Justin Hansen, age 17 and competing in Biathlon through the Kenai Biathlon, had plans of spending his 18th birthday in Lucerne, Switzerland competing in the 30th Winter Universiade with an opportunity to perform in the international Biathlon competition.
However, Hansen will stay closer to home with the cancellation of the Winter Universiade on Monday due to new concerns in Europe over the newly-identified Omicron covid variance.
Sprint Biathlon Event in Anchorage– December 5, 2021
Justin Hansen will compete in the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage Sprint Biathlon race in Anchorage on Sunday, December 5th at Kincaid Park. Race time scheduled for 1:00 p.m. According to Hansen, the event is the first in the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage calendar. The Sprint event will involve two bouts, one standing and one prone with an option of an orange loop or a purple loop which are different distances at Kincaid Park.
US Biathlon Qualifier-December 28, 2021
Hansen is scheduled to compete for a position on Team USA Biathlon on December 28, 2021 at the US Biathlon Youth Junior World Championships team trials to be held in Midway, Utah.
Hansen was scheduled to fly to Switzerland and compete in the Biathlon between December 11-21, 2021. The international event was originally scheduled for January of 2021 and was relocated to December due to covid protocols. The event has now been cancelled indefinitely.
Justin Hansen is a senior at River City Academy in Soldotna and studying through the Middle College program with classes through Kenai Peninsula College.
Photo courtesy of Kenaibiathlon Facebook Page
