Sean Doherty (center) shooting during a prone stage of tthe Youth Olympic Games pursuit earlier this season.
Conditions for the first race of Swedish Biathlon National Championships weren’t exactly wonderful in Solefteå, Sweden on Friday.
“The weather has been really bad with warm temps and wind,” U.S. National Team Head Coach Per Nilsson told FasterSkier. “It was on the edge to hold the races… today was deep slush, gusty wind and challenging conditions for everybody.”
It showed: in the senior division, Helena Ekholm and Carl Johan Bergman took the sprint titles with three and two penalties, respectively. Ekholm has been one of the World Cup’s most accurate shooters for years, and the two ended up ranked fifth and sixth in the World Cup total score this season. If they struggled on the range, then who wouldn’t?
Luckily, the three U.S. juniors who were competing in Solefteå as part of an exchange program arranged by Nilsson, who is Swedish, had a secret weapon.
“It seems to be the same on your side of the pond,” Nilsson said.
That was true, said Tara Geraghty-Moats of the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club, who is the lone girl on the trip.
Geraghty-Moates competing at this year's World Junior Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland. Photo: Judy Geer.
“Conditions were a bit windy but not bad,” she explained. “The course was basically in the same condition that Casey, Sean and I have been racing in for three weeks now, at [cross-country] junior nationals and biathlon nationals, super soft and warm. I think it might have given us a little edge over the home teams because we are just used to the slow conditions.”
Sean Doherty, a New Hampshire native who races for the Saratoga Biathlon Club and trains with Algis Shalna in Jericho, Vermont, led the pack by posting a 38-second win in the youth (17- to 19-year-old) sprint. That came despite having four penalties in the two shooting stages – and the fact that he won’t turn 17 until June.
“Sean did a really good race,” Nilsson said. “He was strong and had good technique in these conditions.”
Success isn’t new for Doherty, who represented the U.S. at the Youth Olympic Games in January, where he turned in a pivotal leg in the bronze-medal mixed relay. He has competed in two World Junior Championships, and at junior nationals for cross country he placed fourth in the mass start skate and skied a leg on New England’s silver-medal J1 relay team.
Doherty relied on that ski speed on Friday; he left the field in the dust even though the next three finishers had fewer penalties than he did.
Geraghty-Moats, racing in the same age division, finished fifth in the women’s race, 41 seconds behind Hanna Öberg. With five penalties, the Vermonter told FasterSkier that she was not satisfied with her performance.
“I wasn’t very happy with my shooting – the range approach here is the hardest I’ve skied all year,” she said. “You come off a long hard hill and go straight into shooting. I think I might have taken the last hill a little too hard, and paid for it with 50% misses.”
Nilsson agreed that the range approach was tricky, saying the “approach here is tough.”
But despite Geraghty-Moats’ struggles on the range, he was impressed.
“Tara was one of the fastest females out there today,” he said.
The last U.S. racer, Casey Smith of Methow Valley Biathlon, raced in the 20- to 21-year-old junior division, where he placed eighth with four penalties.
In Saturday’s relays, Geraghty-Moats teamed up with Swedish national team member Anna-Karin Strömstedt and Estonia’s Regina Oja to place sixth in the senior women’s division. Smith and Doherty joined Erik Ögren to place fifth in the senior men’s relay.
Racing continues on Sunday with a pursuit based off of Friday’s sprint.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to move up in the results a little more, but I’m pretty happy with my fith place,” Geraghty-Moats said.
Sean Doherty fighting for seconds at the end of his 13th-place sprint effort. Photo: Judy Geer.
In the first four days of racing in Kontiolahti, Finland, American hopes for its biathletes just hadn’t panned out. In race after race at the World Youth and Junior Championships, the U.S. racers were held back by one thing after another. They notched a few finishes in the high 20’s and 30’s – and mostly placed far lower on the results sheet.
On Friday, two Americans broke out of the slump and raced into the top-twenty, collecting the best results of their careers so far.
“Just got back from the venue and definitely with more of a smile on my face,” U.S. coach Algis Shalna told FasterSkier after the race.
