Wicked Cold for Trials Pursuit Competitions

Biathlon

Thu, Jan  1, 2009 - By US Biathlon Association

Anchorage, AK, December 30. The weatherman offered no breaks for the competitors at the Youth/Junior World Championship Team Trials at Kincaid Park on Monday, with temperatures hovering near zero degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day.

Despite the harsh weather, National Junior Coach Vladimir Cervenka was pleased with how his athletes handled the day. “I was very impressed with how well all of the athletes dealt with the weather. It was wicked cold, and actually dropped a bit below zero before everyone finished racing. This is a great experience for them, as we could see similar temperatures in Canmore next month (site of the Youth/Junior World Championships). They will be well prepared.”

In the second day of competition, Wynn Roberts (Battle Lake, MN) and Grace Boutot (Fort Kent, ME) earned their second overall victories in the Junior Men and Youth Women categories.

Roberts again dominated the other junior competitors, with a 40:20.8 win in the 12.5K Pursuit competition. Although second place finisher, Nick Peterson (Vermont Collegiate) matched Roberts on the shooting range with five penalties, he finished 5:06 back. Wayne McClure (Anchorage, AK), with nine penalties finished 6:54 back.

Despite the big win, Cervenka said Roberts was not going at full speed. ”I told him not to go too hard since it was so cold. In addition, he is training hard for next month’s Championships at the same time he is racing here, doing weight work and some running in addition to the races.”

Boutot had a good day on the shooting range with just three penalties in the Youth Women’s Pursuit competition. She finished in 33:34.6, 1:37.2 ahead of Addie Byrne (Bovey, MN), who had six penalties. Third went to Hilary McNamee (Fort Fairfield, ME), with seven penalties, 3:01.5 back.

Ethan Dreissigacker (Morrisville, VT), mad up for his eight-second loss in yesterday’s Sprint with a 42:37.9 to 44:29.2 win over Nick Michaud (Fort Kent, ME). Dreissigacker had five penalties to Michaud’s nine. Sprint Champion Raleigh Goessling (Duluth, MN) with twelve penalties finished 3:39.8 back in third place.

The trials close today with a Relay sprint competition (Sprint format with extra rounds as in a relay) and the announcement of nominations to the US Youth/Junior World Championships Team.

Watch live results and streaming video of all World Cup competitions at www.biathlonworld.com.

The United States Biathlon Association is the National Governing Body for the sport of biathlon in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union. The US Biathlon Association supports the US Biathlon Team and development of the sport on all levels within the United States.

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