FORT KENT, Maine – Athletes from the United States and Canada gathered at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center to compete in the 2023 International Biathlon Union Continental Cup the last weekend of January.
The abundance of natural snow available on the Outdoor Center trails drew skiers from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, as well as New England and the U.S. National Guard.
The Continental Cup is promoted by IBU — the governing body of biathlon — to bring different countries together to enjoy the sport. The event at the Outdoor Center included short individual and mass start races.
“It was just great to have the border open to be able to do all that again,” Fort Kent Outdoor Center President Carl Theriault said. “We were a little concerned because we had so much snow beforehand but we worked like heck and got it all done for them and the Canadians left very happy,”
The following are the 2023 IBU Continental Cup Mass Start top finishers by category: senior men – Jordan Theisen, 44:59.5; senior women – Hannah Chipman, 54:06.8; youth men – Matty Macneill, 31:25.0; youth women – Kayley Bell, 32:41.7; U17 boys – Valère Des Alliers, 27:53.8; U15 boys – Jarrod Wilson, 25:55.6; masters men – James Ketterling, 41:36.1; and masters women – Anne Benoit LeBlanc, 49:07.5.
The following are the 2023 IBU Continental Cup Mass Start top finishers by category: senior men – Vladislav Kapustin, 51:18.2; youth men – Alexandre Comeau, 39:21.8; youth women – Hannah Chipman, 33:23.9; U17 boys – Wyatt Stevenson, 32:53.3; U15 boys – Jarrod Wilson, 30:32.2; Masters Men – Matt Michaud, 49:29.3; and masters women – Claudette Maltais, 49:21.4.
