Category Archives: Biathlon

Basketball, Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup, FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Freestyle Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, The Melting Pot, World Championships

The Melting Pot: Lowell Bailey 3rd at Biathlon World Cup in Sprint Event, Jessica Jerome 8th at Ski Jumping World Cup

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Biathlon World Cup – Kontiolahti, Finland

The Biathlon World Cup held some great results for the US on Saturday. Lowell Bailey was the main noisemaker as he was perfect in shooting in the men’s 10km sprint and finished with the bronze! He was only a second back of grabbing the silver. Tim Burke was also strong as he finished 19th, 1:10 back, while Leif Nordgren was 27th, 1:23 back. All three will now be in the men’s 12.5 km pursuit on Sunday with a real chance for another medal as they will all be starting near the front.

In the women’s 7.5km sprint Susan Dunklee was 21 spots better than on Thursday as she finished eighth, within 36 seconds of the winner and 24 seconds of the bronze. Hannah Dreissigacker was 41st with Sara Studebaker in 58th and Annelies Cook in 76th. Dunklee, Dreissigacker, and Studebaker will all be in the women’s 10km pursuit on Sunday with Dunklee in good position to challenge for a medal.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 4:45 AM ET – Men’s 12.5km Pursuit
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Tim Burke
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 6:15 AM ET – Women’s 10km Pursuit
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Annelies Cook
      • Sara Studebaker

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The final team event of the season was supposed to be held at the Nordic Combined World Cup today but plans changed and instead of the team event the individual event was held today with the team event pushed until Sunday. It was no matter for Taylor Fletcher and Bryan Fletcher as they both knew they would be in action today either way. Taylor Fletcher had the better day of the two with a 24th best jump leaving him 54 seconds back and then a 12th best cross-country time that gave him an 11th place finish for the day, one minute behind the winner. Bryan Fletcher was 44th in the ski jumping and a 17th best cross-country time meant he finished 28th overall.

The team event tomorrow will feature both Taylor and Bryan along with Nick Hendrickson and Brett Denney representing the US.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
      • Taylor Fletcher
      • Brett Denney
      • Nick Hendrickson
      • Bryan Fletcher
    • 11:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

Freestyle Skiing World Cup – Ski Cross – Are, Sweden

The first of two ski cross events to wrap up the year were held on Saturday. John Teller and Joe Swensson were competing for the US with both advancing from qualifying. Teller kept up the momentum by winning his 1/8 final while Swensson finished last in his heat and was eliminated. Teller won his quarterfinal as well but finished last in the semifinals to end up in the small final. A second place finish in the small final gave him a final finish of sixth place.

The two will try to improve on their Saturday results when the second event is held on Sunday to wrap up the season.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 7 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Qualifying
      • John Teller
      • Joe Swensson
    • 9:20 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Round of 32
    • 9:52 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Quarterfinals
    • 10:12 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Semifinals
    • 10:29 AM ET – Men’s Ski Cross Final

2014 FIBA World Championship for Women Draw – Turkey

The draw was held today for this year’s FIBA World Championship for Women. The tournament will be held from September 27th through the 5th of October in Turkey. The US was drawn into Group D with Serbia, China, and Angola. The US is currently ranked #1 in the world with China 8th, Angola 20th and Serbia 29th. The US won the event in 2010 with only Australia coming within single digits of the US in nine games played. Serbia and Angola were not part of the event in 2010 with China going 0-3 in the group stage before two wins placed them 13th.

The US will start things off with China on September 27th with Serbia to follow the next day and Angola on the 30th. The top team in the group gets a bye into the quarterfinals while the next two teams will be in the first elimination round. The US is on the same side of the bracket with Australia and assuming both won their groups and quarterfinal games they would meet in the semifinals on October 4th.

