Syracuse.com - Old Forge biathlete makes her mark at Junior World Biathlon Championships in Maine

[HuntingNY-News]

Maddie Phaneuf was the top performing American woman at this year's competition, said her father.

OLD FORGE, N.Y. -- Former Section III high school Nordic skiing champion Maddie Phaneuf is continuing her athletic success in the biathlon.

Phaneuf made her mark recently at the Junior World Biathlon Championships held at the Nordic Heritage Ski Center in Presque Isle, ME. She competed as a member of the US Youth/Junior Biathlon Team. The competition was held Feb. 28 to March 7.

Biathlon is a winter Olympic sport that combines cross country skiing with rifle marksmanship. Competitors are challenged to ski fast while interspersing the skiing competition with shooting stations - penalty laps are added to the ski course for every target missed.

The US team competed against biathlon teams from more than 25 other countries. In all, there were over 250 athletes competing at the races in Youth Woman, Youth Men, Junior Woman and Junior Men classes.

Phaneuf graduated from the Town of Webb school in 2013 and skied for the Old Forge High School, where she won three Section III Nordic skiing championships.

At the World Biathlon Championships, she competed in the Youth Woman category against other women in the 17-18 year old range. She finished fourth in the sprint competition, 24th in the pursuit competition and eighth in the Individual competition. She was the top-finishing American woman at this year's competition, her father, Joe Phaneuf said.

Following the race, Phaneuf was invited by US Biathlon to join a team they're sending to the Swedish Biathlon Championships in late March, her father said. She currently trains with the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent, ME.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog