FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gary Colliander
Minnesota Biathlon
[email protected]

March 31, 2001

 

U.S. Teams have strong showing despite setbacks

Soleftea, Sweden -- In the second day of competition, it would be two junior women from the U.S. that would steal the show early on. Junior and Senior athletes would start together in today's relay event, with the women skiing 2x2.5k and men skiing 3x2.5k. Annelies Cook of Saranac Lake, NY and Emilia Demarchis of Colchester, VT would enter the range in 12th and 13th place, but right behind the junior leader Anna Maria Nilsson of Sweden in 11th place. Using no extra rounds and shooting clean, Cook would leave in 1st place with a 5 second lead over Sofi Hamas, a senior athlete from Sweden. Just behind Hamas would be Demarchis who also cleaned without any extra rounds putting her in 3rd place. Missy Gadacz of Elk River, MN, who led off for U.S.A-3 continued the streak shooting clean and moving into 9th place. The streak of clean shooting would not carry over to the second shooting stage however, as both Cook and Demarchis would leave the range with two penalties each; Gadacz would use only one extra round to clean her stage to move her ahead of Demarchis into 6th place. Cook would tag to teammate Syverine Abrahamson in 4th place. Abrahamson of Anchorage, AK would move up to third after prone, but one penalty in the standing position would drop her to 4th place. Jana Eidem of Bloomington, MN would hit her first nine targets, but the 10th would evade her, even with three extra rounds. Gadacz and Eidem would finish in 7th place. Sonne Nordgren of Marine, MN struggled in the range for the second day having six penalty loops and despite her great speed on the trails would finish with Demarchis in 8th place.

In the Men's Relay Event, the surprise team would be U.S.A-2, whose lead off man Kurt Farchmin of Duluth, MN would need only one extra round in his entire race to clean his targets and tag to teammate Bjorn Baaken of Duluth, MN in 2nd place. Baaken would however have three penalties in prone dropping U.S.A-2 back to 6th place. Anchor leg Tom Secord of New Brighton, MN would have one penalty each in prone and standing, but with his strong push to the finish, Secord would lose only one spot to finish in 7th place. U.S.A.-1 led off by Anders Osthus of Duluth, MN would have some work ahead of them right from the beginning as Osthus would leave three standing targets as they were when he entered the range. Turning in the fastest split of the second leg, Evan Ray of St. Paul, MN would move the team up to 3rd place despite one penalty in prone. He would tag to anchor leg Steve Scott who would have one penalty in each prone and standing, but a missed penalty loop would give the team a 2 minute penalty dropping them from 3rd to 5th.

Tomorrow will conclude the Swedish Nationals with the Individual Event.

Women's 16-19 Relay, Swedish National Championships   

     1   112 SK Bore, Sweden                      52.57             
               =======                            ===== 
               Madeleine Olsson          0 0      25.59      [2] 
               Ida Eriksson              0 0      26.58      [2] 

     2   115   Finland 1                          53.28       00.31 
               =========                          ===== 
               Laura Pokela              0 0      26.54      [5] 
               Mervi Markkanen           0 0      26.34      [1] 

     3   120   Finland 3                          55.56       02.59 
               =========                          ===== 
               Teija Kuntola             2 1      28.33     [10] 
               Hanna Saarenp��           0 1      27.23      [3] 

     4   114   USA 1                              55.59       03.02 
               =====                              ===== 
               Annalies Cook             0 2      26.43      [4] 
               Syverine Abrahamson       0 1      29.16      [5] 

     7   121   USA 3                              58.06       05.09 
               =====                              ===== 
               Melissa Gadacz            0 0      26.57      [6] 
               Jana Eiden                0 1      31.09      [7] 

     8   118   USA 2                              58.55       05.58 
               =====                              ===== 
               Emilia Demarchis          0 2      27.17      [7] 
               Sonne Nordgren            4 2      31.38      [8] 



Men 16-19  Relay  3 x 7.5km, Swedish National Championships 

     1    13   SK Bore 1  Sweden                1.14.26             
               =========                        ======= 
               Johan Jacobsson           0 0      21.28      [1] 
               Bengt Nilsson             0 1      26.38      [4] 
               Tommie Andersson          0 2      26.20      [3] 

     2    23   I 21 IF 2   Sweden               1.14.39       00.13 
               =========                        ======= 
               Henrik Olsson             0 0      22.35      [4] 
               Jonas Johansson           3 1      25.32      [2] 
               Oskar Malker              0 3      26.32      [5] 

     3    14   Sundsvalls Biath Sweden          1.16.07       01.41 
               ================                 ======= 
               Esko Ruusila              0 0      23.03      [6] 
               Patrik Nordlund           2 0      28.29      [9] 
               Sam Frank                 0 0      24.35      [1] 

     5    21   USA 1                            1.17.02       02.36 
               =====                            ======= 
               Anders Osthus             0 3      23.40      [7] 
               Evan Ray                  1 0      25.24      [1] 
               Steve Scott               1 1      27.58      [8] 

     7    24   USA 2                            1.17.52       03.26 
               =====                            ======= 
               Kurt Farchmin             0 0      22.12      [2] 
               Bjorn Baaken              3 0      27.19      [6] 
               Tom Secord                1 1      28.21     [10] 

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