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Norwegian takes gold in men's 20K biathlon
By Donna Kemp Spangler
Deseret News Olympic Specialist
SOLDIER HOLLOW — Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway erased any doubt he is the best biathlete in the world, winning his second gold medal in the sport as the men's 20-kilometer race kicked off Olympic biathlon competition Monday.
Germany's Frank Luck won his second silver medal in the long race that features four shooting rounds, seconds ahead of Victor Maigourov of Russia who took home the bronze.
The all-powerful Germans added to their Olympic medal total with Andrea Henkel winning the women's 15-kilometer individual race just seconds ahead of Liv Grete Poiree of Norway.
Although U.S. women didn't fare well, the U.S. men made history with two top-30 finishes.
Magdalena Forsberg of Sweden, the best female biathlete in the world who has never won an Olympic medal, broke her jinx by taking the bronze.
Alaksa native Jeremy Teela placed 14th, matching the best finish ever for an American in biathlon. And Teela almost didn't race Monday.
"I didn't feel so good today," Teela said. "But I decided to race to get the Olympic jitters out of the way."
The biggest American crowd contributed to a case of nerves for American women.
"I wasn't there mentally in my shooting," said Kara Salmela, who missed eight out of 20 targets and placed near the end of the pack.
But Alaskans Jay Hakkinen, with a 26th place finish, and Rachel Steer, with a 31st place finish, felt good about their races. U.S. biathlon officials are pleased as well.
"This is a super high water mark for us," said U.S. biathlon spokesman Jerry Kokesh.
It will make for an exciting race on Wednesday when the men's 10-kilometer sprint race gets under way at 11 a.m.
Bjoerndalen, who won the Olympic gold medal in the 10K in Nagano, has a chance to take home another gold.
He raced well in the men's 30K cross country race on Saturday and still had the strength to compete in the biathlon, overcoming doubts that he could hurt his chances if he splits his efforts by skiing in both sports.
E-MAIL: donna@desnews.com
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February 12, 2002
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