Currier takes first in men’s 10K sprint

COLERAINE, Minn. – Russell Currier won the junior men’s biathlon sprint Thursday morning in the 2008 North American/U.S. National Championships at the Mount Itasca Biathlon facility.

Currier, a Stockholm native and 2006 Caribou High School graduate, had three penalties in the 10-kilometer race but still finished 30 seconds ahead of Wynn Roberts of Battle Lake, Minn., who also had three penalties.

A Maine Winter Sports Center team member, Currier missed one shot in the prone stage and two in the standing stage.

Newt Rogers, who is from Fort Kent Mills, had four penalties and was 2 minutes, 6 seconds behind Currier for third place.

Yarmouth native Walt Shepard, now a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, placed second in the senior men’s 10K sprint. He had one penalty and was 20 seconds behind winner Brendon Green of Hay River, Northwest Territories.

MWSC skiers also claimed top finishes on the women’s side. Laura Spector, a native of Lenox, Mass., took first place in the junior women’s 7.5K sprint.

Spector’s time of 21:29 was the best result of all the women’s races.

She was followed in the junior competition by Madawaska’s Meagan Toussaint, who had two penalties and was 2:14 behind Spector.

Hilary McNamee of Fort Fairfield and Grace Boutot of Fort Kent were second and third, respectively, behind Addie Byrne of Grand Rapids, Minn., in the 6K youth women’s sprint. McNamee had five penalties and was 43 seconds back, while Boutot missed three shots and was 53 second behind Byrne.

The North American Championships continue Friday with the pursuit-format competitions and Saturday with the mass start.

Leif Nordgren of Marine-on-St.-Croix, Minn., was the youth men’s 7.5K winner.