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Biathlon Yukon has brought home multiple medals from the Canadian Biathlon Nationals.

The Nationals took place March 13-19 in Valcartier, Que.

Biathlon Yukon and Nationals race official Sophia Marnik said, 鈥淚t was a wonderful, super event, really well-organized.

Marnik said the QFB (F茅d茅ration Qu茅b茅coise de Biathlon) 鈥渨ere just really friendly and welcoming and accommodating.鈥�

Yukon coach/wax technician Nick Marnik said they sent more athletes than usual to Quebec 鈥� 11. Two post-secondary athletes participated in the nationals 鈥� Romeo Champagne and Noah Marnik.

鈥淲e decided instead of using a selection criteria that we would just take all eligible athletes,鈥� said Nick Marnik.

Tracey Hutton and Ted Hup茅 were the other coaches.

Champagne won gold in the Junior Men鈥檚 12.5 km pursuit and, along with Isla Hup茅, a bronze in the Junior 7.5 km mixed relay.

Champagne joined the team from Kazakhstan, where he was competing in the World Championships.

Marnik said 鈥渋t was really exciting to have Romeo join us from Kazakhstan.鈥�

Champagne had some serious baggage issues, as he arrived in Quebec but his gear didn鈥檛.

鈥淗e has the wherewithal to travel with a minimum amount of race gear and his ski boots in his carry-on,鈥� noted Marnik.

Champagne had to borrow skis and poles. Biathlon Yukon did have a spare rifle, but it was right-handed. Champagne normally shoots left-handed.

鈥淗e鈥檚 legally blind in his right eye 鈥� he took this right-handed rifle and re-jigged it as much as he possibly could 鈥� he shot much slower than normal, but shot really good,鈥� recalled Marnik.

Champagne鈥檚 rifle showed up the next evening.

鈥淭he first competition was the sprint,鈥� related Marnik. 鈥淎nd the second competition was the pursuit. The starts for the pursuit are based on the finishes of the sprint. He didn鈥檛 have a great sprint result but he managed to come back and be first across the line for the pursuit. He was supercharged. He had a phenomenal pursuit race.

鈥淚t was literally a fight right til the end.

鈥淩eally, really great to see him be able to succeed after so many challenges.鈥�

By the third competition, Champagne had his own skis back in his hands.

Sophia Marnik was also amazed at Champagne鈥檚 performance.

鈥淗e鈥檚 completely jet lagged, he has borrowed stuff, and he went out there and he competed anyway, so he didn鈥檛 win a medal on that one. He cleaned his first bout of shooting and in pretty difficult circumstances.

鈥淚 managed to catch him crossing the finish line and realized he was in first place, which is amazing. So that was just wonderful.鈥�

Overall, Nick Marnick said the Nationals went 鈥渧ery, very well. There was definitely mixed results. First time for quite a few of them to the national championships, but not all.

鈥淚sla Hup茅 managed to get a third place finish in the single mixed category with Romeo as a partner.

鈥淩eally pleased to see that between the two of them they managed to place really well. I think the event was definitely invigorating for both Romeo and Isla.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 just kind of icing on the cake to top off the season like this and to get some hardware when you鈥檝e been working so hard.鈥�

Cole Germain struck silver in the Youth Men鈥檚 10 km mass start.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 shouted so loud 鈥� we are standing on the firing line, literally counting shots trying to figure out 鈥榃here is this going?鈥欌�� recalled Marnik. 鈥淲e had folks in the penalty lap, as he鈥檚 shooting. He鈥檚 leaving and it鈥檚 a matter of 鈥榃ho does he get out ahead of?鈥�

鈥淚t was literally down to that last shooting bout and the fact that Cole raced his own race. He was persistent right til the end. Just cause he鈥檚 not in the lead, bout 1 and bout 2, by the time bout 3 is over, he鈥檚 really catching up and bout 4, when he cleans (no misses), he鈥檚 just rocking out of that range and getting ahead of the guys stuck in the penalty loop.鈥�

Germain hit 18 of 20 targets during the race. The other athletes on the podium missed three shots each. The penalty laps were 150 metres per miss.

Sophia Marnik noted, 鈥淭he kids are always happy for each other when they do well. Romeo bringing home the gold, Cole as well and in the relay, Isla Hup茅 and Romeo.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e all just very, very happy, excited for their friends.鈥�

Nick Marnik was asked what he thought was the team鈥檚 key to success.

鈥淥ne part of it is definitely the team aspect of the individual sport we compete in.

鈥淎 lot of these athletes compete with each other on a really regular basis. They flip from being competitors to best friends to competitors. There鈥檚 these sincere, heartfelt moments at the finish line where they congratulate each other, they鈥檙e asking them about their races.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the results. It鈥檚 everything leading up to them. It didn鈥檛 mean getting on the podium for all of them. By and large, they all had super substantial successes.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檙e really solid athletes,鈥� Sofia added. 鈥淭hey shoot well. They might not be the fastest skiers out there yet, but they work their hardest when they鈥檙e out there. They really give it their all.鈥�

She added that one of their younger athletes, