Jay Hakkinen of Kasilof finished 17th in Saturday's World Cup Biathlon sprint in Oberhof, Germany.
Hakkinen finished the 10-kilometer course 1 minute, 6.3 behind winner Maxim Tchoudov of Russia (25:49.5), moving into 26th place in the overall World Cup ranking and qualifying for today's mass start field.
In the prone stage Hakkinen hit four of five targets and missed none in standing.
Teammate Jeremy Teela of Anchorage finished 46th, finishing 1:52.9 back.
"Jay promised himself he would master his concentration on the range and he did a great job," said head coach Per Nilsson.
Saturday's race was the US men's best combined result of the season and marked the first time this season three US men scored World Cup points in the same competition.
@Nyx.CommentBody@