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)
IBU Open European Championships (Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland): 15/20 k individual
The Open European Championships, a five-day International Biathlon Union (IBU) sanctioned event, opened Wednesday with the men’s 20-kilometer and women’s 15 k individual races in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland.
Russia took first and second in the women’s race, with 29-year-old Irina Starykh — coming off a two-year ban for EPO use — winning by more than a minute over her teammate Svetlana Sleptsova. Starykh hit all 20 targets en route to the victory 44:24.7 minutes, which was 1:03.8 faster than Sleptsova, who had one penalty (0+1+0+0) in second. Ukraine’s Anastasiya Merkushyna placed third (+1:05.0) with one penalty as well (0+1+0+0).
American Emily Dreissigacker shooting clean during her first prone stage of the women’s 15 k individual on Wednesday at 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. She finished 41st.
Emily Dreissigacker led the two U.S. women in the race in 41st (+7:47.6) with four penalties (0+1+1+2). Hallie Grossman finished 52nd (+9:06.1) with four misses as well (1+1+2+0).
Canada’s Leilani Tam von Burg finished 58th (+9:54.2) with two penalties (0+0+1+1), and Erin Yungblut was 60th (+10:13.4) with three misses (0+2+0+1).
Russia took first in the men’s 20 k as well, with 24-year-old Alexander Loginov — who also recently served a two-year ban for testing positive for EPO — winning by 11.4 seconds in 44:54.9. He had one penalty in his first prone stage (1+0+0+0) but cleaned the next three stages. Bulgaria’s Krasimir Anew cleaned (0+0+0+0) for second (+11.4), and Russia had two on the podium with Alexey Slepov in third (+53.6), with clean shooting as well.
Russia swept fourth through six, putting five in the top six.
Russell Currier led the American men in 51st (+5:42.5) with five penalties (2+2+0+1). Paul Schommer placed 57th (+6:02.5) with five misses as well (2+0+1+2), Max Durtschi was 62nd (+6:44.2) with two misses (1+0+1+0), Alex Howe 79th (+8:46) with three misses (0+1+0+2), Jakob Ellingson 87th (+10:11.3) with seven misses (2+4+1+0), and Michael Gibson 94th (+11:58.3) with six penalties (1+1+1+3).
Carsen Campbell was the top Canadian in 64th (+6:58.2) with two misses (0+1+1+0). Matthew Neumann finished 68th (+7:26.0) with three misses (0+1+0+2), Aidan Miller was 72nd (+8:07.9) with two miles (0+1+0+1), Matthew Hudec 98th (+12:29.5) with seven misses (1+1+2+3), and Pearce Hanna 101st (+14:07.1) with seven misses (2+2+2+1).
Racing continues Friday with the men’s 10 k and women’s 7.5 k sprints.
The United States Biathlon Association (USBA) has announced its World Cup and IBU Cup rosters for the second period of racing.
World Cup
The women’s World Cup team will remain the same, with Susan Dunklee leading the way. Dunklee earned her first podium of the season on Friday in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. After several top finishes she is ranked 11th overall on the World Cup. She is joined by Clare Egan, who had a top finish of 30th this season in the pursuit in Östersund, Sweden. In addition Joanne Reid, who finished 29th in the individual in Östersund, will stay on tour.
The men’s World Cup team is led by Lowell Bailey, who notched a top-ten in the Nove Mesto pursuit. As a result of Bailey’s consistency, he is currently ranked ninth in the overall rankings. He is joined by Tim Burke, who finished 16th in the Östersund individual, and Russell Currier, whose best mark of the season is 54th in the same race. Those three formed the World Cup squad for the first period of racing. Finally, 2014 Olympian Sean Doherty will join them after recovering from a bout of mono that kept him off the international circuit in December. And Leif Nordgren is qualified for the campaign but is still nursing a broken toe.
IBU Cup
In addition to the World Cup team, USBA also named a roster for the second-tier IBU Cup based on trials held at Mount Itasca, Minnesota, on December 15-19.
Women: Maddie Phaneuf (Old Forge, N.Y.) Emily Dreissigacker (Morrisville, Vt./Craftsbury Green Racing Project) Hallie Grossman (Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Vermont) Siena Ellingson (Minnetonka, Minn.)
