Nove Mesto, Czech Republic — At the IBU World Cup Saturday, Russell Currier, of Fort Fairfield, showed what Maine has known for years: he is a world class talent.
After several seasons of struggling on the shooting range, Currier put the worries to rest over the past two months to earn his way back onto the World Cup. Saturday, he was one of two competitors who hit a perfect 10 for 10 in shooting. That’s all Currier needed to vault into the top tier and finish sixth in the 10km Sprint competition, his first top-10 finish in his World Cup career.
Starting from bib 103, Currier shocked several early starters when he crossed the line just 23.2 seconds back of the winner, Emil Hegle Svendson of Norway. Currier led the USA men in what was one of the best days in recent memory, with all four American starters finishing in the top-31. Tim Burke finished 11th, Lowell Bailey 21st and Jay Hakkinen 31st.
Currier’s sixth-place came in just his second IBU World Cup start of the season and only his fourth start in Europe this year. Through the fall, Currier had continued to struggle on the range and was left off the original team to Europe.
With a sharp turn around in his shooting in December, Currier earned his way back to Europe and competed last weekend in Forni Avolti, Italy on the IBU Cup, a level below the World Cup circuit. With his seventh-place finish in the 20km Individual competition there, Currier got the nod to start this weekend’s IBU World Cup.
