Extended Training in Europe

Nilsson commented, “The training this year has gone as planned. We had a big change from the previous years. We spent seven weeks in Europe in the fall. I thought it might be hard for the athletes to be away from home for this long time, but actually it worked out great. It brought up the level a whole lot. We had something that we sometimes miss in the US; the opportunity to be around, train, and race with some better athletes on a daily basis. It was great to have this opportunity over such a long period of time.”

Core Group of Four Men

As the Olympic season opens, the US is counting on strong performances from its core group of four men: Tim Burke, Jay Hakkinen, Lowell Bailey, and Jeremy Teela. This group of Olympic veterans comprises the Men’s Relay team, which Nilsson feels is one of the US strong points. “We can be competitive in the Relay with the best teams. We are as that good.  You need to have a solid team performance. We saw that in Whistler last year, which is a very fast course and the shooting becomes very important. We need to have a result like zero (penalties) plus five (spare rounds) for the whole team.”

Assistant Coach Armin Auchentaller, who moved from the Italian team this season, agrees. “We have a chance at a medal is everyone stays healthy. The relay will be very interesting. With so many good teams, it will be hard to make the top ten.”

Goal is Consistency

For the USA, shooting is the key to success, especially in the Relay. Nilsson feels the addition of Auchentaller could help cure the at times, inconsistent shooting by US biathletes. “Now with Armin working on the shooting, we have made another step forward...In the past, our shooting has been up and down too much of the time. The goal is consistency; even if you have a couple of bad races, but shoot clean more often. It all goes hand-in-hand, clean shooting and higher shooting percentages.”

If the shooting goes well, the US has more than Relay potential. Tim Burke has become a consistent performer  since Torino, where his best result was 37^th in the Sprint. He has consistently finished in the top 25 in World Cups, while garnering 7^th, 9^th, and 10^th place finishes in the World Championships in recent seasons. Burke has matured into one of the fastest skiers in World Cup Biathlon. Regarding his podium potential (in World Cups and Championships), he commented, “I am 100% confident it is going to happen. Now I am just concentrating on having my best performances. I know if I am performing at the best of my ability I will be on the podium.”

Burke and Hakkinen

Yet Burke is not the only top athlete in the US arsenal. Jay Hakkinen has been overshadowed by Burke in recent seasons but remains the top US Olympic performer with his 10^th in the Torino 20K. Hakkinen, the 1997 World Junior Sprint Champion always performs well in Olympic seasons. The two other men, Lowell Bailey and Jeremy Teela have the potential for big results. Teela took third in the Whistler 20K last season for a career best result, while Bailey had several clean-shooting days and an 18^th place finish in the Pyeongchang Mass Start.

Nilsson confirmed the progress this group of four men has made since he took over as US Coach in 2006. “We have made progress over the last three plus years . . . and are happy to see the continued progression of the athletes. You can see it in the training, the results, and the racing. We are there…many nations are there also. However, we are one of the nations that could have four men in the top ten.”

Whole Season is Important

The goal for the US Biathlon team is a medal in Vancouver, but they are not taking any other competitions lightly, according to Nilsson. “The highlight for us is the Olympic Winter Games. But in reality, today in biathlon, you have to be prepared to compete for the whole season. To get the experience before the Olympics, you need to race the whole season.”