Sean Doherty of Conway, New Hampshire placed 13th in the youth men’s 7.5 k sprint and Tara Geraghty-Moates of West Fairlee, Vermont placed 18th in the youth women’s 6 k sprint.
Geraghty-Moates clocking in the ninth-fastest ski time of the day. Photo: Judy Geer.
“I’m stoked,” Geraghty-Moates told FasterSkier in an e-mail. “Everything has been going smoothly: the coaching staff here has been completely on their game, the wax has been fast, the weather is warmer than we predicted… I’ve just been having a stellar week so far, and I’m hoping to keep the trend going.”
Doherty, who could not be reached for comment, missed a single shot and finished 1:48 behind winner Johannes Thingnes Bø of Norway. Bø, whose older brother Tarjei won the overall World Cup last season, raced to a colossal 50-second victory. Behind him, the field was tightly packed; Doherty was 56 seconds from the podium and eight from the top ten.
“Great shooting and fast skiing put him in a competitive position for pursuit race,” Shalna said of Doherty’s performance. “The pursuit will be very challenging for all of them and will require a lot of effort to control the emotions on the range and speed control on the skiing course.”
The result was reminiscent of Doherty’s other successes this year, including 12th– and 14th-place finishes and a strong relay leg at the Youth Olympic Games.
For Geraghty-Moates, the 18th-place finish is a big improvement. She had placed 44th in Monday’s individual race, and her top finish at 2011 World Youth Championships was 57th. In those races, she had been plagued by poor shooting, but on Friday she only missed two of ten targets.
Sam Dougherty, 35th place. Photo: Judy Geer.
“I’ve been pretty happy with my shooting so far,” Geraghty-Moates wrote. “All my races are consistent with the results I’ve been having so far this year – all way better than last year.”
A former standout nordic combined athlete who has a cross-country background, Geraghty-Moates picked up biathlon in 2010. Shalna, who is one of the Vermonter’s coaches back in the States, was impressed with how far she’d come in a short period of time.
“Tara had an excellent performance that exceeded my expectations,” he said. “Most importantly her shooting performance was beyond my goals for this race. Considering the level of competition and being only her second year in biathlon, 80 % shooting is a very solid performance.”
Predictably, Geraghty-Moates, who has a history of top-five finishes at cross country junior national championships, was quick on her skis.
“She had 9th-fastest course skiing time, and it was only 54 seconds from the winner and nine seconds from the [second-fastest skier],” Shalna said. “This is a pretty good example how a competitive former skier can get among the best in the world in biathlon if you have skiing speed, even with the the short amount of time for shooting.”
Of course, things didn’t go perfectly. After being thrilled to clean her prone stage, Geraghty-Moates succumbed to pressure in standing.
“I was in sixth coming in to the standing, but I made the mistake of looking at the result board coming into the range before standing and realizing that if I cleaned I had a shoot at the medals,” she wrote. “Of course then I proceeded to miss two shots, but that was predictable.”
Nick Proell, 40th place. Photo: Judy Geer.
Both Doherty and Geraghty-Moates have had to get creative with their training this year, given the lack of snow in New England (as with many other parts of the U.S.). While competing against the best biathletes in the world might be intimidating when on-snow training has been scarce, Geraghty-Moates said that in a way, it had prepared her well.
“I think the shitty conditions we’ve had back east actually ended up helping me because I’ve been skiing up Storrs Hill [alpine] ski area for a lot of my training,” she explained. “This means that the hills here don’t look über huge even when they’re half a kilometer long.”
Geraghty-Moates had said after the relay that the course suited her, and that the hills “kept me on my toes.” Friday’s conditions made her even happier.
“Today it was warm and a little icy which made the fast course even faster, a plus in my book,” she said.
The rest of the U.S. team struggled to keep up with Doherty and Geraghty-Moats. Anna Kubek, who had led the U.S. women in the individual with a 30th-place result, missed half of her shots and placed 67th, missing the 60th-place cutoff for Sunday’s pursuit. The result was an unexpected blow to the American squad.
“The race did not go well for Anna, who is a great young athlete,” Shalna lamented. “Her shooting was not as good what she is capable of, but biathlon can be a roller coaster and the less experienced you are, the more roller coaster rides you get.”
