Spirits were up as the snow came down on biathletes, supporters and media from around the world at the Soldier Hollow course for the International Biathlon Union Youth and Junior World Championships.
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship and has been a Winter Olympic event since 1960.
Wednesday’s snow and temperatures in the teens didn’t bother the hundreds of spectators who made it out to the venue.
“It’s not bad; we’re used to this in Canada,” said Grant Gilfillan, who was in town from British Columbia to watch his son Dan. “This is a great venue. It’s beautiful, good weather, and the skiing is fantastic.”
The boys’ youth individual 12.5-kilometer race officially kicked off the championships Wednesday morning, and the girls followed in the afternoon with a 10-kilometer race. Over the next week, youth biathletes ages 16 to 18 and juniors 19 to 21 will also compete in sprint, pursuit and relay races.
On Wednesday, Dan Gilfillan finished 40th out of 61 starters. Soldier Hollow’s own Wes Campbell from Park City placed just ahead in 37th, and Finland’s Arttu Heikkinen came in first place.
Wednesday afternoon, Sidney Bennion, a Midway resident and Soldier Hollow athlete, finished 38th out of 59.
“She’s looking pretty smooth and solid and consistent on all the laps,” said Zach Selzman, who was in the crowd. He’s a cross-country skier from Salt Lake City who trains with Bennion.
He also said it wasn’t an easy day for cross country skiing.
“It’s pretty tough conditions. We’ve gotten a little bit of snow, and it’s obviously very, very cold, so that makes it quite difficult to race,” Selzman said.
Another biathlete competing with ties to Soldier Hollow is junior racer Vincent Bonacci, who now skis with Bozeman, Montana’s Crosscut Club.
After planning for hundreds of people to come to the Heber Valley from dozens of countries, organizers were glad to see the championships underway.
“You know, we’ve been working on this for a couple years, so it’s really fulfilling to see it come together,” said Zach Hall, director of biathlon at Soldier Hollow. “We’ve got over 300 athletes here from - I think it’s 30 nations. It’s neat to see them all coming together and having an international experience. It’s exciting to see young kids get inspired by sport.”
Hall said over the week of races, this weekend will be the best time to go to Soldier Hollow to watch. Junior sprint races are Saturday, and youth and junior pursuit races are Sunday. Hall said that’s when the crowd will be the biggest, and Soldier Hollow will set up activities like ax-throwing for people to enjoy along with the races.
Other races are happening every day for the next week except Monday.
For more on the event, visit soldierhollowbiathlon.com. For race results, visit biathlonresults.com.
