January 20, 2013 (Antholz-Anterselva ITA) – Good snow conditions and a light wind greeted the best biathletes in the world on Sunday in Antholz, Italy for the men’s 4×7.5 km and Women’s 4x6km Relays.

When the dust settled on the women’s side it was Germany that came away victorious with a time of 1:13:02.1 with Russia claiming second in 1:13:19.5 with France rounding out the podium in third with a time of 1:13:43.0.

Team USA posted a season-best 10th place finish with a time of 1:17:45.2. The squad included Annelies Cook, Susan Dunklee, Sara Studebaker, and Hannah Dreissigacker.  Studebaker led with an outstanding performance, shooting 10 for 10 on the range and skiing strong.

“Today was a solid day for me,” said Studebaker. “I was really happy to end the trimester on a good note. I had some good people to ski around and it definitely felt nice to shoot so well. I think today was really indicative of our team’s potential – we had our best team result of the year with some less-than-perfect legs, so we’re all excited to see what we can do when we all put together good days. It definitely gives us momentum going into World Champs!”

The Canada’s women’s relay team placed just behind the Americans in 11th position. The foursome of Zina Kocher, Rosanna Crawford, Megan Heinicke, and Audrey Vaillancourt clocked a time of 1:18:24.8.

“Today was another sub-par relay for us. We know we have lots of potential, but to have all four of us have a good race on the same day has been tough,” said Rosanna Crawford.  “This range seems to be proving trouble for a lot of the athletes. It may be the altitude. Personally I’m not feeling so good on my skis right now, but hoping to find that speed again before World Championships roll around.”

Kocher agrees that the altitude plays a factor. “Antholz can be a tricky world cup with the altitude, affecting both the skiing and shooting. And it definitely was a factor for all of us today,” Kocher told SkiTrax. “Our rookie Audrey, had a solid clean day on the range (no spares) but then I did not follow her lead – as I had two penalty laps in prone. The wind can be difficult here, and I made a technical error, not correcting enough to the left into the wind. Still of my shots felt great, and they were – all but two.”

In the Men’s Relay it was France that proved to be the strongest winning with a time of 1:13:26.0 with Russia in second at 1:13:36.1, while Austria snagged the bronze with a time of 1:14:44.5.  Team USA comprised of Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke, Russell Currier, and Leif Nordgren finished 12th with a time of 1:16:47.3 (0+4+2+9). Bailey had a great lead off leg and tagged off in 6th place, but Currier also had a very impressive leg, using two extra rounds in prone and cleaned the targets during the standing session in just five shots.

“The race was up and down today,” said Bailey in a team release. “I felt good on the skis and the race was going well until standing when I missed three with my clip. You never want to give yourself three shots to hit the last three targets but that was the case today. I was able to hit all of the remaining targets and get out on the course within contact of the leaders. I was happy with the last lap and felt strong through the finish.”

Canada’s men’s squad of Scott Gow, Nathan Smith, Jean-Philippe Le Guellec, and Scott Perras, struggled today and finished 16th clocking a time of 1:19:08.6. Athletes now turn their attention away from the World Cup series to the World Champions in Nove Mesto, CZE that opens with the mixed relay on February 7th.

Women’s Relay results here:

Men’s Relay results here: