Travis Cooper, a 2015 graduate of Kenai Central, has been selected by U.S. Biathlon to compete in the first three International Biathlon Union World Cup events of this season.
The World Cup season kicks off in Oestersund, Sweden, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8. Cooper will then compete in Hochfilzen, Austria, from Dec. 13 to 15, and Le Grand Bornand, France, from Dec. 19 to 22.
Cooper earned the nod coming off a strong performance at the U.S. Biathlon Fall Festival and IBU Cup Trials held over the weekend in Soldier Hollow, Utah. The event was held on roller skis.
Cooper, part of National Guard Biathlon, started the event Thursday with a victory in the men’s 10-kilometer sprint with a time of 26 minutes, 13.45 seconds. Cooper shot clean in both the prone and standing stages. Lars Hammernes Leopold was second, also shooting clean, at 26:21.58.
Saturday, Cooper won again, this time taking the 13.5-kilometer mass start. Cooper won with a time of 34 minutes, 59.80 seconds, missing just one target, while Paul Schommer was second at 35:06.28 with three misses.
Sunday, Cooper competed in a 10-kilometer sprint. Ironically, the sprints had to be delayed due to snowfall, which made the tracks too slick for roller skis. Once the races started, Jake Brown took the victory with one miss in 27:45.27, while Cooper was sixth with one miss in 28:38.67.
According to biathlonresults.com, Cooper made 10 starts on the World Cup circuit last season. His best individual finish was 56th.
