Debut of U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team

Biathlon World Cup: Ruhpolding

Wed, Jan  13, 2010 - By US Biathlon Team

RUHPOLDING, Germany - Biathlon World Cup racing resumes this week as the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team will make it’s competition debut at the “Super Bowl of Biathlon” World Cup competition in Ruhpolding. U.S. biathlete Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) returns to this week’s competition wearing the yellow bib as the Overall IBU World Cup leader following another historic 2nd place win in the Mass Start event at last week’s World Cup in Oberhof.

Ruhpolding is the second of three final World Cups stops before the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. The U.S. men’s team will consist of Burke, two-time Olympian Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), three-time Olympian Jay Hakkinen (Kasilof, Alaska), Olympic rookie Wynn Roberts (Battle Creek, MN) and two-time Olympian Jeremy Teela (Heber City, UT). The women’s team includes 2006 Olympian Lanny Barnes (Durango, CO), and Olympic newcomers Haley Johnson (Lake Placid, NY), Laura Spector (Lenox, MA) and Sara Studebaker (Boise, ID).

"Ruhpolding is really a special place for biathlon," said US Biathlon chief Max Cobb. "The fans are so close to the range and they cheer for every hit and then there is a moment of near silence before the next shot - you can literally hear it from a mile away.  The popularity that biathlon has achieved today was born in Ruhpolding in the early 1990s.  The community there has done so much for the sport."

Look for some exciting competition as Burke continues to defend his overall title over Evgeny Ustyugov (RUS) who trails Burke by just three points in overall World Cup standings. The U.S. men’s and women’s relay teams will also offer an exciting preview of what’s to come on the Whistler Olympic Park course next month.

Watch World Cup racing from Ruhpolding live online at http://tiny.cc/u96nv. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/ybwmpud for a complete list of race results.

IBU World Cup Schedule - Ruhpolding, Germany (all times EST):

DATE      START           DISTANCE        DISCIPLINE          CATEGORY
1/13    11:20 a.m.      7.5 km                Sprint                  Women
1/14    11:20 a.m.      10km                  Sprint                  Men
1/15    11:20 a.m.      4 x 6 km              Relay                   Women
1/16      9:15 a.m.      15 km                 Mass Start          Men
1/16    11:10 a.m.      12.5 km               Mass Start          Women
1/17      9:15 a.m.      4 x 7.5 km           Relay                   Men