US Biathlon Season Underway in West Yellowstone

West Yellowstone, Montana – The cross-country SuperTour was not the only event yesterday in West Yellowstone.  US biathletes, battling for Olympic spots, took to the trails for 7.5/10km sprint event.

While the World Cup Biathlon Team is currently in Sweden preparing for the World Cup opener, the field still featured elite skiers.

2002 Olympian, Dan Campbell, kicked off his comeback season in strong fashion, winning the men’s race by 26 seconds over US Biathlon National B Team and Williams College skier Mark Johnson.  Campbell, 31, had a single penalty in both prone and standing.  Johnson matched Campbell in prone, but had one additional penalty in standing.

Casey Simons (USBA Development Team) finished 3rd, 13 seconds behind Johnson, with an identical three misses.

Junior Addie Byrne (Mt. Itasca) won the women’s 7.5km, beating Craftsbury Green Racing Project’s Hannah Dreissigacker by over two minutes.  Byrne missed two prone targets, but shot clean standing the only skier, male or female, in the open classes to do so.  Dreissigacker, a cross-country standout at Dartmouth College, and a relative newcomer to biathlon, struggled on the range, missing three targets in both prone and standing.

Barbara Blanke finished 3rd, 45 seconds in back of Dreissigacker, missing one prone and three standing.

14 men and 4 women competed in the open category.  29 skiers participated in the novice races.

Complete Results