Schedule:

  • September 27th – USA vs. China – Group D – TBD
  • September 28th – USA vs. Serbia – Group D – TBD
  • September 30th – USA vs. Angola – Group D – TBD

Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup – Falun, Sweden

Jessica Jerome is the only one representing the US this weekend at the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup and she had a strong day on Saturday. Jerome had a 7th best first jump score of 100.8 and followed it up with a 12th best second jump score of 100.7 as she totaled 201.5 to finish eighth in the overall standings. She’ll compete again on Sunday in what will be the second to last event of the year.

Schedule:

  • March 16th
    • 5 AM ET – First Round/Final Round (Separate Event)
      • Jessica Jerome
Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup, FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup, FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, FIS Ski Flying World Championships, FIS Snowboard World Cup, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot: Americans Winning Medals in Alpine Skiing World Cup, Qualifying Well at Snowboard World Cup

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Biathlon World Cup – Kontiolahti, Finland

The Biathlon World Cup had a men’s 10km sprint race and a women’s 7.5km sprint race on Thursday. The top American man in the 10km sprint was Lowell Bailey who finished 29th, 1:29.1 behind the winner. Tim Burke was 35th in the event, 1:32.3 back, while Leif Nordgren was 55th, 2:21.5 back.

In the women’s 7.5km sprint Hannah Dreissigacker and Susan Dunklee went 28th-29th with Dreissigacker about four seconds ahead. Dunklee was 29th and within 1:39 of the winner despite missing four targets. Annelies Cook finished 75th with Sara Studebaker in 80th.

The same athletes who competed on Thursday will compete in another set of sprint races on Saturday. Same distances, 10km for the men and 7.5km for the women, and a chance to rebound quickly from any disappointment on Thursday.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6:15 AM ET – Men’s 10km Sprint
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Tim Burke
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 8:45 AM ET – Women’s 7.5km Sprint
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Annelies Cook
      • Sara Studebaker

Ski Flying World Championships – Harrachov, Czech Republic

The US stay at the Ski Flying World Championships was not a long one. Anders Johnson finished 33rd and Nicholas Fairall 38th in the qualifying round where only the top 30 moved on. Johnson scored a 109.8 which was still well behind the 30th place score of 129.3. Fairall scored a 73.2.

Attention will turn back to the Ski Jumping World Cup where the final stop is set for Planica, Slovakia starting next Thursday. There will be two individual men’s events and a team event in Planica.

Alpine Skiing World Cup – Lenzerheide, Switzerland

The Alpine Skiing World Cup is at its final stop in Lenzerheide, Switzerland and the action has been going on for several days. The downhill events were held on Wednesday and the US grabbed a medal as Ted Lilly finished in a tie for second in the men’s downhill, just 11 hundredths of a second behind the winner. Travis Ganong followed with a strong sixth, 0.52 seconds back and Bode Miller was eighth, 0.62 seconds back. In the women’s downhill Julia Mancuso finished 10th, 1.34 seconds back, while Stacey Cook was 18th and nearly three seconds behind the winner.

The US medaled again on Thursday when the super-g events were held. It came on the men’s side as Bode Miller finished third, 0.57 seconds back. Ted Ligety did well again with a fifth place finish, 1.09 seconds back, while Travis Ganong was ninth and Andrew Weibrecht took a DNF. There were three US women in the women’s super-g and they all finished in a narrow window. Julia Mancuso led the way in tenth, 2.2 seconds back, with Stacey Cook two tenths of a second behind her in 11th and Leanne Smith about a second back in 14th.

Friday was the team event with the US represented by Julia Mancuso, David Chodounsky, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Tim Jitloff. The event involves a series of four head-to-head races between two countries with the team that wins more of the races advancing. Every matchup in the event ended tied two-to-two and went to the tiebreaker of the fastest combined time of the best men’s run and best women’s run in that series. The US won the first two tiebreakers against France (by 1.02 seconds) and against Austria (by 0.39 seconds) to advance to the final. In the final they lost to Switzerland by 0.14 seconds.

