U.S.A. Biathlon
"I was happy with my shooting today but I just did not have the legs for a top result," said Burke. "Our team did a great job with the skis, but I was just really tired today for some reason. Luckily, I am not too far back for tomorrow's Pursuit so I am hopeful that I will feel better by then."
Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY) placed 36th today posting 26:40.5 (0+1), and Russell Currier(Stockholm, ME) finished 56th (27:38.7/1+1). Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK) finished 67th (28:07.4/0+3), and Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN) was 81st (28:25.6/2+2). Extended results from today's 10K Sprint are available here.
"That was a tough race today," said Bailey. "After feeling good in Sunday's Pursuit in Ostersund, I expected to continue feeling good on the ski course. I was way off the mark today. All I can say is that some days are better than others and hopefully I bounce back tomorrow."
Burke, Bailey and Currier will race in tomorrow's Pursuit starting at 6:45am (EST). Tomorrow's start list is available here.
Dunklee (31st) and Studebaker (58th) Qualify for Pursuit
Susan Dunklee (Barton, VT) had the top finish in today's 7.5k Sprint for Team USA. Posting a time of 24:06.2(0+2), Dunklee was 1:41.5 back from Darya Domracheva (BLR) winning her first race of the season with a time of 22:24.7/1+0. Finland’s Kaisa Mäkäräinen placed second at 22:24.7/0+1, and World Cup leader Tora Berger (NOR) was third (22:37.6/0+1).
"I was very happy with my skiing, especially the pacing and transitions," explained Dunklee. "After struggling with shooting in Östersund, it was great to start by hitting all my prone targets. There are lots of people close together for tomorrow's Pursuit and I am excited that Sara and I get a chance to compete in it."
Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID) finished 58th (24:40.5/0+2), Annelies Cook (Saranc Lake, NY) placed 63rd (24:55.7/2+2), and Lanny Barnes finished 71st (25:13.7/1+0). Extended results from today's 7.5k Sprint are available here.
"Today was definitely a tough race," said Studebaker. "The course here in Hochfilzen is a difficult one, and with cold snow things were pretty slow. I came out of the penalty loop after standing with another girl, so had a nice ride for the last loop. I was really happy with my ability to fight for the pursuit after a tough standing shooting. Every race has been getting a little better for me, so I'm looking forward to another couple of chances to race this weekend!"
Dunklee and Studebaker will race in tomorrow's 10k Pursuit at 9:00am (EST). Please visit here for tomorrow's start list and results. Live coverage of World Cup 2 will be available atwww.biathlonworld.com.