Currier breaks through with sixth-place finish in World Cup race

Russell Currier, a native of Stockholm, Maine, and a graduate of Caribou High School, enjoyed the best World Cup finish of his biathlon career Saturday in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

One of only two biathletes with a perfect 10-for-10 shooting performance in the 10-kilometer sprint competition, Currier placed sixth, only 23.2 seconds behind winner Emil Hegle Svednsen of Norway.

“This was a breathtaking performance,” said Max Cobb, the head of U.S. Biathlon, noting that Currier had never broken into the top 50 of a World Cup race.

Despite strong winds and steady snow, the U.S. men’s team enjoyed what Cobb called its best day ever. Tim Burke placed 11th, Lowell Bailey 21st and Jay Hakkinen 31st. All three had two misses.

The four U.S. competitors all qualified for today’s 12.5K pursuit. 

OLYMPIC TRIALS

Keflezighi, Flanagan win

Meb Keflezighi made some history at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Houston.

The Eritrea-born Keflezighi won Saturday’s race in a personal-best time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 8 seconds to qualify for his third games. At 36, Keflezighi is the oldest winner of the trials.

A spectator handed Keflezighi an American flag in the final mile, and he waved it and pumped his fist to the cheering crowd as he approached the finish line.

“It was just a magical moment,” Keflezighi said.

Ryan Hall and Abdi Abdirahman finished second and third, also earning spots on the team that will represent the U.S. at the London Games.

Shalane Flanagan won the women’s competition in an event-record time of 2:25.38. Running in only her second marathon, the 30-year-old Flanagan shaved more than three minutes off her previous personal best, set in her runner-up finish in New York in 2010.

“That’s encouraging,” said Flanagan, a bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters in Beijing. “I knew I was capable of something like this, and I believe I’m capable of something even faster.”

Desiree Davila finished second and Kara Goucher was third.

Three Maine women also competed. Sheri Piers, 40, of Falmouth finished 24th in the field of 152 with a time of 2:37:09. She was the first masters runner across the line.

Kristin Barry, 38, of Scarborough finished 83rd in 2:45:43, and Erica Jesseman, 22, also of Scarborough, finished 88th in 2:46:11.

Gladys Ganiel O’Neill, a Harrington native who moved to Ireland 11 years ago and now has dual citizenship, plans to run in today’s Houston Marathon in hopes of achieving the 2:37 Olympic ‘A’ standard that would make her eligible for the Irish Olympic team.

“My (personal record) is 2:41:22, so it will be difficult,” she wrote in an email, “but possible on a good day, I think.”

SKIING

Vonn has strong race, places second in downhill

Italian veteran Daniela Merighetti earned the first World Cup victory of her career Saturday despite a broken left thumb, with Lindsey Vonn the runner-up in one of the season’s biggest downhills at Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.

Merighetti was timed in 1 minute, 33.17 seconds on the Olympia delle Tofane course before her home fans on a day when wind slowed the favorites. Vonn, the overall World Cup leader, was 0.21 seconds behind. Defending overall champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany was third, 0.40 back.

Merighetti, 30, had only one previous top-three finish — second in a giant slalom nine years ago in Are, Sweden. She’s also had three fourth-place finishes.

MEN’S WORLD CUP: New Swiss ski star Beat Feuz won before his home fans, capturing a World Cup downhill on the classic Lauberhorn course at Wengen, Switzerland, while Bode Miller seemed poised to win but made a tactical error and finished fifth.

Feuz was timed in 2 minutes, 35.31 seconds for a victory that gave him the lead in the downhill standings in his breakout season. Austria’s Hannes Reichelt was 0.44 seconds back in second. Christof Innerhofer of Italy trailed Feuz by 0.49 in third.

Miller was in excellent position but lost speed near the bottom and finished 0.77 back. Miller led the downhill standings going into this race but dropped to second, 41 points behind Feuz.

GOLF

PGA: Jeff Maggert played bogey-free in relatively calm conditions for a 6-under 64 that left the 47-year-old Texan in a tie for the lead with Matt Every at the Sony Open in Honolulu.

Every stalled on the back nine, but birdied the last hole for a 68 to join Maggert at 12-under 198.

There were 16 players within four shots of the lead, including Steve Stricker, who is trying to become the first player since Ernie Els in 2003 to sweep the Hawaii events.

EUROPEAN TOUR: South Africa’s Branden Grace and England’s Richard Finch topped the Joburg Open leaderboard at 15 under when third-round play was suspended because of darkness in Johannesburg.

SOCCER

PREMIER LEAGUE: Paul Scholes scored his first goal since ending his short-lived retirement to help Manchester United to a 3-0 Premier League win over Bolton.

In the second match of his comeback, Scholes turned in Wayne Rooney’s cross in the 45th minute for his first goal since August 2010. Scholes’ 151st league goal helped United pull two points ahead of third-place Tottenham, which drew 1-1 with relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers.

United trails City on goal difference, although City can restore its three-point lead if it beats Wigan on Monday.

BASEBALL

MLB: Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and the Kansas City Royals agreed to terms on a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.

TENNIS

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL: Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen won his second ATP title, beating France’s Julien Benneteau 6-2, 7-5 in a rain-delayed final at Sydney, Australia.

BOBSLED

MEN’S WORLD CUP: Beat Hefti of Switzerland won a two-man bobsled race at Koenigssee, Germany, to take the standings lead.

LUGE

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: Olympic bronze medalist Natalie Geisenberger led a 1-2-3 German sweep for the first time this season, at Oberhof, Germany.

Geisenberger set a track record in the second run of 42.050 seconds to win in a combined 1:24.443, leaving world champion Tatjana Huefner 0.247 seconds behind. Anke Wischnewski was third, 0.664 seconds back.

For the United States, Erin Hamlin was sixth and Kate Hansen was eighth. 

– From staff and news services