Saturday will be the men’s giant slalom and the women’s slalom events. I’ll have an update on who will start those events for the US later on Friday.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 3 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 1
    • 4 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1
    • 5:30 AM ET – Women’s Slalom Run 2
    • 6:30 AM ET – Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2

Nordic Combined World Cup – Falun, Sweden

The Nordic Combined World Cup is at the final stop in Falun, Sweden and set to host a team and an individual event there this weekend. Friday was the provisional competition round with four American vying for spots in the main event. Two of them made it: Taylor Fletcher in 24th and Bryan Fletcher in 44th. Brett Denney came oh so close with a 51st place finish and missed out on the 50th spot by 0.4 points. Nick Hendrickson was further off the pace in 62nd and missed out by 7.6 points.

There aren’t any details on which teams will compete on Saturday yet but I would assume the US will be represented. I’ll have a further update on that later in the day.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 6 AM ET – Team Ski Jumping Round
    • 10:45 AM ET – Team 4x5km Cross-Country Round

Snowboard World Cup – La Molina, Spain

The Snowboard World Cup is at the final stop in Lo Molina, Spain where a snowboard cross competition in underway. In the qualifying runs on Friday American Lindsey Jacobellis was the fastest and will have the #1 seed for the knockout rounds tomorrow. In the men’s event Mick Dierdorff was fourth, Nick Baumgartner tenth, Hagen Kearney 12th, and Jonathan Cheever 15th as they all qualified after the first run. Ross Andrews was the only other American in the field and he failed to qualify after finishing 40th.

Schedule:

  • March 15th
    • 5:30 AM ET – Men’s Finals
      • Nick Baumgartner
      • Jonathan Cheever
      • Hagen Kearney
      • Mick Dierdorff
    • 5:30 AM ET – Women’s Finals
      • Lindsey Jacobellis
Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup

Strong Day for Tim Burke With 7th Place Finish in Men’s Mass Start at Biathlon World Cup in Pokljuka

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Previous Pokljuka – Biathlon World Cup Coverage

The biathlon just keeps getting better and better for the Americans lately. Tim Burke upped the ante again with a fantastic seventh place finish in the men’s 15km mass start. Burke might have been a medal winner but two misses on the final round of shooting left him with too much time to make up though he still finished within a minute of the winner. Lowell Bailey had a strong round as well but three misses on the third round, part of four overall, left him 20th overall with 2:10.9 separating him and the winner.

Pokljuka - Mens Mass Start

The really good news for the Americans is that this is just the first of three straight weekends with Biathlon World Cup action. Next weekend the action moves to Kontiolahti with sprint events on Thursday and Saturday and a pursuit event on Sunday.

Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup

Lowell Bailey Leads Way with 10th Place Finish in Men’s Pursuit at Biathlon World Cup in Pokljuka

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Previous Pokljuka – Biathlon World Cup Coverage

The US continued to find success in the biathlon, especially on the men’s side, with two men placing in the top 13 in the men’s pursuit on Saturday. Lowell Bailey led the way with a 10th place finish after missing three targets and finishing 1:20.5 behind the winner. He was just seven seconds ahead of Tim Burke who also missed three targets. Both Bailey and Burke will be in the mass start event on Sunday. Leif Nordgren missed just two targets but started 2:42 behind the first competitor to start so he was going to finish pretty far down the list and ended up 31st, 3:55.1 behind.

Pokljuka - Mens Pursuit

Things didn’t go as well on the women’s side where both Susan Dunklee and Sara Studebaker were already stuck starting about two minutes behind. Dunklee missed two targets in both the third and fourth round and finished 20th, 3:27.5 behind the winner. Studebaker was a cleaner shooter, missing three targets, but she wasn’t as quick as she finished over a minute behind Dunklee in 37th. Neither of them will compete in the women’s mass start on Sunday.

Pokljuka - Womens Pursuit

WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the men’s mass start results on Sunday evening. The women will be back in action at the next Biathlon World Cup stop in Kontiolahti starting on Thursday.

