• USA Biathlon
• Features
• Team USA Men Finish 12th at World Championship Relay

U.S.A. Biathlon

• Features
• Events
• Results
• Ranking
• About Us
• Members
• Resources
• Hall Of Fame
• Athletes
• Donate

NOVE MESTO, CZE (February 16, 2013) - IBU World Championship competition continued in Nove Mesto today with Team USA taking 12th in the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay. Team USA (Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME) and Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN)) posted a time of 1:19:40.8 (0+12). Team Norway (Bjoerndalen, L'Abee-Lund, Boe, Svendsen) won gold with a time of 1:15:39 (0+5), 1:12.8 minutes ahead of Team France (S.Fourcade, Beatrix, Boeuf, M. Fourcade), who edged Germany at the finish for silver (1:16:51.8/0+7), with Team Germany (Schempp, Birnbacher, Peiffer, Lesser) taking bronze (1:16:57.5/2+3). With today's victory, Norway became the first nation ever to win seven gold medals at the IBU World Championships, and Norway's Emil Hegle Svendsen notched his fourth gold medal of the week (mixed relay, sprint, pursuit and men's relay).

" I'm pretty disappointed with today's race.I imagine the rest of the guys are as well," said Nordgren, the team's anchor, following today's relay. " I expected a lot more from myself, and I know as a team, we are capable of a much higher result. But today wasn't our day for some reason.  

For my race, I felt a little sluggish on the skis. The 20km was just two days ago, so maybe I was still a little tired from that, I'm not sure. I tried to make up for it with faster, more aggressive shooting, but I was a little bit off today. All the guys on our team are super talented. We have what it takes to be at the top for every relay, and I guarantee we will be back next year, better than ever," added Nordgren.

Extended results from today’s 4x7.5k relay are available here.

World Championships conclude tomorrow with the mass start events. Bailey and Burke will race for Team USA in the 15k race, which begins at 9am (EST). Participation in the mass start is limited to 30 competitors who start simultaneously, rather than timed intervals as in other biathlon events. The field of 30 is based on the top 15 in the current World Cup total score, and - in World Championship competition - the three sets of three medalists in the Individual, Sprint and Pursuit competitions, with the medalists of the World Championships normally wearing the start numbers from 1 to 9. Following his silver in Thursday's 20k individual, Burke will start with bib number 3, Bailey will wear number 27.

Watch the men's mass start live at www.biathlonworld.com. Tomorrow’s start list and race results will be available here.