A biathlon first for the U.S.: Tim Burke is the overall leader in the World Cup standings

Burke is first American to lead biathlon World Cup

POKLJUKA, Slovenia — Tim Burke has become the first American to lead the biathlon World Cup standings following a sixth-place finish in a 12.5-kilometer pursuit race.

Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia won Sunday’s race, beating Roland Lessing of Austria by 9.3 seconds.

Burke was 37.4 seconds behind Ustyugov, but moved from second to first in the standings. He has 253 points to lead Simon Fourcade of France by seven points.

Burke of Lake Placid, N. Y. said Sunday during a conference call that he’s excited and “it has not quite hit me yet.” The 27-year-old credits years of biathlon experience and a team effort for his breakthrough in a sport dominated by Europeans.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

POKLJUKA, Slovenia (AP) — Svetlana Sleptsova of Russia has won a World Cup biathlon 10-kilometer pursuit for her second victory in two days.

Sleptsova missed two targets but finished in 34 minutes, 3.2 seconds on Sunday to record her sixth World Cup victory.

Magdalena Neuner of Germany was 36.3 seconds behind with three targets missed. Anna Bogaliy-Titovets of Russia was 43.2 seconds back in third with two missed targets.

Sleptsova also won Saturday’s sprint.

Helena Jonsson of Sweden leads the overall standings with 342 points after finishing seventh Sunday. Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek of Sweden is next with 298 points after coming eighth. Sleptsova rose to third overall with 272 points.