Team Canada (l-r) Imrie, Kocher, Le Guellec, Green © Manzoni/Nordic Focus
December 18, 2011 (Hochfilzen, Austria) – Team Canada was on fire on Sunday using eight spare rounds to claim 6th overall in the Mixed 2×6+2×7.5km Team Relay only 36s off the podium at 1:14.5 behind Russia who won gold in 1:13:33.4, using five spare rounds. The Czech Republic delivered fabulous shooting on Sunday using only three spare rounds for the silver, while France took home the bronze at 38.5 behind with nine spare rounds.
For Russia’s Olga Zaitseva it was her third consecutive top podium performance in as many days as her teammates Olga Vilukhina, Alexey Volkov and Anton Shipulin delivered – both men shot clean to seal the win.
Russia's Vilukhina, Shipulin and Volkov celebrate. © Nordic Focus
Competitors were blessed with stellar conditions, a welcome change considering the snow and wind during Saturday’s Pursuit. Canada’s Megan Imrie, Zina Kocher, Brendan Green and Jean-Philippe Le Guellec put together a great day of skiing and shooting, building on some recent personal bests such as Imrie’s career-best 24th place finish in the Pursuit.
“The team has been fantastic this entire tour. We are very supportive of each other, and everyone’s made big gains,” said Megan Imrie in Biathlon Canada release. “The coaching staff has been their usual outstanding supportive selves, and our wax techs are the best on the planet. We have worked very hard as a team and we know it’s going only going to get better!”
Team USA (l-r) Burke, Cook (USA) and Green, Kocher (CAN) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
Team USA finished 14th place using 10 spare rounds as Sara Studebaker, Annalies Cook, Tim Burke and Leif Nordgren posting a time of 1:16:11.5 at 2:38.1 behind Russia.
A total of 26 teams started but many teams did not field their best athletes so it was a chance for some lesser-known athletes to strut their stuff.
Full results HERE.
- Team Canada (l-r) Imrie, Kocher, Le Guellec, Green © Manzoni/Nordic Focus
- Russia's Vilukhina, Shipulin and Volkov celebrate. © Nordic Focus
- Team USA (l-r) Burke, Cook (USA) and Green, Kocher (CAN) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Sara Studebaker (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Kaisa Maekaeraeinen (FIN) © Nordic Focus
- Henkel, Vitkova, Kuzmina and Schrempf…© Nordic Focus
- Tim Burke (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Team France © Nordic Focus
- Tim Burke (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Team Russia (l-r) Volkov, Vilukhina, Shipulin (Zaitseva missing) © Nordic Focus
- Czech Team all smiles… © Nordic Focus
- Sara Studebaker (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Alexey Volkov (RUS) © Nordic Focus
- Olga Vilukhina (RUS) © Nordic Focus
- Annalies Cook (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Tim Burke (USA) © US Biathlon/NordicFocus
- Team Canada all smiles © Manzoni/Nordic Focus