You know the drill. We did “Under 23 Questions” with the North American athletes at Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships, now we’re checking in with the world-class U.S. and Canadian biathletes that will be competing at 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) Youth & Junior World Championships Feb. 22-28 in Osrblie (also known as Brezno-Osrblie), Slovakia. We had them fill in the blanks to tell us more about themselves.
Starting off, here’s 18-year-old Alex Kilby, of Alaska Winter Stars and the Anchorage Biathlon Club, who will be representing the U.S. at his second Youth Worlds.
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“My full name is Alexander Kilby, but you can call me Kilby. I was born in Manitowoc, Wis., raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and one thing you should know about my hometown is that moose like to stand in the trails, and some people have a harder time than others getting by them.
I started cross-country skiing when I was 11 and started biathlon when I was 12, thanks to Eagle Eyes Biathlon. I currently train in Anchorage with Alaska Winter Stars and Anchorage Biathlon Club.
If I’m not skiing, you might find me in the mountains. If I had to pick a favorite book, I wouldn’t because I hate reading.
One of the things I’m most excited about for Youth/Junior World Championships in Brezno-Osrblie is the crowds and attention biathlon gets in Europe. This will be my second time at Youth/Junior World Championships, and this year, I’m competing as a youth.
One race I’m especially targeting there is the sprint. The best advice anyone ever gave to me about skiing or racing was ‘Smooth is fast, fast is smooth.’
One of the best race memories I have is shooting clean in 2015 Youth World Trials.
If I could meet one World Cup skier, it would be Ole Einar Bjørndalen.
If I don’t end up being a professional skier, I’ll probably be an engineer.
I’m missing zero days of school to be here, and I don’t have any teachers/professors.