Mikaela Paluczek and Melissa Manning will be joining Kubek as spectators on Sunday after placing 65th and 71st. Both are first-time international competitors.
“None of the last three girls made the pursuit race on Sunday, but for all of them the races over the last week were a priceless experience for becoming better biathletes in the future,” Shalna said.
On the men’s side, Sam Dougherty and Nick Proell placed 35th and 40th after missing two and one shots respectively. They are separated by just 12 seconds – less than the time it takes to ski a penalty loop – and Dougherty is just 13 seconds from the top thirty and less than a minute from the top fifteen going into Sunday’s pursuit.
Jake Prince rounded out the squad, placing 80th with five penalties.
The start of the youth men's 3 x 7.5 k relay in Kontiolahti, Finland on Wednesday. Photo: Judy Geer.
On Wednesday, Kontiolahti, Finland, became a venue that was hospitable for biathlon for the first time in perhaps several weeks.
After the bitter cold of the World Cup races two weeks ago, a general lack of sunlight, and a persistent wind that has dogged even the best shots at World Youth and Junior Championships this week, today’s balmy sunshine was a welcome reprieve.
Geraghty-Moates in action. Photo: Judy Geer.
“Today was an amazing bluebird day and there was almost no wind,” U.S. racer Tara Geraghty-Moates told FasterSkier in an e-mail. “We couldn’t really have asked for better conditions. My favorite thing about Finland so far is the snow – unlike at home we have a ton of it here!”
No team capitalized more on the relative calm than the Ukrainian youth women, who over eight shooting stages, or a total of forty shots, missed just four and thanks to the use of spare rounds avoided the penalty loop completely. Yuliya Zhuravok, Yuliya Bryhynets, and Anastasiya Merkushyna raced to a 58-second win in the 3 x 6 k relay, besting runner-up Sweden by a landslide.
Bryhynets took the lead after her first shooting stage, and by the time she tagged off to anchor Merkushyna had amassed a lead of almost a minute – which actually intimidated her teammate.
“It was very difficult to go with such a big lead,” Merkushyna told the IBU news service after the race. “My legs were shaking; that is not normal. My hands were shaking and my head stopped working. I only thought ‘please shoot as normal as possible.’”
Good shooting was the order of the day for the women’s race: the Swedes used six spare rounds and the third-place Austrians five. The same could not be said of the youth men’s x 7.5 k relay, where only three of the 22 teams used fewer than ten spare rounds and most ended up in the penalty loop at least once.
While the French led the men’s relay from start to finish and ultimately won by 38 seconds, that outcome didn’t seem certain when the racers entered the range the final time. French anchor Aristide Begue, who won the individual competition on Monday, needed all three spare rounds to clean his targets, and almost all of the leaders missed with at least one bullet.
That was what saved Begue, who was able to leave the range with a 22-second lead and then extend it in the last loop of skiing to hang onto the win for teammates Clement Dumont and Florian Rivot.
The Swedish youth men’s team placed second and the Germans third; the most exciting finish of the day came when Kazakhstan, Italy, and Belarus sprinted to the line for fourth-place honors, with the Kazakhs beating out the Italians by just 0.1 seconds.
Top-Ten Finishes For Both Canadian Teams
Sarah Beaudry anchoring the Canadian women to eighth place. Photo: Judy Geer.
The Canadian women placed eighth today and the men ninth; coach Richard Boruta was satisfied with the results, but no more.
“I think it has been a relatively good day, probably reflecting our current position in this category in the world,” he told FasterSkier in an e-mail.
The women used only six spare rounds, all in prone. Rose-Marie Cote used two in the opening leg, and tagged off in 13th, roughly a minute and a half behind the leadrs.
“Rose-Marie had a good shooting day, but her ski speed this week is not quite there,” Boruta said.
The performance of the day came from Julia Ransom, who is fresh off a top-ten finish in the individual race. Using a single spare round in prone and cleaning her standing stage, Ransom also excelled on the trails, turning in the third-fastest time for second-leg skiers and moving the team up to eighth. Sarah Beaudry held the team’s position despite hitting the penalty loop once.
