Kenai biathlete Travis Cooper continued his week of competition at the USA Youth and Junior Biathlon World Championships at Kincaid Park in Anchorage with a third-place finish Wednesday,
Amid minimal snow conditions brought on by the recent warm weather, the 2015 Kenai Central graduate finished the 7.5-kilometer sprint with a time of 24 minutes, 17.9 seconds, or 1:48 behind race winner Paul Everett. In the two shooting stages, Cooper missed a total of eight shots — four each in the prone and standings stages. The skier must ski a short penalty loop for each missed shot.
On Tuesday, Cooper finished second in the Junior Men’s 10K pursuit, finishing 32 seconds behind winner Paul Everett with a time of 36:16, and over a minute ahead of third-place Brian Halligan.
The event determines who qualifies for the World Junior and Youth Biathlon Championships in Cheile Gradistei, Romania; the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway; and the North American Biathlon Championships in Fort Kent, Maine.