Schedule:

  • March 9th
    • 6:15 AM – Men’s 15km Mass Start
      • Tim Burke
      • Lowell Bailey
Biathlon, Olympics, Recaps, Sochi 2014

Sochi 2014 Biathlon Recap: US With Best Ever Finish in Five of Ten Events, Appear Closer and Closer to Medaling

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It may seem a little surprising that the biathlon is an event the US has never ever had any success in. It seems at the surface like such a simple concept, skiing and shooting, but the amount of conditioning necessary to ski quick enough to be a top biathlon athlete is not simple. And to be able to then calm yourself down in a matter of seconds for a round of shooting is quite incredible. It’s a sport that has eluded the US for decades but might finally be on the verge of becoming a discipline where the US could medal.

The US had the best ever finish in five of the ten events contested in Sochi including the best ever finish any event by an individual man (Lowell Bailey) and woman (Susan Dunklee). The US has still never medaled but it feels closer and closer to happening.

Men’s Sprint

Mens Sprint

Tim Burke led the way for the US in the men’s sprint finishing 19th. He led a group of three Americans in the top 50 and his 19th place finish was only the third time since 1980 that the US had a finisher in the top 20. It was down from Jeremy Teela’s ninth place finish in 2010.

Mens Sprint Yearly Best

Women’s Sprint

Womens Sprint

On the women’s side in the sprint Susan Dunklee finished a solid 14th, the best ever finish by a woman in the event for the US. Sara Studebaker made it two US women that finished ahead of their best finisher from 2010 when she improved on her 45th place finish by one spot.

Womens Sprint Yearly Best

Continue reading Sochi 2014 Biathlon Recap: US With Best Ever Finish in Five of Ten Events, Appear Closer and Closer to Medaling →

Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup

Lowell Bailey in 12th and Tim Burke in 16th The Top Americans in Sprint Events at Biathlon World Cup in Pokljuka

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Previous Biathlon World Cup Coverage

There hadn’t been any Biathlon World Cup action since the Olympics until Thursday. Things got back underway with the men’s and women’s sprint events and at least for this day the US men looked like the stronger side.

Pokljuka - Mens Sprint

The men’s 10km was a strong event for the US Thursday with both Lowell Bailey and Tim Burke placing in the top 16 after each missing just a single shot. They were joined by Leif Nordgren in 42nd giving the US three competitors in the men’s pursuit on Saturday.

Pokljuka - Womens Sprint

In the women’s sprint there weren’t any top 30 Americans but Sara Studebaker (35th) and Susan Dunklee (38th) were able to qualify for the pursuit event on Saturday. Dunklee missed four targets on her final round of shooting or she would have had a much better finish. The same is true of Annelies Cook who might have qualified for the pursuit but four missed targets doomed her and she was 1:20 behind the final qualifier.

No biathlon events on Friday but they will resume on Saturday with the pursuit events. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results on Saturday afternoon.

Schedule:

  • March 8th
    • 5:15 AM – Men’s 12.5 km Pursuit
      • Tim Burke
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Leif Nordgren
    • 7:25 AM – Women’s 10km Pursuit
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Sara Studebaker
Biathlon, Biathlon World Cup

Eight US Athletes to Compete in Pokljuka, First Biathlon World Cup Event Since Sochi

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The Biathlon World Cup gets back underway on Thursday with the first of three events left on the schedule. The sprint competitions (10km for men and 7.5km for women) start things off and the eight Americans representing the US in Pokljuka are the same eight who competed for the US in most of the events in Sochi. On the men’s side Tim Burke (19th) and Lowell Bailey (35th) both finished in the top 40 in Sochi. They are joined in the field by Leif Nordgren and Russell Currier. On the women’s side Susan Dunklee finished 14th in Sochi while other three women (Annelies Cook, Hannah Dreissigacker, Sara Studebaker) all finished outside the top 40.