“Julia actually had a really good race,” Boruta said. “She was third overall in her leg and she had a good shooting performance as well. And for Sarah, her ski speed is fine, but her shooting seems to suffer this winter a little bit.”
Albert Bouchard. Photo: Judy Geer.
In the youth men’s race, both Stuart Harden and Christian Gow turned in strong performances, and after two legs the Canadians were sitting in sixth place, just 30 seconds behind the winning French team – despite having already used eight spare rounds. After anchor skier Albert Bouchard was stuck skiing three penalty loops, the team dropped to ninth.
“It was a very interesting race for first two legs and both Stuart and Christian raced up to their potential,” Boruta said. “Christian has been skiing really well and he has a good chance to do very well in the sprint race.”
Gow placed 11th in the opening individual race, and after that effort told FasterSkier that he was looking forward to races that placed more of an emphasis on skiing rather than shooting.
“Looking at the results though I am happiest at the potential I see moving foward into the upcoming races,” Gow explained. “I now know that I am very competitive with the top of the competition. I think that in the sprint, pursuit, and relay to come I will be able to really push on the skis, and I would consider my skiing to be my strength in biathlon.”
Gow mixes straight cross country races into his competition schedule in Canada, so he knew that he’d be ready in that regard.
“I have done more biathlon than cross-country races [this year], but not much more,” he said. “I find that doing the ski races helps to keep myself in check with my ski speed; they are the best test to see how fast I am going at any point in the season.”
Young Americans Gain Experience With Relay Finishes
Anna Kubek kicking things off for the U.S. Photo: Judy Geer.
If the Canadians were lukewarm about their relay results, then the Americans were luke-cold after placing 13th in the women’s relay and 15th in the men’s.
“I can’t say we are happy with their results, but we are happy seeing kids racing hard and giving their best,” U.S. coach Algis Shalna told FasterSkier.
The women’s team matched their result from the 2011 event, but second-leg skier Geraghty-Moates pointed out that the Americans had actually skied a better race, despite being comparatively younger than last year’s squad.
“There was a much larger field from last year, so I think our overall performance was much better,” she wrote. “Last year we were close to 13 minutes off the pace, this year we were only 6:53 off the pace. When Anna tagged me she was a minute back. I was able to hold her tenth place, but I lost some more time off of the leaders.”
In Shalna’s view, that’s not bad given that leadoff racer Anna Kubek and Geraghty-Moates are both relatively new to the sport, having started in 2010, and anchor Melissa Manning is at her first World Junior Championships.
Kubek coming in for the tag to Geraghty-Moates. Photo: Judy Geer.
“Two girls had good performances, especially Anna, who shot well – no penalty loops – and skied well, tagging to Tara in tenth place one minute back from the leader,” Shalna said. “Tara skied very strong but had a penalty in prone, but she is second year in biathlon and this is a very respectable performance. Her range times were slower than top biathletes in the world, but she just needs more practice time and experience racing.”
Manning also hit the penalty loop, and dropped the team to 13th.
“Melissa, as a first year on the team, worked hard to keep us where we were,” Shalna said. “Is not easy to compete at this level the first time, with a lot of excitement and a fair amount of pressure.”
Geraghty-Moates was honest in her assessment of the team’s performance, but still positive.
Sean Doherty awaiting the handoff. Photo: Judy Geer.
“We are definitely off the European pace but we’ve made huge progress from last year,” she said. “For me it’s important to keep it all in perspective and just focus on making improvements one at a time.”
The youth men finished 15th after a promising start by Sam Dougherty, who hovered around tenth place for most of his leg.
“The boys could have done a little better and placed around tenth to twelfth place, but few penalties did not favor them,” Shalna said. “The best race was for Sam who had good start, them cleaned his prone shooting and used only one extra round to clean the targets. It was solid performance for him skiing and shooting.”
Sean Doherty kept the momentum going and lost only one place over the course of his leg despite hitting the penalty loop twice; Nick Proell replicated Doherty’s shooting errors, and the team eventually slipped to 15th.
“Sean skied well but struggled on both shooting staged and had one penalty on each,” Shalna said. “He was making time on skiing, but the extra time on the range to use spare rounds kept us from getting any closer [in the last two legs].”
