World Juniors

My victory at the 1997 World Junior Championships was a proud moment. I actually knew that I was the best junior athlete that year, however in the individual race I placed a disappointing 9th place after having too many shooting penalties. The night before the Sprint race, I will always remember the meeting I had with my coach, Algis Shalna, where he made me realize me the race was mine to win, I just had to hit my targets. The next day I did, and won.

Winning the race itself was not so difficult, I was very well prepared, but what always made me proud is the way, at the time, the entire US Biathlon Association program revolved around getting a junior to win a World Junior Championship medal, and for four years we worked together to accomplish that goal. After four years of competing at the World Junior Championships, in the last competition of my junior career, I accomplished the goal.

Considering that I became the first American to win a World Championship medal in any Nordic sport gave me satisfaction, however, immediately after I won the race I realized that it was just a step in my career, and the World Junior Gold medal just showed that I have the potential to become the best in the world, which has been a whole new process I have yet to accomplish.