Men:
Paul Schommer (Appleton, Wis./U.S. Biathlon X-Team) Alex Howe (Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Vermont) Jake Ellingson (Mt. Itasca Biathlon, Minn.) Max Durtschi (Ketchum, Idaho/U.S. Biathlon X-Team)
In the opening sprint at Mount Itasca, Schommer won a 1.5-second victory over Howe, with Durtschi just one more second back. Both Schommer and Howe had two penalties and Durtschi just one. Then in the women’s sprint, Phaneuf had a single penalty to collect a 37.3-second win over Dreissigacker, who had missed two shots. Siena Ellingson was third, +43.8 with one penalty.
In the mass start at Mount Itasca, Schommer won again over Howe, this time by 29.8 seconds. Doherty, there for the races but pre-qualified for the World Cup campaign, finished third, +30.8. Perhaps most noteworthy, Phaneuf was the only competitor, male or female, to clean all four shooting stages, and as a result picked up a huge win over Dreissigacker, crossing the line two minutes and 56 seconds ahead of her closest rival. That’s in part because Dreissigacker had six penalties. N ext across the line was third-place Grossman (+3:13.7) with seven missed shots.
Then in the final sprint competition Jakob Ellingson had just a single penalty for some of the best shooting of the day. As a result he got the men’s win by 35.9 seconds over Schommer, who missed four shots. Howe was third (+39.4), thanks to three penalties. Phaneuf completed her clean sweep of the women’s races by picking up a 25.9-second win over Dreissigacker, with two penalties to Dressigacker’s three. Grossman was again on the podium in third despite seven penalties (+2:14.2).
Jake Brown: “Finished my biggest volume week of the year with a mini-training camp around Mount Mansfield with college teammate Liam John. This was the last summit of the last over-distance.” (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017”, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
Jake Brown’s move to Lake Placid wasn’t his first major relocation in recent years: after helping NCAA Division III Saint Olaf win a cross-country running championship, Brown used his final year of ski eligibility to join midwest behemoth Northern Michigan University, where he won the 10 k skate at NCAA Central Regional Championships by over a minute last season. He also became an NCAA All-American and placed sixth in the 30 k skate at U.S. National Championships.
But Brown has let his International Ski Federation license lapse, picked up a rifle, and moved again. He joined the U.S. Biathlon Association’s X-team this year, after being identified by team staff as a potential talent worth developing.
Brown had his first on-snow biathlon race in West Yellowstone two weeks ago.
“I hopped in the biathlon race- overall it was a good opportunity to feel fast with snow underfoot and to get in a hard effort and my first on-snow biathlon race,” he wrote in an email.
Despite now competing in a new sport, the joys of the West Yellowstone Ski Festival are familiar ones: seeing your community all in one place (mostly).
Jake Brown competing in his first ever on-snow biathlon race in West Yellowstone, Montana. (Photo: Alex Larsen)
“Great vibes and it’s a blast to see a big chunk of the ski community come together,” he wrote. “I was helping coach the Duluth area high school trip and training around the coaching. As a former Minnesota high school skier I really enjoy hearing the kids talk about who might make it out of their section and earn the right to race on the legendary state meet course at Giants Ridge!”
More recently, Brown finished ninth in both the 10 k sprint and 15 k mass start at biathlon NorAms in Canmore, Alberta.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
I picked up a rifle, put it on my back, and started biathlon after moving to Lake Placid in June.
2. Biggest change in your training?
The simple switch in focus from cross-country to biathlon has meant more intervals and easy rollerskiing on a loop, with twists and turns rolling up and down. Aside from the obvious, shooting bullets at black targets after each interval, this means a more targeted focus of working on transitional skiing instead of just pounding away straight up a hill. As a runner-turned-skier, mastering the technical aspects of the sport- including transitional skiing- is an aspect at which I can still improve.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
I have so much appreciation for the work a dedicated biathlete has to put in to improve their shooting and consistency. When I reflect on my progress I can see I’ve taken quite a few clicks up since June- my range time is light years faster, my standing is more stable, and my prone group is getting smaller. However it hasn’t been without work, and when I see where the elite biathletes on our team are and the work they’ve put in to get there I am humbled. I’ve also learned how to ski a biathlon race differently; as my teammate Max Durtschi told me when I first started in June, “this isn’t skiing and shooting- this is biathlon.”
