OSTERSUND, Sweden (AP) - Paul Smiths' Tim Burke matched the best finish ever by a U.S. biathlete in a World Cup event Thursday, finishing second to Norway's Emil Hegle Svendsen in the men's season-opening race.

Hegle Svendsen and Burke each missed one target in the 20-kilometer race, but the Norwegian outskied the American to secure his 12th individual World Cup win.

Burke's silver follows Jeremy Teela's third-place finish at a World Cup event in March, which snapped a 17-year medals drought for the Americans.

"It was a really important step for me," Burke said on a conference call. "I've been super close in the past, but to take the final step up to the podium goes a long way in helping my confidence. It will help my confidence a lot in Vancouver. I know I can do it, because I have done it before."

Health issues hampered Burke at the last two seasons, and he made adjustments to his training in hopes of getting off to a better start this year.

"I've been here before and I don't know if it's the experience or my good training the last two weeks, but I was really relaxed," Burke said. "It just felt like another training day out there."

Burke was among the leaders after the first lap, giving him added confidence. He had a chance to win until the final shooting station, when he missed his only shot.

Hegle Svendsen finished in 52 minutes, 43.7 seconds, with Burke 35.5 seconds behind. Christoph Sumann of Austria was third, 14 seconds behind Burke after also missing one shot.

Still, the finish was a victory for Burke - and the rest of the U.S. team.

It's the best result since Josh Thompson's silver medal in a 20K race at Canmore, Canada, in 1992, and bolsters a program that has made great strides in the last four years.

"Today's result shows me that nothing is impossible," said Max Cobb, U.S. Biathlon's executive director. "For me, in my heart, I have to say this is the best American finish ever."

Biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship, is wildly popular in Europe, where it is the top-rated winter sport on television. Not surprisingly, it's dominated by Europeans - particularly Norwegians, Germans and Russians - and the competition has only gotten stronger since the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The Americans overhauled their program after 2006, hiring Swedish coach Per Nilsson. The U.S. Olympic Committee also quadrupled the federation's funding.

The results started to come. Burke had a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2008 world championships, and has been in the top 10 nine times at a World Cup event. Teela had his podium finish, and Leif Nordgren won a bronze at last year's Youth/Junior Biathlon World Championships.

Now Burke has a silver medal, with the season only just beginning. Jay Hakkinen was the next-best American, finishing 28th.

"In these endurance sports, you don't get there overnight. There's many, many days of frustration along the way to reach this level," Cobb said. "I couldn't be happier with the way the season's begun."

Biathlon World Cup results (men)

By The Associated Press

1. Emil Hegle Svendsen, Norway, 52 minutes, 43.7 seconds (1 missed target).

2. Tim Burke, United States, 53:19.2 (1).

3. Christoph Sumann, Austria, 53:33.2 (1).

4. Maxim Tchoudov, Russia, 53:34.0 (1).

4. Friedrich Pinter, Austria, 53:34.0 (2).

6. Bjorn Ferry, Sweden, 53:45.3 (1)

7. Martin Fourcade, France, 53:46.1 (2)

8. Lars Berger, Norway, 54:35.8 (3)

9. Michael Greis, Germany, 54:50.3 (2).

10. Jean Philippe Leguellec, Canada, 55:00.5 (2).

Also

28. Jay Hakkinen, United States, 56:16.7 (3).

69. Kevin Patzoldt, United States, 58:36.3 (0).

88. Jeremy Teela, United States, 59:54.1 (5).

Lake Placid native Lowell Bailey did not start. He had to skip the race due to health reasons, according to USA Biathlon.

Overall World Cup standings (men, after one event)

1. Emil Hegle Svendsen, Norway, 60 points.

2. Tim Burke, United States, 54.

3. Christoph Sumann, Austria, 48.

4. Maxim Tchoudov, Russia, 43.

4. Friedrich Pinter, Austria, 43.

6. Bjorn Ferry, Sweden, 38.

7. Martin Fourcade, France, 36.

8. Lars Berger, Norway, 34.

9. Michael Greis, Germany, 32.

10. Jean Philippe Leguellec, Canada, 31.

28. Jay Hakkinen, United States, 13.

Biathlon World Cup results (women)

By The Associated Press

1. Helena Jonsson, Sweden, 43 minutes, 01.4 seconds (1 missed target).

2. Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek, Sweden, 26.2 seconds behind (2).

3. Darya Domracheva, Belarus, 1:16.4 (2).

4. Svetlana Sleptsova, Russia, 1:26.7 (2).

5. Valj Semerenko, Ukraine, 1:34.6 (2).

6. Oksana Khvostenko, Ukraine 1:43.6 (0)

7. Marie Laure Brunet, France, 1:51.2 (2)

8. Michela Ponza, Italy, 1:55.9 (0)

9. Olga Medvedtseva, Russia, 1:57.5 (2).

10. Olena Pidhrushna, Ukraine, 1:59.0 (1)

60. Sara Studebaker, United States, 5:44.1 (3).

89. Lanny Barnes, United States, 8:02.2 (4).

91. Haley Johnson, United States (Lake Placid), 8:16.0 (6).