PYEONGCHANG, South Korea _ There would be no gutsy finish for Lowell Bailey. Not this time.
The only American to win a world championship in the sport of biathlon fell short of the podium in the third try of his final Olympics.
Bailey finished 51st in the 20-kilometer individual at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, just days after similar results in the 10-kilometer sprint and the 12.5-kilometer pursuit.
Competing in the Olympics for a fourth time, the 36-year-old was hoping for the kind of surprise end that earned him a 20-kilometer title at the 2017 world championships. But finding consistent speed has been a problem of late, and his normally dependable marksmanship has deserted him in South Korea.
Among the other Americans in the Thursday night race, Tim Burke finished 41st and Sean Doherty was 44th, meaning that biathlon remains the only winter sport in which the U.S. has never medaled.
Bailey had previously announced that he would retire after this season and move to Montana to oversee a new biathlon training camp.
"I've put my heart and soul into this sport for a long time," he said earlier in the week. "And I've really put everything I have into this Olympics."