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Jake Brown competing in rollerski trials in Jericho, Vermont, in October. (Photo: Karen Brown)
I work most closely with Jean Paquet, the USBA development coach. I’m always impressed when Jean jumps in a workout- trying to hang onto his back wheel during a 70-mile road ride was one of the most joyfully painful experiences of my summer.
This year has been a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from all the veteran US biathletes- I’ve been lucky to train with each and pick their brains for sage biathlon wisdom. Paul Schommer, a good friend of mine, joined the X-team in August and is who I train with most. He picked up biathlon a year before I and we are close in ski times, so chasing him in shooting is a really valuable challenge for me.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
Over the summer my cousin got married in Seattle, which served as a mini-family reunion. I don’t see my extended family often, so when I get the chance it’s always special.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Mountain running. I prefer basketball or climbing for an active recovery day.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Life at the training center can become repetitive, so on occasion I’ll venture into the Adirondack park for a short backpacking excursion. There’s nothing quite like a night in the peace of wilderness to reset your mind, body, and spirit.
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Racers (left to right) Kyle Bratrud of CXC and Northern Michigan University’s Adam Martin and Jake Brown, along with Team Freebird’s Kris Freeman, in the men’s 20 k freestyle mass start race at 2016 U.S. National Championships in Houghton, Mich. Bratrud went on to place tenth overall, Martin fourth, Brown sixth, and Freeman ninth.
Whatever heavy metal Jean plays in the weightroom.
9. All time favorite race moment?
Skiing in the lead pack towards the end of the 2013 Birkebeiner; Matt Liebsch turns and points between himself, Brian Gregg, Sylvan Ellefson, and I and says “For America.” I may or may not have peed my pants I was so excited. To me those guys were legends.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Whenever traveling for skiing I make sure to put my boots in my carry-on. I learned that the hard way after my ski bag, boots included, failed to make it to Lake Placid (when NCAAs were there in 2015) until the day before the first race. I have yet to ski race in Europe, so I hope to get the chance to put others’ packing tips to use soon.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Mount Itasca in Coleraine, MN. It’s the first true test of the year and a challenging course (if they have natural snow) in my home state. I can’t wait for it all to start.
12. Who will win the World Cup title this year?
Tim Burke and Susan Dunklee. I pick with my heart.
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
I certainly wish I could spend more time with family and friends, especially those who don’t ski and those who live back in MN.
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
Lowell Bailey (l) chasing Jake Brown during the men’s sprint at the 2016 US Biathlon National Rollerski Championships on Aug. 13 in Jericho, Vt. (Photo: Katrina Howe)
Increased access to biathlon, especially in the USA. I’d love to see any youngster be able to bike across town to the local biathlon range, pop on his skis, grab a club-owned rifle, and give the sport five shots. Of course that’s a dreamlike scenario, but developing a passion takes time, and if we want biathlon to grow in this country we need to inspire the next generation. I think the US Ski Team has done an impressive job of developing those passions- they’re a great example for biathlon to follow.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
An egg and oatmeal with banana, yogurt, and almond butter. It’s usually oatmeal with whatever I find to put in it. Orange juice to wash it down.
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
Skiing, trail running, climbing, triathloning, canoeing, and enjoying the great outdoors in any way possible.
17. In 50 years, I’ll be ____?
Skiing, trail running, climbing, triathloning, canoeing, and enjoying the great outdoors in any way possible. Plus skiing my 45th Birkie and waxing skis at Giants Ridge for the Minnesota State High School ski meet.
Jake Brown coming into the shooting range in Canmore, Alberta, during this weekend’s NorAm sprint. (Photo: Daniel Guay)
Max Durtschi making his World Cup debut in Canmore, Alberta, last season. (Courtesy photo)
Welcome to “17 Questions for 2017″, where we are catching up with American and Canadian national-team members before the beginning of the winter season.
***
A standout junior skier from Sun Valley, Idaho, Max Durtschi took a break from snow sports to focus on cycling – winning two national titles and competing on first a continental pro team and then, for two years, on Leopard-Trek’s European squad. But after retiring from bike racing in 2014, he came back to the snow. While working on a neuroscience degree at Dartmouth College, Durtschi decided to pick up biathlon.
1. Biggest change in your life in the last five or so months since the ski season ended?
Would either be taking “Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology” this spring at school or dealing with a pretty nasty illness this summer.
