Cross country athlete Tristan Thrasher Wins Biathlon Competition in Norway
Cross country athlete Tristan Thrasher Wins Biathlon Competition in Norway
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club cross country athlete Tristan Thrasher won the biathlon G16 category at the 2024 Bama Liatoppen Skiskytterfestival in Liagardane, Norway, on April 13, 2024. The Liatoppen Skiskytterfestival marks the end of the winter season for youth biathletes across the Nordic nations region, with over 1,000 competitors as young as 11 years old. Thrasher competed in a 5-kilometer individual start sprint skate race with two prone shooting bouts and over 70 athletes competing. In addition to winning the event, Thrasher earned the prestigious Hans Jorgen Tveito Memorial Award for the top athlete in his age category. Hans Jorgen Tveito was one of the founders of the Liatoppen Skiskytterfestival and tragically died in an accident at a young age. Tristan Thrasher and Davis Brosterhous competed in the events representing U.S. Biathlon. Brosterhous also finished in the top 20 in the J16 category, finishing 14th out of nearly 60 competitors. Thrasher’s win at the Bama Liatoppen Skiskytterfestival follows a bronze medal finish in the U16 5-kilometer freestyle skate race at the U.S. Cross Country Junior Nationals on March 11, where he represented the Rocky Mountain Division and SSWSC in Lake Placid, New York.
Both Brosterhous and Thrasher train with SSWSC’s cross country ski program throughout the year, and Thrasher’s biathlon shooting coach is Marc Sheppard from Team Altuis in Montana.