Mainers win national biathlon titles

VALCARTIER, Quebec – Stockholm native Russell Currier won two national biathlon championships while several other Maine Winter Sports Center athletes and Aroostook County natives also earned national titles in last weekend’s North American Championships at the Myriam Bedard Biathlon Center.

The U.S. national championships were supposed to be held in Jericho, Vt., earlier this month but were cancelled because of rain. Instead, the top U.S. finisher at the North American meet was awarded the national title.

Currier, a Caribou High senior who competes under the MWSC banner, finished second overall in the 10-kilometer youth men’s pursuit but was the top U.S. finisher, which gave him the national championship. Currier took third overall in the youth men’s 7.5K sprint to earn another national crown.

Fort Fairfield’s Hilary McNamee, also a MWSC skier, wound up sixth overall in the 6.5K youth women’s pursuit, but it was good enough for a national title.

Fort Kent native and MWSC biathlete Newt Rogers was seventh overall in both the youth men’s pursuit and sprint to finish second behind Currier. Madawaska’s Meagan Toussaint, also a MWSC skier, was second among the U.S. finishers behind McNamee.

Toussaint won a U.S. title of her own in the youth women’s 6K sprint, finishing fifth overall. McNamee was seventh in the overall field, while Fort Kent Community High’s Justine Cyr was eighth overall.

Rogers also claimed a national championship of his own in the 12.5K youth men’s individual. He was fifth overall.

MWSC biathlete Haley Johnson was the top U.S. finisher in both the women’s 10K pursuit and 15K individual.

Robert Rosser of the U.S. National Guard team was the nation’s top finisher in the men’s 10K sprint and 12.5K pursuit, followed in both races by Brian Olsen, a 2006 Olympian from Minnesota who lives and trains in Fort Kent.

Olsen went on to claim the 20K men’s individual U.S. title.

National Guard team member Denise Teela won the overall women’s 7.5K sprint.