Christian Gow of Canada (bib 19) catches his breath after an 11th-place finish. Photo: Judy Geer.
The U.S. team at biathlon World Youth and Junior Championships in Kontiolahti, Finland, is hoping that things will heat up in the next few days – both literally and figuratively.
“It has been pretty cold all week but it warmed up today,” American racer Anna Kubek told FasterSkier.
At World Cup races one last weekend, the Finnish venue flirted with legal temperatures and athletes swaddled themselves in layer upon layer of clothes, as well as rendering their faces expressionless with protective physio tape. For most of the juniors’ training days, similar conditions prevailed.
Today, temperatures were listed in the balmy mid-20’s Fahrenheit at race time, and the trend should continue for the rest of the week.
Kontiolahti provided plenty of other challenges on this opening day of competition, however. The youth biathletes, who were contesting individual-format races, had to contend with strong and shifting winds as well as uncharacteristically soft snow.
Julia Bartolmaes of Germany and Aristide Begue of France had no trouble racing through the powder, besting fields of over 90 athletes each, all born no earlier than 1993, en route to collecting wins of 18 and 47 seconds respectively in their 10 and 12.5 k races.
New Hampshire racer Sean Doherty leading the U.S. in 26th place. Photo: Judy Geer.
For the U.S., the individual races weren’t a wash – but they weren’t spectacular either.
“Today was pretty good day for us and better than last year when we started World juniors,” said U.S. Biathlon Association coach Algis Shalna, who also works at the Ethan Allen Biathlon Club in Jericho, Vermont, and with Vermont Collegiate Biathlon. “The championships just started and we’re hope for more good results.”
The team was hampered by poor shooting, with the best shooter, Sam Dougherty, missing five shots and the worst, Jake Prince, twelve of a possible twenty. Plenty of racers struggled on the range – only the winner had a single penalty, and only the runner-up had just two – but the U.S. was left wishing it had shot better.
“With the increased psychological element of a one minute penalty for each missed shot, it’s easy to look back with a woulda-shoulda-coulda attitude,” Dougherty told FasterSkier, before adding that he was relatively happy with his performance given the conditions.
The top two results, predictably, came from two similarly-named Americans who had attended the championships last year: Sean Doherty of Conway, New Hampshire, and Dougherty, who is a native of far-away Anchorage, Alaska. Doherty placed 26th and Dougherty 28th after missing seven and five shots, respectively, and receiving an additional minute of time for each penalty.
“These results we are considering pretty good for our youth group,” Shalna said.
Doherty and 55th-place Nick Proell are the youngest members of the U.S. men’s squad, but they both already have international experience this season after representing their country at the Youth Olympic Games last month.
Dougherty charging down the finishing lanes. Photo: Judy Geer.
Doherty in particular was expected to succeed in Kontiolahti; as the top qualifier to the Youth Olympic Games, he hadn’t even attended World Junior trials. And in Innsbruck, he finished 12th and 14th in the sprint and pursuit races before turning in a seminal leg of the third-place U.S. mixed-sport relay.
In Kontiolahti on Monday, seven penalties were too much for Doherty to overcome; his ski time was the 27th-fastest, and he ended up just under six minutes behind Begue
Dougherty, who also competed at World Juniors last year, was 17 seconds and two places behind him. Both collected their best World Juniors finishes to date.
“This time around at World Juniors has been a lot more relaxed for me. I know what to expect so I can now focus solely on performance,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty, who in his last year as a youth is considerably bigger than some of his competitors, said that the conditions weren’t ideal for him – “I had to muscle my way through the course a little more than the smaller racers” – and that he considers the individual his weakest discipline, so he’s hoping to improve on his finish in the upcoming races.
As for the wind, which is always a factor in Kontiolahti? It didn’t faze him.
“I’ve become accustomed to shooting in all types of wind from my years in Anchorage, and I’m comfortable with making mid-race sight adjustments,” he explained. “This came in handy today with the wind being so erratic.”
Unlike Doherty, Dougherty hasn’t competed in any high-level biathlon races this year. In fact, he’s barely done any biathlon races in general. A student at Montana State University, Dougherty tried to walk on to the varsity ski team, but was turned down.
