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Biathlon in the US
Tim, how popular is biathlon in the USA?
It's not nearly as popular as it is here in Europe. But the popularity is growing, especially as the US team is continuing to do better.

The USA has such good facilities for biathlon and so many people. Why are there not more biathletes on a high level? The XC-skiers are also one of the best in sprint this year! Is that possible for biathletes, too?
In the US, biathlon is a relatively small sport. To recruit athletes for biathlon is difficult because you compete with so many other sports, like hockey, football and basketball. They draw all of the younger athletes.

The current season
First of all, congratulations on your season so far. What is the reason that you have improved your results?
Thank you Einar. There are a few reasons. First of all, we have 2 new national team coaches, Per Nilsson and Mikael L?fgren. I've also been completely healthy this year, so that I've been able to put in more training than before.

Is it important to have a former top-biathlete as coach?
I don't think it's necessary, but it helps. For me, knowing that Mikael has been at the top of the world in biathlon makes it really special that he's giving me pointers.

Tim, are you coming to Khanty-Mansiysk in March to take part in the World Cup?
Yes, I'm coming to Khanty-Mansiysk.

Tim, what do you think about your position in the Total World Cup? May be it is a surprise for you?
T_Burke> I'm obviously really happy with my overall ranking. It's a bit of a surprise, but I always thought that I was capable of getting there.

What do your team colleagues say about your very good results?
Everyone on the team is really supportive. We're all close friends and we're all happy for each other.

Tim, in the last season (Olympic season) we saw Jay Hakkinen a lot. But now we can see you, and don't see Jay. Why? Sorry for bad English.
Jay is always capable of being in the top ten. The season is far from over, and I'm sure we'll see good results from Jay towards the end of the season.

The World Championships
Tim, what was your main goal for the WCH?
I really wanted another top ten finish, but more important to me than a specific place was that I wanted to have one of my best performances of the season here.

Did you have a party last night?
No, no real party. We had dinner with the team. Everyone was pretty tired, including the coaches. But hopefully we'll have that later on.

Will you run the Mixed Relay?
No, I won't compete in the Mixed Relay. Jeremy and Lowell will race for the guys, and the Barnes sisters for the girls.

The USA now has quite a good team. What happened in the last years and what can the relay team do on Saturday?
I think we have a very good chance of doing well if we can limit our extra rounds. We have a good skiing team and we can do well if we keep the spare rounds to a minimum.

Who is your roommate during the WCh?
I'm rooming with Jeremy and Lowell here in Antholz.

Biathlon personal
Who introduced you to the biathlon-sport? Did you get to know about it in school sport?
Growing up in lake placid, they still have all the Olympic venues up and running and they have good programs for kids. I always did cross country when I was little and when I saw biathlon I knew it was something I wanted to try.

What was your motivation to become a biathlete?
I love to compete, and I love the training. The things I do for training are things I'd do on my own if I wasn't a biathlete.

I read somewhere that you really stress specificity in your training...what is your off-season training like?
In the off-season, I try to stay as ski specific as possible, but I also enjoy other activities, especially cycling, both on the road and mountain biking.
Tim, where do you train mostly? USA or Europe??
I mostly train in Lake Placid, New York

What kind of biathlon race do you prefer?
My favourite is the Mass Start. I really enjoy being in the mass start this year - and you're guaranteed to score world cup points

How do you stay calm while shooting?
Shooting just starts to become natural because you do it so much every day. I just try to do the same in the race that I do in practice.

Do you have any closer friends among the athletes?
I'm friendly with a lot of biathletes, especially with the Canadians, because we see them a lot.

OWG 2010 Vancouver: What are you aiming for and is it even possible to win a medal?
Yes, that's a definite goal of mine and I do think it's possible.

Who are your idols in biathlon?
Of course I'm always impressed with Bjoerndalen, his consistency at the top. That's something I look up to.

If you could choose 3 biathletes from all-time to go on relay with them, who would you choose? And why?
My dream team: my coach Mikael, because he's an incredible shooter, 2nd I'd chose Ricco Gross, because he always performs amazingly under high pressure. And of course Bjoerndalen because he's the best biathlete of all time. I'm very good friends with Ricco, by the way. He has always been very nice to me and always been giving me good advice.

Tim, what do you think about Russian guys? For example Tcherezov, maybe Kruglov, maybe Iarochenko or Tchoudov
T_Burke> Obviously, they always seem to be in the top ten and capable to go onto the podium in every race.

What is your favourite WC-place ?
My favourite venue is definitely Antholz. I really like the course, which suits my style with long climbs. I also like the high altitude. And the crowd here has a super energy.

Off Biathlon
Hi Tim! What kind of sport do you like besides biathlon? Baseball, football...
I enjoy watching basketball and football. I didn't get a chance to see the superbowl... I'm a New York Giants fan, so I wasn't too interested.

Tim, what do you do in your free time?
in my free time, I enjoy fly fishing. I do that a lot in the summer time, around lake placid

Have you got a pet?
Yes, I have a dog, Belle, a yellow lab.

Are you studying?
I study a little bit, business.

Do you have a girlfriend?
No I don't have a girlfriend

why not?
I travel so much during the winter and when I'm home it's in and out of training camps all the time...

What is you favourite music?
I listen to all sorts of music. Depends on my mood.

What kind of movies do you prefer? Do you like the "Godfather" or others of the mafia-genre?
I do like those movies, I really enjoy most action movies.

Speaking of movies: Just imagine, you get an offer from Hollywood. Would you go to California or keep on going with biathlon?
I don't think I'm cut out for Hollywood. I'll stick with biathlon.

Where do you like to go on vacations?
In the springtime I always try to go somewhere warm, to the beach. In the past I've spent a few springs in Florida. This year I want to go to the Virgin Islands

Have you got an own homepage?
I don't have an own homepage, I hope to start one in the spring.

Bye bye! Good luck in the remaining races!
Keep on running! ;-)
Good luck !

Rada
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