2. Biggest change in your training?
Max Durtschi spending some time on the rollerski treadmill in Lake Placid. (Courtesy photo)
We have done a good bit of plyometric work this summer, which is productive for a slow twitch guy like me.
3. Major areas of improvement you’ve seen so far?
I have seen a big jump up in my shooting and ski technique. Gaining upper body and core strength has helped a lot of technique work come together.
4. Whom you’ve been working closest with this offseason (coaches or training partners)?
Sean Doherty – that’s my guy. We have a great group here though, Tim Burke, Lowell Bailey, and Leif Nordgren are true professionals and great role models for us younger guys.
5. Best trip in the last five months (and why)?
I enjoy getting over to Burlington, VT in the summer. That is a neat place.
6. Favorite cross-training?
Ski erg. No, just kidding. I really like good hiking adventures in the Adirondacks.
7. Favorite non-athletic activity or pastime this summer?
Being on the lake – on a boat, paddle board, for a concert, grilling, etc .
8. Song that was your jam this summer?
Hmmm – I love a lot of different types of music. I will say this, setting “Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone as the morning alarm has been a theme during the harder weeks this summer. That will get you out of bed.
9. All time favorite race moment?
A lot of good memories both on skis and the bike. I would say last year’s IBU Cup in Nove Mesto was a cool biathlon experience – fog, rain, big stadium, and a lot of fans drinking heavily at 10 am.
10. First thing you pack in your bag when you leave for Europe?
Slippers help hotels feel like home. Also, don’t be forgetting the power adapter. Having access to electricity makes the trip go smoothly.
11. Venue/event you’re most excited to visit this season?
Durtschi with his mother and girlfriend at the World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. (Courtesy photo)
You know, I absolutely love traveling around Europe and seeing different venues. However, if I could get back to Sun Valley, Idaho (where I grew up) that would be pretty dang special.
12. Who will win the men’s and women’s World Cup titles this year?
Let’s go with the French double of Fourcade and Dorin-Habert.
13. Biggest sacrifice you feel you’ve made choosing this career path?
Starting in high school I don’t see home much. But after a bit, being away starts feeling like home…
14. If you could change one thing about your sport, what would it be?
Handling a firearm in the middle of winter can get really cold on the fingers, but then, my hands are always too hot anyway. Not sure if I would change much at all.
15. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Oatmeal with the fruits and nuts. Fiber makes the world go around.
16. In 5 years, I’ll be ____?
I had better have finished college by then…
17. In 50 years, I’ll be ____?
Probably hiking up some damn mountain.. But you know “outlive the bastards” as Edward Abbey once said.
Durtschi competing at 2016 U.S. National Championships in Fort Kent, Maine. (Courtesy photo)
Still full of energy, Martin Fourcade celebrates his win on Thursday at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta, where he bested the field by more than 15 seconds in the men’s 10 k sprint. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
Two words: jet lag. Martin Fourcade had to deal with it, but so did the Canadians on their return trip to Canmore for the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cup Feb. 4 through 7.
The overall World Cup leader from France, Fourcade touched down in Calgary, Alberta, four days ago. On Instagram, he noted that it had been “5 years since the last time I competed in North America. Really happy to be here for 2 beautiful weeks of competition!” he wrote, according to a translation, referring to the World Cups in Canmore followed by Presque Isle, Maine, next week.
Like the rest of the field traveling to Canada from Europe, he was eight hours removed from Central European time, and it might have felt like he should be winding down for the evening when he stood on top of the podium Thursday afternoon in Canmore.
Regardless, he won, and did so without much trouble — at least by the looks of it. Fourcade hit all 10 of his targets in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint on Thursday and skied the fastest overall course time to win comfortably, by 15.7 seconds over Russia’s Anton Shipulin in second place.
But racking up win No. 43 wasn’t all that easy, Fourcade later explained.
“I was a bit nervous,” he told the IBU. “I was not satisfied with my shooting this week during training and today, I had some problems zeroing. But I was confident on my skis, I was clean and fast enough to win, so I am happy.”
Austria’s Simon Eder started first in bib 1 in the men’s 10 k sprint at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta, and he finished sixth with clean shooting and the 19th-ranked course time. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
The sixth starter, Fourcade took control of the race early, skiing through the first 1 k checkpoint 1 1/2 seconds faster than Austria’s Simon Eder, who started first. Both cleaned prone, and Fourcade left the range 0.6 seconds behind Eder. Shipulin in bib 7 blazed through the first shooting even faster, cleaning prone and leaving the range with a 3.6-second lead over Eder.