The sprint events are used to set the field for the pursuit events on Saturday so the event is of double importance. WeSupportTheUS.com will have coverage of the results of the sprint events on Thursday evening.

Schedule:

  • March 6th
    • 6:30 AM – Men’s 10km Sprint
      • Tim Burke
      • Lowell Bailey
      • Leif Nordgren
      • Russell Currier
    • 9:30 AM – Women’s 7.5km Sprint
      • Annelies Cook
      • Hannah Dreissigacker
      • Susan Dunklee
      • Sara Studebaker
Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Olympic Reviews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 22nd – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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On Monday the US grabbed their first gold since Thursday and had a couple of historic firsts. Several events got canceled due to the weather and the US hockey team won a medal, we just won’t know which one until Thursday.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Men’s Slalom Run 1
  • *Men’s Slalom Run 2

Ted Ligety was the first to go for the US in the first run and his 47.56 placed him sixth and left him in medal contention for round two. David Chodounsky was the next to go for the US but he took a DNF. The final American was Nolan Kasper who finished in 48.70 to find himself 18th after the first run.

In run two Kasper finished in 55.52, the tenth best time of the run, and his total time of 1:44.22 placed him 13th overall. Ligety had a good chance to medal but his hopes were dashed when he got off track and took a DNF.

Results Summarized:

  • David Chodounsky – Received a DNF on his first run.
  • Ted Ligety – Received a DNF on his second run. On his first run he finished in 47.56, 6th fastest, and 0.86 seconds behind the leader.
  • Nolan Kasper – Finished 13th overall in 1:44.22, 2.38 seconds behind the winner. On second run he was 10th best with a 55.52, 1.58 seconds behind the leader. On his first run he finished in 48.70, 18th fastest, and 2.00 seconds behind the leader.

Continue reading February 22nd – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 22nd – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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What’s on tap today? Seven disciplines but competition in eight events with six gold medals up for grabs.

In today: Bobsleigh and snowboarding. Out today: Short Track (done in Sochi).

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: Three American men are in the field of 117 for the slalom at 7:45 AM. Ted Ligety goes first for the US, 16th overall with David Chodounsky going 20th. The final American is Nolan Kasper who goes 31st. The field will have a second run at 11:15 AM.

When:

  • Men’s Slalom Run 1 – 7:45 AM
  • *Men’s Slalom Run 2 – 11:15 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 8-11:05 PM ET.

Continue reading February 22nd – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview →

Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Daily Olympic Reviews, Ice Hockey, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Five days. Five gold medals. It’s been an amazing week for the US in Sochi.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Slalom Run 1
  • *Women’s Slalom Run 2

In the women’s slalom first run Mikaela Shiffrin went sixth overall and put up a mark that would stand with a 52.62. She held a 0.49 second lead after the first run. Resi Stiegler finished in 56.81, 4.19 off the lead in 20th. Megan McJames was unable to complete the run and received a DNF. Julia Ford went 58.88, 6.26 off the lead and in 30th.

In run two Ford finished in 53.99, 24th best. She ended up 24th overall with a time of 1:52.87, 8.33 seconds behind the winner. Stiegler straddled a gate near the end of her run and took a DNF. Finally Shiffrin went last in the run and had a big lead on the top time at that point. She made a major mistake in the middle of her run but recovered to still have the sixth best time with a 51.92 in the run. Her overall time of 1:44.54 was the best by 0.53 seconds as she won a gold medal.

Results Summarized:

  • Megan McJames – Was unable to finish the first run and received a DNF.
  • Resi Stiegler – In the second run she straddled a gate and took a DNF. Finished the first run in 56.81, 20th place.
  • Julia Ford – Placed 24th with a total time of 1:52.87. In the second run she finished in 53.99, 24th best. Finished the first run in 58.88, 30th place.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin – Placed 1st with a total time of 1:44.54. In the second run she finished in 51.92, 6th best. Finished the first run in 52.62, 1st place.

Continue reading February 21st – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review →