RUHPOLDING, Germany (January 13, 2017) – Americans Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, N.Y.) and Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, N.Y.) raced to top-20 finishes Friday in the men's 10-kilometer sprint at the BMW IBU World Cup 5 in Ruhpolding. Both athletes had only one missed target as Burke placed 12th and Bailey finished 18th in the 107-man field. Sean Doherty (Center Conway, N.H.) finished 40th and joined Burke and Bailey in qualifying for Sunday's 12.5k pursuit race.

Burke had the ninth-fastest course time, with his only missed target coming in standing. He finished 1:11.6 back of the lead, but just 22 seconds out of fourth place, putting him in outstanding position for Sunday's pursuit.

"It was great to rebound after what was a tough relay for me," Burke said. "I have definitely struggled this season with my ski shape so it was a nice surprise to be back in good form today. If I continue to feel good, it should make for an interesting pursuit on Sunday. As always in Ruhpolding, the times stayed very close today so everything is still possible in Sunday's pursuit."

Bailey hit his first nine targets before missing the final one to knock him out of the top 10. He will start the pursuit 1:24.3 back of the lead.

Doherty also went 9 for 10 on the range with his only miss coming in the prone position. His 40th-place finish is a huge improvement over last week's 80th place in the sprint at BMW IBU World Cup 4 in Oberhof, Germany, as he continues his comeback on the World Cup circuit after missing the first three events of the season.

"Today's race was great," said Doherty. "I am continuing to feel better and better on the skis. It was very exciting to be in the mix and finish the last lap with the crowds yelling full force."

Leif Nordgren (Marine, Minn.), who is also on the comeback trail after toe surgery, placed 71st (+2:41.2/+2), and Russell Currier (Stockholm, Maine), the first competitor out of the start house today, finished 75th (+2:52.7/+4).

Clean-shooting Martin Fourcade of France went unchallenged in taking the victory, covering the 10k course in 22:34.2. Austria's Julian Eberhard also shot clean to finish second, 18 seconds back. Norway's Emil Hegle Svendsen finished third, 39.7 seconds behind Fourcade and also shot clean. Full men's sprint results are available here.

The BMW IBU World Cup 5 continues on Saturday with the women's 7.5k sprint. Joanne Reid (Boulder, Colo.), Clare Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Susan Dunklee (Barton, Vt.) and Maddie Phaneuf (Old Forge, N.Y.) will be in action for Team USA. The women's sprint begins at 8:30 a.m. EST and live streaming coverage of the race can be seen at www.eurovisionsports.tv/ibu.

Men’s 10km sprint results