Authorized newspaper of Joint Base Lewis-McChord
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Army biathlete Sgt. Jeremy Teela nears the finish line for ninth place with a time of 25 minutes, 21.7 seconds in the Olympic men’s 10-kilometer sprint race Sunday.
A Utah National Guard Soldier Sunday posted the best American finish ever in the biathlon at the Winter Olympics.
Sergeant Jeremy Teela, a three-time Olympian, finished ninth in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint on the first day of competition in the biathlon in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
The previous best finish was recorded by Teela’s teammate, Jay Hakkinen, who was 10th in the Torino Olympics in 2006.
The biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Despite missing two targets, Teela’s strong skiing pushed him five seconds ahead of one of Russia’s top skiers.
“That’s good for the ski form of Jeremy Teela,” said Chad Salmela, a commentator for NBC Sports.
Teela will compete in the 15K mass start Sunday and the 4X7.5K relay Feb. 26.
Earlier this season, Teela finished third in the men’s 20K event in the World Cup, also held at Whistler. He was the first American biathlete to win a World Cup medal since 1992.
Teela’s U.S. teammates include Tim Burke, who finished 47th Sunday but won a pair of medals on the 2009-2010 World Cup circuit; four-time Olympian Hakkinen, 32, of Kasilof, Alaska, 54th; Lowell Bailey, 28, of Lake Placid, N.Y., 36th; and first-timer Wynn Roberts, 21, of Battle Creek, Mich.
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