Gow on course. Photo: Judy Geer.
“The majority of my training this season has been on my own. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I’m happy that this hasn’t slowed me down any,” he said. “I’m a firm believer that nordic performance above all is key to being a good biathlete, and with that mentality I’ve entered every nordic race available to me this season.
“Due to school I haven’t been able to travel for Nor-Ams or any other upper-level races this year, so my biathlon racing experience this year has been extremely limited,” he continued. “One day I will have the time and funding to establish myself on the Nor-Am circuit.”
Dougherty’s fellow Alaskan, Prince, rounded out the scoring by placing 83rd.
The Canadian team was led by Christian Gow, who placed 11th; he could not be reached for comment. Gow was followed by Albert Bouchard in 36th, Stuart Harden in 38th, and Carsen Campbell in 41st.
Canadian Stuart Harden in the finish pen, moments before he learned of his 2 minute penalty
In his address to the competitors and spectators who packed the bleachers of the Bergisel stadium during the Opening Ceremonies of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, IOC President Jacques Rogge emphasized the importance of the Games with respect to the core Olympic values. “You have a chance to be true champions, not only by winning medals, but by conducting yourself like Olympians,” Rogge told the 1,078 Youth Olympians in attendance.
YOGGL, the mascot of the Games, was on hand to spark some serious enthusiasm in the fans. He's a lucky charm for athletes and is a vivid example of the Innsbruck 2012 motto "be part of it!"
Today in Seefeld, the true spirit of an Olympian was epitomized by young Canadian Stuart Harden who crossed the line in first position, but was regulated minutes after his finish to 7th place after being penalized for failing to ski his single penalty loop of the day. Gold went instead to Germany’s Niklas Homberg. Rene Zahkna of Estonia took Silver, finishing 9.5 seconds behind Homberg, and Fangming Cheng—yesterday’s winner—added a Bronze medal to his collection, finishing 14.6 seconds off the pace.
2002 Gold Medalist and Canadian YOG Team Leader Beckie Scott was on hand with husband Justin Wadsworth and son Teo to take in today's Biathlon Pursuit action
How it unfolded–
For today’s Biathlon Pursuit, the 50 competitors completed four laps of a 2.5km course and shot four times during two prone and two standing stages. Yesterday’s champion, Fangming Cheng of China, set out first with a 21 second advantage over Rene Zahkna of Estonia and a 27 second cushion on Aristide Begue of France.
But it was the fourth starter, Stuart Harden of Calgary, who would prove to be biggest threat to the top starters. Harden and Coach Chris Lindsay devised a pre-race strategy in which Harden would combine progressively more aggressive skiing with his reliably consistent shooting to fight for the podium. Both had high expectations coming into the event.
“Stu was very happy with his race [yesterday’s Sprint]. Deep down, I think he’s anxious because he knows there’s an opportunity to be the first Canadian to come away with a medal here [at the Games]. Stu knows that if he has another race like he had yesterday, the medal will come to him,” Lindsay explained to FasterSkier in a trackside interview before the race start.
“The reality is, there’s nothing to protect here. 4th or 10th, it doesn’t matter. He [Harden] is going to ski a strategic race in the first half, and then ramp it up and see what kind of damage we can do,” said Lindsay moments before the race started, under the same ideal conditions which graced Seefeld for the past three days: crisp, firm tracks, blue skies tainted by nothing other than jet contrails, and calm winds.
Fans line the finishing straight in the Seefeld Biathlon stadium
As the competitors headed into the range after the first lap, it was clear that Harden was doing some serious damage indeed.
When race leader Cheng and sixth placed Homberg both missed two penalties on the first prone stage, Harden cleaned. And then he cleaned again, and again once more during the first shooting stage. The massive crowd began to rally behind the young Canadian who turned heads with his mechanically precise shooting.
“He’s a methodical shooter, not a speed shooter,” noted Lindsay.
By the time the racers headed up the sharp uphill heading into the range, it was clear that the final standing stage would determine the winner. The crowd went silent as Cheng and Harden stood side by side, taking their final shots of the day.