Shipulin held his own for most of the second loop as well, and just like Fourcade, cleaned standing, but left the range in second, 6.3 seconds behind Fourcade. Germany’s Simon Schempp (in bib 4) also hit 100 percent of his targets in both stages to move into third, 11 seconds behind Fourcade with one loop to go.
There, Fourcade extended his gap over Shipulin to 8.6 seconds early in the final loop. Schempp skied in third, nearly 15 seconds behind. The order held to the finish: Fourcade won in 23:51.5, Shipulin finished 15.7 seconds off his pace in second and Schempp 18.7 seconds behind in third.
“I spoke with Simon and Anton, and we all had the same feeling about the track,” Fourcade told German broadcaster ZDF in an English interview. “When we trained, we felt like it’s an easy track, but I knew it will be hard because of the altitude, and because the track is really wide you feel to be really slow. I think I had a good strategy keeping some strength on the first loop, and being as fast as possible on the last one.”
Canmore’s elevation is roughly 1,400 meters (4,600 feet).
“I really like this place; it is very friendly and I love the atmosphere with the teams and the local people,” Fourcade told the IBU. “If we are truly an international sport, we need to come to places like this out of Europe.”
“I really like this place; it is very friendly and I love the atmosphere. … If we are truly an international sport, we need to come to places like this out of Europe.” — Martin Fourcade, Thursday’s sprint winner and overall IBU World Cup leader
Schempp explained that the three podium finishers — all of which shot clean in the two-stage race — chatted while changing into dry clothes afterward.
“We all didn’t have a really good feeling out on the course because it’s relatively slow,” Schempp told ZDF. “You have to push all the time, you have very little time to relax because you pretty much ski from the lowest to the highest point. … So none of us felt they were skiing really fast, but the times are still good and I am very satisfied with the result.”
Asked what it was like to race overseas, Schempp told ZDF, “A little different, because your body is adapted to another time. At home it’s evening now. Of course, we had a little bit of lead time, three or four days, but … normally, you would sit on the couch or almost go to bed already right now, and instead you have to compete. That’s different, but the same for everyone.”
The men’s sprint podium at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta, with France’s Martin Fourcade in first (second from l), Russia’s Anton Shipulin in second, and Germany’s Simon Schempp in third. Austria took fourth through sixth with (from left to right, in red) Julian Eberhard in fourth, Dominik Landertinger in fifth and Simon Eder in sixth. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
Austria swept fourth through sixth, and while Eder cleaned both stages, he wasn’t the fastest of the three. Eder placed sixth, 47.6 seconds behind Fourcade and just behind his teammates, Julian Eberhard with a career-best fourth (+45.0) and Dominik Landertinger in fifth (+47.1).
“I already noticed during the last days that my body feels very good,” Eberhard said in an Austrian team press release.
He previously placed seventh in a sprint earlier this season in Hochfilzen, Austria. On Thursday, he had a single penalty in each stage and the second-fastest course time, 6.8 seconds slower than Fourcade.
“The course here suits me well,” Eberhard said of Canmore. “That makes every strength session in the summer pay dividends, because you can really put that on the track here. I am happy that my shape is trending upwards ahead of the World Championships.”
Landertinger cleaned prone and missed one standing. Seven of the top 11 men cleaned the sprint, including the top three.
Davies’ Dream Come True
While he didn’t clean, Tim Burke posted the 10th fastest overall course time to place 23rd, 1:44.8 behind Fourcade, with two standing penalties. He led the North Americans on Thursday, with U.S. teammate Lowell Bailey following in 24th (+1:45.2), also with two standing misses.
The top Canadian Macx Davies finished less than half a second farther back in 25th (+1:45.7), and the third American, Leif Nordgren placed 26th (+1:46.7).
Macx Davies cleaning his second-straight stage on his home course en route to 100 percent shooting and 25th overall, for his second-best result of his career at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
Out of that group, Davies, 23, was the only one to shoot clean. In doing so, he posted his second-best World Cup result of his career — in his hometown.
“I started the day with the goal of being top 20 and after seeing the first few athletes in the range I knew that I would have to shoot clean to do that,” Davies, the 31st starter, wrote in an email. “And once I made that decision there was no other possibility.”
