Two Burns Lake biathletes - Cole Bender and Nicole Hamp - have proudly returned home with gold medals from the Whistler Biathlon Open, which was held earlier this month.
Bender, who last year won Biathlon B.C.’s senior athlete of the year award, continues to stand out. At the Whistler Biathlon Open, he took gold in the senior boys’ category for both the six km sprint and the 7.5 km mass start.
READ MORE: Burns Lake athlete stands out at nationals
“This win is a great start to this race season to see where I fit in the pack and I am looking forward to the following races throughout the winter,” he told Lakes District News.
According to the Omineca Ski Club, Bender has been training up to 30 km a day.
“Ever since the snow has been on the ground I have been skiing six days a week, and during the summer months I attended multiple training camps with the B.C. and national development teams in Whistler and Canmore, Alberta,” said Bender. “Training also consists of mountain hikes, running, road and mountain biking and roller skiing.”
At the moment, Bender is preparing for the upcoming B.C. Cup circuit, witch will start off in Prince George at the end of January and end in Kelowna in March. These races will be the qualifying races for the Nationals, witch will be held in New Brunswick at the end of March.
As for his plans for the future, the ambitious athlete says his eyes are set on the Canadian Winter Games in 2019 and the Youth World Championships in 2020.
Hamp has also won gold in her own category for the six km mass start at the Whistler Biathlon Open. Although she is 12 years old, she races up in the 13/14 years old category.
“Nicole felt very excited to win gold, but also very surprised,” said her father Randy.
“This year has been a struggle because in the 13/14 category the targets have gone from 4.5 inch down to 1.8 inch,” he continued. “Also this category does not allow a rest for the riffle, and they have to shoot in the prone position using a sling and arm band.”
Nicole’s sister, Julia, also stood out in the competition, placing fourth in the juvenile category for the 3.6 kilometre mass start.
Burns Lake’s biathlon team is becoming an exemplary ambassador for Burns Lake and the Omineca Ski Club. In 2017, the team brought home well over a dozen medals from one North American Cup and three B.C. Cups in Canmore, Kelowna, Quesnel and Whistler.
READ MORE: Biathlon team puts Burns Lake on the map
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