December 02, 2010 (Östersund, Sweden) – Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen, Olympic gold medalist in the same event, claimed the win at the men’s 20km Individual race in Sweden over team mate Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in second and France’s Martin Fourcade in third.

The USA’s Tim Burke suffering from stomach parasites along with the rest of the US team lead the North Americans in 31st with four misses while team mate Leif Nordgren from Marine, MN, had a remarkable WCup debut finishing 35th with a perfect performance at the range, cleaning all twenty shots. Canada’s top finisher Jean-Philippe Le Guellec in 57th did not have the start he hoped for also missing four shots.

“Given the cold and my stomach problems I did the best I could possibly do, so I am really looking forward to the next races,” said Burke. “The further away I get from the Swedish water, the better.”

Nordgren’s great start at his first biathlon WCup put smiles on the faces of US coaches impressing everyone.  “I am incredibly impressed and so proud. Leif did an amazing job. He still had some trouble because of the water, so we told him he should just focus on the shooting because we knew he couldn’t give all on the course. That worked just perfect,” said US Biathlon High Performance Director Bernd Eisenbichler.

US Biathlon Shooting coach Armin Auchentaller was also impressed with Nordgren’s performance. “That was simply amazing. His first individual and he cleaned all targets. That really showed some mental strength,” said Auchentaller.

Canada’s Le Guellec took things in stride knowing there’s a long season ahead with his sights set on the Biathlon Worlds. “Of course this race doesn’t come close to what I’m aiming for this season. I’m focused on more top-10 finishes, and ultimately getting closer to the podium. I’m not disappointed though. The skis were fast and my shooting was alright. The goal is to peak for the World Championships so hopefully things will pick up.”

The USA’s Lowell Bailey finished 51st at 1:00:39.6, with two misses at the range. Russell Currier from Stockholm, ME placed 93rd at his first big international race after two years while Jeremy Teela did not start due to his stomach problems.

Two other Canadian men also hit the start line. Brendan Green, of Hay River, N.W.T., was 65th (1:01:47.0), while Calgary’s Nathan Smith was 88th (1:05:27.4).

Racing continues on Friday with the women’s sprint followed by the men’s sprint on Saturday and the pursuit races on Sunday.

Full results HERE.