Queen’s York Rangers advance to nationals in biathlon

February 22, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Eight minutes.
That is how long it took for Master Corporal Jessica Matile and Corporal Vivian Mullins’ closest opponents to cross the finish line behind them at the Ontario Biathlon Championships.
The duo representing the Queen’s York Rangers 2799 remain undefeated in biathlon after their gold medal performance in Sault Ste. Marie last week in the 6.0 km team sprint.
Following up with a first-place finish the next day in the 4.5km team relay, Mullins then closed out her medal haul with a bronze-winning performance for individual junior female. She missed the silver by just two seconds.
“What a weekend here in Sault Ste. Marie,” said coach David Kasper. “We had some great weather yesterday and lots of snow today, both of which made for some interesting but fun races!”
Both Matile and Mullins have secured their spots on Team Ontario next week, when the provinces and territories will converge on Valcartier, Quebec for the National Biathlon Championship.
“I am absolutely thrilled to announce that after a few years lull, 2799 will be going back to nationals,” said Kasper.
In the men’s event, Sergeant Adrian Poncelet and Master Corporal Nicholas Ertl finished a strong seventh out of 25 teams in the Open Male category’s 6.0km sprint, the largest in the regional competition.
They closed out the event in sixth place, moving up the following day after a great performance in the 4.0km relay, with Ertl shooting clean in going ten-for-ten in target shooting.