Last Updated: 15.Feb.2014

Hannah Dreissigacker had nothing to lose in Friday’s 15k individual after finishing 64th in the sprint race earlier in the Games and missing qualification for the pursuit race. With the pressure off, Hannah was able to turn in her best performance ever in a World Cup, World Championships, or Olympics in 23rd. Hannah has shot well in relays this year but so far hasn’t been able to put her shooting together in an individual race. But in the 15k, where each miss adds 1 minute to a competitor’s final time, Hannah’s shooting was nearly flawless. She missed one in her first prone stage, but then cleaned the next two stages before missing one in her final standing. For comparison, the winner of the day, Darya Domracheva of Belarus had one miss. No skier with more than 3 misses was able to finish within the top 25. Hannah shooting paired with a solid ski time, which is her forte, helped her reach her best performance ever by about 20 places. There are three biathlon races remaining in the Olympic Games: a mass start, a mixed (men’s and women’s) relay, and the women’s relay. Hannah will almost certainly contest the women’s relay, but it remains to be seen whether she will be named to the mixed relay.

Susan Dunklee, who has turned in strong performances all week, had a tough day on the range that contributed to her 34th place. She had 1 miss in her first prone stage and was still in the top ten at that point. But gradually her misses, 1 in the first standing, 2 in the next prone and 1 more in the final stage, added up. It was still a solid result for her, but with 5 misses she was out of contention. Luckily, she has made history as the first American woman ever to qualify for the mass start. Only 30 skiers can qualify, so she is in good company there. She will compete in that event on Monday the 17th and then will most likely ski in the mixed relay on Wednesday and the women’s relay this Friday.

Check out results from the individual here, and don’t forget to watch the races live on NBC Olympics!