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Feb. 13, 2009 Summary: Pyeongchang, Korea February 13. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) leads the US Biathlon Team going into this weekend’s opening competitions at the Biathlon World Championships here. After a tough early season, hindered by lingering sinus problems, Tim Burke is back chasing the elite of the biathlon world. In the final World Cup (Antholz, Italy) prior to these Championships, Burke finished 15th in the Sprint and 11th in the Pursuit. At the time, US Biathlon Development Coach James Upham, “Tim is back. This is a course that suits him very well and that showed today. He is skiing very fast again (with the sixth fastest course time).” Burke finished 9th and 10th in those two competitions at last year’s World Championships in Ostersund, Sweden. Burke wants to better those results, with a spot on the podium in 2009. However, this is a new year and a new location, in Asia, specifically northeast Korea. Conditions here are not quite like Ostersund where it was bitterly cold with plenty of natural snow. Temperatures this week in Pyeongchang have been well above freezing every day, which has seriously affected the tracks covered with minimal amounts of artificial snow. Brown grass comes directly up to the tracks and in several spots. On Thursday, with temperatures in the mid-forties, the US coaching staff all agreed that the conditions were “on the edge.” The situation deteriorated on Friday with temperature over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, strong winds, and heavy rain. The other men on the US Team are Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, AK), Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK), and Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME). Hakkinen had a good early season and has maintained a spot in the top 30 Overall World Cup standings. Like Burke, he could challenge for top 15 or better results here. Likewise, Bailey had a strong start with his second best ever result in the Individual competition in Ostersund, Sweden. As Burke’s training partner and good friend, he hopes to match his upstate New York teammate in some of the competitions here. Bailey is the leadoff leg on the US Relay team that is looking for a podium finish. Last month in Ruhpolding, the quartet, which also includes Teela as anchor posted the best US relay result in 20 years with a fifth place finish. The US women are hoping not for podium results but to make the Pursuit and help the team climb up the Nations Cup standings, where they currently rank 19th compared to the men’s 11th. The team comprised of Lanny and Tracy Barnes (Durango, CO), Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY), Laura Spector (Lenox, MA), and Carolyn Treacy Bramante (Duluth, MN) all have Championship experience. The Barnes sisters and Bramante were Olympians in 2006, while Johnson and Spector were on last year’s World Championships team. Johnson has shown flashes of brilliance with some very fast ski times so far this year, but has struggled at times on the shooting range. The Barnes sisters are shooting close to their “normal” 90% level, which will help them. Spector as a first year senior level athlete, and like Johnson, is a fast skier who can be very competitive when she has confidence on the shooting range. Bramante, who is in medical school, took last season off and made this team with several outstanding shooting performances in IBU Cup competitions last month. The results at these World Championships are important for every team here. The combined results from last year’s World Championships and this year will determine how many starts each nation has in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The US hopes to earn the maximum four start positions and a relay team fro both men and women. With Burke leading the team, the outlook is good for the US. This afternoon, Coach Per Nilsson summed it up, “Tim is in super shape.” It should be an interesting week, from both weather and a competition standpoint. The Sprint competitions on Saturday February 14 are scheduled for 4:45 PM local time (3:45 AM EST), Women’s 7.5K, and 7:15 PM local time (5:15 AM EST), Men’s 10K. On Sunday, February 15, the Women’s 10K Pursuit is at 5 PM local time (3 AM EST) and 7:15 PM (5:15 EST) for the Men’s 12.5K Pursuit. All of the competitions here are scheduled late afternoon/evening under the lights, to accommodate live television coverage in central Europe. Watch live results and streaming video of the World Championships and all World Cup competitions at www.biathlonworld.com. The US Biathlon website has an RSS feed, available by clicking the RSS logo on our homepage to get the address and all of the latest biathlon news. The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States. TD Banknorth is the title sponsor of the US Biathlon Team. adidas®, Stewart Filmscreen®, Lapua, and Exel Ski Poles are supporting sponsors of the US Biathlon Team. |