Canada's Stuart Harden and China's Fangming Cheng go head to head during the final shooting stage
Cheng missed, and missed again. Harden, who opted to take several breaths in between shots, missed the first shot but nailed the final four. Cheng took off first towards the penalty loops, having missed three shots, with Harden following close behind. With a penalty loop taking competitors roughly 15-20 seconds, Harden realized that he’d have a 30 second advantage on Cheng for the final 2.5km of racing. Gold was in his sights.
But then Harden turned left, onto the course, instead of right, which would have sent him onto his required penalty loop. It was a mistake that would cost him the victory.
No one recognized the error in time, and Harden continued his final loop, oblivious of his mistake and focused on holding off the notoriously fast Cheng.
Fangming Cheng of China completes one of his three required penalty loops following the final standing shooting stage. Harden is posted as race leader on the scoreboard.
“I think I can say I was having the race of my life,” explained Harden to FasterSkier after the race, “My mindset was go-go-go, and I simply missed the penalty loop. It cost me a penalty, and that’s what happened.”
As Harden raced up the final steep climb before the descent to the finish, the young Canadian seemed destined for a textbook victory. 2002 Gold Medalist and Canadian YOG Team Leader Beckie Scott was cheering with Harden’s parents at the finish, ready to congratulate the Calgarian. The crowd roared as the North American grabbed a flag from a fan and coasted to the line, no rivals in sight.
Yet the stadium quickly fell silent as Harden’s name appeared atop the score board with an asterisk beside it. Lindsay confirmed that his young skier had indeed failed to complete his final penalty loop, and he was penalized 2 minutes—the standard penalty for failing to complete a loop.
Stuart Harden slotting into the first position. Crowds fell silent after an asterisk appeared beside his name, indicating that the placing was in question
Harden stood in the finish pen after the race surrounded by three of his biggest supporters: his parents and his coach. The young athlete was clearly rattled, having gone from experiencing the euphoria of his first international win, to suddenly learning of the penalty and its effect on his result. Despite the commotion, Harden demonstrated experience beyond his years in recounting how his race unfolded.
“Despite the penalty, I could feel worse. I’m pretty happy with how I feel,” Harden told FasterSkier post race. Asked how he might learn from the incident, Harden replied, “I’m learning a lot from it, and I’m sure I’ll learn more. It’s only been a few minutes. I already feel better about it. You know, it’s never going to happen again. It’s just one more thing on my way to the World Cup, the World Championships, and the real Olympics—if I get there. I’m building up, and I’m still really confident in myself.”
Harden wasn’t the only North American to experience ups and downs on the course today. Sean Doherty, who began the race in 12th, moved up to 7th place after missing one target in each of the first two prone stages. But in the first standing stage, Doherty dirtied, missing all five shots.
Sean Doherty of Conway, New Hampshire shoots during a prone stage of today's Biathlon Pursuit
“I kind of made a major mistake there. Obviously. But then I put my head down and just skied really, really hard, and worked my way back up to 14th. So the day ended up alright,” Doherty told FasterSkier.
“I just lost it mentally a little bit,” explained the young American about his collapse in the first standing stage, “I didn’t feel that off, but just didn’t hold it together. Kinda wish I could have that one back.”
Doherty and teammate Nick Proell stood together after the finish, supporting one another after a challenging day. But like Harden, they’d each learned valuable lessons which would help them on their way towards success at the “real” Olympic Games. Proell ended up finishing in 40th place, with a total of 8 penalties. Canadian Aidan Millar finished 32nd, finishing 5:33 back of Homburg.
Teammates nick Proell and Sean Doherty touch base with FasterSkier after the 10km Biathlon Pursuit
But both teams remained positive, optimistic and highly motivated for the upcoming Mixed Relay. Proell and Doherty joked that some serious Wiener Schnitzel for dinner might be just what they’d need to deliver strong performances later in the week.
While they didn’t manage to claim spots on the podium today, the North American biathletes personified perhaps what are the primary goals of this unique event: to give it all on course, to be part of the event, and to be a supportive member of a strong team.
“Stuart is the anchor for our team here. I think the actual happening here, the situation that Stuart found himself in, has actually buoyed up the spirits of everyone on our team,” reflected Coach Lindsay after the finish. “I think the rest of the team— because we’re very tight as a group—is anxious to help him realize the dream it’s obvious he had as he crossed the line today.”
