At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, Burke had big expectations and aimed to win a medal but instead left at one of the lowest in his 14 years as a USA national team member. This came as a disappointment to him as prior to the competition, he had medalled on the World Cup Tour. In addition, there was media hype around his participation as he was the first American to lead the Biathlon World Cup standings and was a strong medal contender. The increased media attention may have impacted his possible success, as he felt he did "a bad job dealing with that". There was also poor snow conditions which can lead to more friction for the athletes, resulting in slower speeds.