A 3rd in Östersund! Podium next for Burke?
Biathlon World Cup: Östersund
Sat, Dec 5, 2009 - By Viktoria Franke
He might only have slept one hour after his 2nd place on Wednesday but Tim Burke proved once again in today's sprint competition that he can focus on his game the second it counts. As one of the first starters he set the time to beat after two clean shooting stages. Only the strong Norwegian men could beat him. Record-Winner Ole Einar Bjoerndalen hit all targets and showed an extraterrestrial skiing performance, finishing ahead of the winner of the individual, team mate Emil Hegle Svendsen. Burke was back 37.2 seconds in the end.
Tim Burke After the Competition
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High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler was even more satisfied with today's result than with the one on Thursday. "We knew within the team that Tim was able to repeat his result. But now everyone knows that the second place wasn't just a coincidence! I am really proud of him because he managed to handle all the stress with the press conferences and inquiries that followed after the individual and still came back as strong as before. He stayed focused and he made us enormously proud! Actually the thanks goes out to the whole team of technicians and physio and everyone who is involved. They made those results possible!"
For the rest of the team Tim's results continue to be a big motivation. Jay Hakkinen who finished 43rd with two penalties, was inspired by his teammate's result: "Tim lifts us up somehow. When I see that result I know that everything is possible. I might not be completely satisfied with my own result right now because I guess I need some more racing to really get into the game, but seeing Tim scoring those results makes it easier. It's a good thing for the whole team and for me it's the motivation to work even harder on the small missing details."
(Tomorrow's relay: Lowell Bailey - Jay Hakkinen - Tim Burke - Jeremy Teela)
See what Shooting Coach Armin Auchentaller has to say about Tim's clean shooting
Women learned from experiences in Sweden
After there first two competitions of the season the US women also have plenty of reasons to be proud of themselves. With the fifth fastest shooting time and place 64 Lanny Barnes proved today that she found a new confidence on the shooting range. “Of course I am sad that I missed that one target but I felt quite good on the range anyhow. The only thing I still have to improve is my skiing. But for me it always takes some time to get faster. The more competitions I raced the better I get!” A statement that should give new motivation for the races still to come. An even bigger motivation though seem to be Burke’s results. “I think the whole team get’s inspired by his results. His success helps us to be more successful as well!”
For Sara Studebaker and Haley Johnson it seems to be the other way round. Both of them showed some good results on the track with skiing times among the best 60 of the world. “After the race on Wednesday I was a bit calmer today”, stated Studebaker after her 59th place in today’s sprint competition. “I was mad at myself for not hitting all targets. I had good conditions on the range but still didn’t manage to use my chance. But anyway, it was a great experience and I think it will give me more confidence for the next stages.” Johnson is still struggling with her shooting but in the meantime also looking forward for the next chances to prove her current form. “I still have to get in the competition mode. It always takes me some time but I am feeling more confident with every race I skied.”
See complete results here:
| 05.12. | 7.5 km | Sprint Women |
Start List / Results |
| 05.12. | 10 km | Sprint Men |
Start List / Results |