Finishers from today's Youth Olympic Biathlon Pursuit event
If today’s performance was any indication, we’ll have plenty to look forward to from the strong North American biathletes at these Youth Olympic Games, both in the upcoming relay, and on the world stage in years to come.
Sean Doherty (USA) chasing a Czech skier through the trees en route to a 37th finish in the youth men's pursuit at World Junior Championships this winter. All photos by Judy Geer.
(Note: This is the first in a series of interviews with athletes who will be competing at the first-ever winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria this winter.)
The North American Rollerski Biathlon Championships, held in Jericho, Vermont last month, were the last in a series of qualifying races for U.S. athletes hoping to compete at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in January. While YOG as a whole includes athletes ranging from 14 to 19 years of age, skiers and biathletes must be born in 1994 or 1995 to be eligible for competition, which includes the high-level debut of a mixed cross-country and biathlon relay event.
After nine races in the qualifying series, Sean Doherty of Conway, New Hampshire had racked up six victories and sat atop the list of 20 boys who had entered at least one of the races. Of the four team members selected by USBA Doherty is the only one with international race experience; this year he represented the U.S. at World Junior Championships even though he was actually a year younger than the defined age of a youth. While competing against boys up to three years older, he raced his way from 50th starting position (based on sprint results and time gaps) to 37th in the pursuit.
Doherty only competed in a single Junior Olympic Qualifier and doesn’t have a USSA license, but he’s no slouch on the trails. Instead of aiming for the national scene, he skis for his high school team while also focusing on biathlon. Last he skied to victory in the New Hampshire Series, the biggest ski race in the state, while representing Kennett High School. Then, as a member of the “Live Free or Die” state’s high school squad, he swept all three individual races and the relay at the NENSA J2 Festival and helped New Hampshire secure third place.
FasterSkier caught up with the talented Granite Stater after he was nominated to the team.
FasterSkier: Can you tell me a little bit about your history as a skier?
Sean Doherty: I have been skiing nordic and alpine since I was four. My neighbors introduced me to skate skiing when I was seven. I also love telemark skiing and started this when I was nine.
FS: What made you want to take up biathlon?
SD: I have friends who have competed or who still compete and I thought it was interesting – I enjoyed the added challenge and the nice people I met.
FS: Am I right in thinking that you don’t have a biathlon club where you live? How do you train and get coaching?
SD: You are right, there are no biathlon clubs in this area. I did a couple of Maine Winter Sports Center camps. I now work with Algis Shalna out of Jericho, Vermont. I train over there when I can. I am a member of the Saratoga Biathlon Club, Mount Washington Nordic and Eastern Slope Ski Club. All these clubs have been very supportive.
FS: It seems like last year you prioritized biathlon more than skiing; how did you focus on biathlon with relatively few resources in New Hampshire?
SD: Biathlon is all about skiing. I enjoy all nordic sports – classic, skate and biathlon. I don’t feel I have limited resources living where I do. I get great support from my local clubs, and support with training through the USBA and the National Guard in Jericho VT. I still race for my high school when I can and really enjoy all kinds of local races when they are available.
FS: Of all the members of the team, you’re the only one who raced at World Juniors. How was that experience and how do you think it prepared you for the Youth Olympics?
SD: I think it was beneficial to get international competition under my belt. The racing experience at the World Juniors was fun.
FS: It’s pretty unusual for athletes to know this far ahead of time that they have made the team for a major international event. Has this changed your plans for the summer, fall, and early winter at all?
SD: No, you still need to be ready to race in January whether it is in Austria, New Hampshire or somewhere else.
FS: Not all of the teams have been announced yet, but here are some pretty fierce athletes already named to their country’s rosters. How are you feeling about the competition?
SD: Your competition is going to be your competition. This is a new year and lots can change. I don’t focus on the other competitors. I just focus on my race.
FS: What are you looking forward to most about the trip?
SD: It will be pretty exciting to go to Austria and be part of the first Youth Olympic Games. I just want to race at the highest level. That’s why I’m going there.
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