OBERHOF, Germany - U.S. biathletes battled challenging conditions Friday in the IBU World Cup sprint event.
Tim Burke of Paul Smiths was the top American with his 31st-place finish, followed by Lowell Bailey of Lake Placid in 52nd and Leif Nordgren in 66th. None of the U.S. biathletes collected World Cup points.
Tarjei Boe of Norway finished first overall.
"For our athletes that race was a nightmare," said U.S. Biathlon Director Bernd Eisenbichler. "The conditions were very uneven and the race should have been stopped right from the beginning. Of course it's an outdoor sport, but still, the people in charge should make sure that every athlete has the basic conditions needed to perform and that was clearly not the case."
IBU World Cup racing continues today with the women's sprint competition. Sara Studebaker of Boise, Idaho and Laura Spector of Lenox, Mass. will represent Team USA.