Knowing the course well, he decided to conserve for the final loop. Afterward, he reflected that he paced it well and “was able to give a good punch on the finishing climbs.
“I didn’t realize how good of a day it was until I was on my final loop and the coaches and wax techs were screaming at me, telling me that I was close to the top 20 and needed to ski faster!” Davies wrote. “My thoughts after I cleaned standing were accepting that I would have to ski very hard on my final loop if I wanted to stay with the people around me.”
Davies initially finished 19th, about a second back from Burke’s time. Bailey in bib 38 ended up between them, and all three slipped a few places outside the top 20, but it was enough for Davies.
“I am so happy to have had this race at home! It is truly a dream of mine to race well in front of my home crowd and I feel happy that I could show where Biathlon Canada is going, and it is only up!” Davies wrote.
“After seeing the first few athletes in the range I knew that I would have to shoot clean … And once I made that decision there was no other possibility.” — Macx Davies (Biathlon Canada) on shooting 10-for-10 in Thursday’s sprint to place 25th
As somewhat of an aside, his father is the chairperson of the event.
“It makes me realize how much effort from a few people it actually takes to make a World Cup event happen,” Davies noted. “I am proud to have him so closely tied to me and it doesn’t add any pressure, just makes the victory sweeter.”
While many of the Europeans chose to spend the bye week at home, Burke and several other North American flew directly to Canmore after the last World Cup two weeks ago in Antholz, Italy. That gave Burke 10 days to get his legs back under him.
Tim Burke (US Biathlon) en route to 23rd in the men’s 10 k sprint at Thursday’s IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. He cleaned prone, but missed two standing and posted the 10th-ranked course time overall. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
“This was my first winter race in North America in 5 years! I feel like the Canadian crowd was also cheering for us, so it made the race a lot of fun,” Burke, who turned 34 on Wednesday, wrote in an email.
During the race, he started 20th and found himself in the top 10 with a clean prone, leaving the range for his second loop in ninth. After two misses in standing, he was down to 15th. While Burke initially finished 14th, nine men behind him bumped him into 23rd.
“I was not happy with my two standing misses but this simply happens in biathlon,” Burke wrote. “I was more frustrated with my skiing today. I feel like I had great preparation for these races and this course is perfect for my strengths. I’m not really sure why, but I just felt really flat today right from the start. I’m hoping that this effort was a wake up call for my body and that I will bounce back for the Mass Start on Saturday.”
Based on a provisional start list for Saturday’s mass start, which includes only the top 30 athletes, Burke, Bailey and Canada’s Nathan Smith are in (ranked 20th, 16th and 14th, respectively). On Thursday, Smith placed 31st (+1:52.7) with a single prone penalty.
Nathan Smith (Biathlon Canada) on his way to 31st in the men’s 10 k sprint at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
“I have been struggling skiing for the last few weeks,” Smith, the second-best Canadian on Thursday, wrote in an email. “Before it could’ve been my back pain, but today I didn’t have any. Late last week in intensity I felt in top form, but then in race prep yesterday I just felt totally heavy. Unfortunately it was the same today.”
On the upside, “My shooting had been rock solid for the last two weeks,” he added. “No worries there. I’m hoping that today’s tough ski will have gotten me into better shape for the mass start and mixed relays this weekend.”
While Bailey was alternatively pleased with his clean prone stage, his two standing misses left him “extremely disappointed,” he wrote in an email.
“I missed both shots by a few millimeters,” Bailey explained. “I think it hurts a little more when you realize how close everything was.”
Asked about pacing on Canmore’s course, the 34-year-old US Biathlon veteran noted: “This course has a huge climb — perhaps the longest on the world cup circuit — so I really tried to work that climb so that I was able to push in the last part of the hill. I definitely felt fatigued by the last time up it, but I think a lot of athletes were feeling this way as well.
“I’m ok with a top-25 but I know I can do better than this,” Bailey added. “I just have to re-focus and set my sights on the next races. I’m confident in our preparation and I really feel like we can put together some quality results during the North American tour.”
Lowell Bailey racing to 24th in the men’s 10 k sprint at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
Nordgren was disappointed to miss his last prone shot — his only penalty of the day. The 49th starter, Nordgren found himself in 41st initially after the first shooting. He then improved to 27th after the second shooting with a clean standing stage.
