Steve Cook earned his first two podium finishes of the 2007 World Cup season in Germany.

The finish caps a double podium weekend for Klebl, as he also finished second on Saturday in a knockout sprint, a race in which standing teammate Steve Cook (Salt Lake City, Utah) was third. Cook, a triple-medalist from the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, went on to win Sunday's 8.5K race for standing skiers.

"I'm very happy with the results and am glad to see that the changes that I made in my training in the past nine months are paying off," said Klebl. "It's always a gamble trying new things after devoting huge hours during the preparation period from May to November and really not knowing until the first couple of races are over whether or not the changes were right. Results are really the only measuring stick."

Klebl was just back of sprint winner Vladimir Kiselev of Russia on Saturday. He then went on to post a time of 30.26.3 on Sunday, just under a minute shy of Russia's Irek Zaripov. Klebl's sit-ski teammates also put up solid showings over the weekend. Greg Mallory (Portland, Ore.) was eighth in the sprint and 11th on Sunday, while newcomer Sean Halsted (Gig Harbor, Wash.) finished 11th and 13th, respectively.

For the standing men, the sprint saw a blistering pace set by Norwegian winner Kjartan Haugen, with Cook narrowly missed second on Saturday. He bounced back on Sunday to post the fastest time of the day, crushing the 8.5K course in 21:41.4, a full 10 seconds over second place finisher Kirill Mikhaylov of Russia.

In the women's standing races, Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.) was fifth in the sprint and eighth in the 7K.

"Fortunately the rain and warm temperatures of the last week have moved on and we are getting cold temps and some snow so the next races should be better," Klebl said. "We have another four races here in Germany before we head home in a week so everyone is trying to stay rested and focused."

The Team will remain in Germany for two short distance races, set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

DISABLED CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CUP
Nesselwang, GER - Jan. 20, 2007

Men's KO Sprint - sit-ski
1. Vladimir Kiselev, Russia
2. Chris Klebl, Heber City, Utah
3. Bruno Huber, Switzerland
4. Georges Bettega, France
5. Ruedi Weber, Switzerland
-
8. Greg Mallory, Portland, Ore.
11. Sean Halsted, Gig Harbor, Wash.
-
Men's KO Sprint - standing
1. Kjartan Jaugen, Norway
2. Alfis Makamedinov, Russia
3. Steve Cook, Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Iikka Toumisto, Finland
5. Konstantin Yanchuk, Russia
--
Women's KO Sprint - standing
1. Alena Gorbunova, Russia
2. Oleksandra Kononova, Ukraine
3. Maija Loytynoja, Finland
4. Yuliya Batenkova, Ukraine
5. Kelly Underkofler, St. Paul, Minn.
--

January 21, 2007

Men's 8K - sit-ski
1. Irek Zaipov, Russia, 29:26.4
2. Chris Klebl, Heber City, Utah, 30:26.3
3. Georges Bettega, France, 30:36.9
4. Alain Marguerettaz, France, 31:30.2
5. Aliaks Davidovich, Belarus, 31:34.9
-
11. Greg Mallory, Portland, Ore., 34:11.5
13. Sean Halsted, Gig Harbor, Wash., 36:12.9
-
Men's 8.5K - standing
1. Steve Cook, Salt Lake City, Utah, 21:47.4
2. Kirill Mikhaylov, Russia, 21:51.6
3. Kjartan Haugen, Norway, 21:52.6
4. Nils-Erik Ulset, Norway, 22:10.9
5. Iikka Tuomisto, Finland, 22:55.0
-
Women's 7K - standing
1. Oleksandra Kononova, Ukraine, 22:01.9
2. Katarzyna Rogowiec, Poland, 22:23.5
3. Alena Gorbunova, Russia, 22:35.0
4. Yuliya Batenkova, Ukraine, 22:58.7
5. Maija Loytynoja, Finland, 23:35.2
-
8. Kelly Underkofler, St. Paul, Minn., 26:17.7

For complete results, click here.