Today's sprint races in Rybinsk were great for the U.S. team. In the men's races, Andy Newell finished tenth overall after advancing all the way to the "small final" that decides places seven through twelve; his teammate Torin Koos finished 19th, earning the valuable World Cup points available to the top thirty finishers. In the women's races, the U.S. did even better: Alaskan Kikkan Randall finished third - her first-ever podium in a World Cup race and the best-ever finish by an American female racer! The importance of this finish (and Newell's third in a sprint at the end of last season) cannot be understated, as it clearly shows that American racers can compete at the highest levels - and more importantly, that the American developmental system is working. (And I picked her to finish third, so although I was wrong about every other sprint finisher, I feel good about some of my prognostication.)
Both the men's and women's races were unexpectedly won by Italians. Arianna Follis took the women's race, unheralded Renato Pasini the men's. A strong competitor with more than a dozen top-10 finishes (and two previous podiums) in World Cup sprint and distance results, Follis jumped to within two points of idle Marit Bjørgen's lead in the women's sprint WC standings. Conversely, Pasini had never before made a World Cup podium, much less won a WC race, yet the win vaulted him into third in the men's sprint WC rankings. Tobias Angerer's savvy racing today delivered a third place in the men's final, and essential points to extend his lead over Alexander Legkov in the WC overall.
The U.S. had a good day in Slovenia, too, where biathlete Tim Burke capped a great week at Pokljuka by finishing sixth in the men's 15km mass-start event today - the best American result in elite biathlon since 2000.