“I know I’m capable of more, and I showed it last season,” Nordgren wrote in an email. “… Missing the last shot in any stage is just painful. I haven’t raced here in a few years, but I remember going out too hard last time and blowing up pretty hard on the last loop. Today I tried to start pretty aggressive, while still leaving enough to ski a good last loop.
“The most disappointing thing is knowing I would have been in the mass start on Saturday had I hit that prone shot, which leaves a bitter taste in my mouth even though it was a fairly good race,” he added.
Before Canmore, Nordgren spent a few days at home in Minnesota.
“Since I wasn’t there for Christmas it was good to just relax at home, even if it was really short,” he wrote. “I traveled to Canmore Last Thursday in order to get a few days extra to adjust to the altitude. It’s been nice here in Canmore, the snow is in really good condition and the temps have been pretty mild.”
For the home team, the atmosphere was uplifting. A couple thousand spectators came out for the races, Smith estimated, and a large number of them were schoolchildren. Smith is originally from nearby Calgary.
“Maybe one day one of those students in the crowd will represent Canada at the Olympics,” he wrote. “At the start I felt really proud to be representing Canada at home, to be an ambassador for the sport, and knowing that I’m racing for something larger than just myself.”
Scott Gow (Biathlon Canada) racing to 34th, one of the best results of his IBU World Cup career, at the men’s sprint in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
In 34th, about three seconds behind Smith, Canada’s Scott Gow, 25, had one of his top-five best results. Like Davies, the Gow brothers also grew up in Canmore. Scott Gow had one prone penalty to finish 1:55.5 behind Fourcade.
In an email, Gow explained that his race started like any other: “There were a few nerves I needed to get out of my system but after 1km everything felt normal,” he wrote. “I got some splits saying my ski time was good, and the techs kept telling me throughout the race that I was maintaining good ski speed.”
While he wasn’t happy with his prone miss, his standing stage gave him “renewed motivation to really try and hammer out my last lap,” Gow added. “It was nice skiing by the stadium and having a few hundred people cheering me on, making sure I finish well. … I’m happy with my end result. I was hoping to feel better on skis and of course I would have liked to hit all my targets. Overall I’m very pleased.”
His brother, Christian Gow, and Brendan Green also had one miss each (both in standing) and ended up in 61st (+2:50.2) and 40th (+2:09.5), respectively.
The fourth American, Max Durtschi in his first-ever World Cup placed 85th with five penalties (2+3).
“Overall, I am disappointed with my performance today,” Durtschi, a 24-year-old former professional cyclist, wrote in an email. “I felt solid on skis, but my shooting was not up to standard. At the World Cup level you cannot shoot 50% and call it a good day. Representing the USA at this level is a big privilege, and I expect a much better performance out of myself in the range.”
A member of US Biathlon’s X-team, he is slated to join the World Cup team in Presque Isle next week.
“The next days I am focusing on training and improving!” Durtschi wrote. “I will remain open minded to whatever comes my way. For now, I need to continue to work on the fundamentals of the sport.”
Canadian biathlete Macx Davies raced to his second-best IBU World Cup result of 25th on Thursday in the men’s 10 k sprint in Canmore, Alberta. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)
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![The men's 10 k sprint podium on Friday, with Bulgaria’s Vladimir Iliev (c) in first, Russia’s Alexander Loginov (l) in second, and Bulgaria’s Krasimir Anev (r) in third at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/image2-6.png")
![The women’s 7.5 k sprint podium on Friday, with Ukraine’s Juliya Dzhyma (c) in first, Russia’s Svetlana Sleptsova (l) in second and Russia’s Irina Starykh (r) in third at the 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. (Photo: IBU)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/image1-6.png")
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![American Emily Dreissigacker shooting clean during her first prone stage of the women's 15 k individual on Wednesday at 2017 IBU Open European Championships in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. She finished 41st.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/01/Emily-Dreissigacker-individual.jpg")
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![The men's sprint podium at the IBU World Cup in Canmore, Alberta, with France's Martin Fourcade in first (second from l), Russia's Anton Shipulin in second (l), and Germany's Simon Schempp in third (r). Austria took fourth through sixth with (from left to right) Julian Eberhard with a career-best fourth, Dominik Landertinger in fifth, and Simon Eder in sixth. (Photo: Daniel S. Guay)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/02/BMW-IBU-WC7-Men-10km-Sprint-26.jpg")
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