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Sunday morning, U.S. Biathlete Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) made U.S. Biathlon history taking the coveted Yellow Bib as the Overall leader in the International Biathlon Union's (IBU) World Cup standings by placing 6th in the World Cup 12.5km Pursuit in Pokljuka, Slovenia. History has been repeating for Burke this season as he began the World Cup season with two podium finishes - silver in the 20km Individual competition (tying the best World Cup finish ever for a U.S. biathlete), and bronze in the 10k Sprint in Östersund, Sweden.
"Tim Burke taking the yellow bib today places him in the Royal Family of Biathlon," said USBA Executive Director Max Cobb. "He is the best American Biathlete ever!"
After the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Swedish Coach Per Nilsson took the reins of the U.S. Biathlon Team, bringing a new vision and the exemplary coaching skills needed to take Team USA to the podium. Under his guidance, the U.S. men have posted their best results since 1992. Nilsson guided Burke to two record-breaking seasons, including a 7th place at the worlds in 2007, 12 top-15 finishes in World Cups and six top-15 finishes in the Biathlon World Championships. In March 2008, Burke became the first U.S. biathlete to record the fastest scratch time in an international biathlon competition when he finished seventh in the Pursuit at the World Cup in Oslo, Norway. Most recently, Burke achieved two historic podium finishes (Silver in the 20km Individual and Bronze in the at the 2009 World Cup opener.
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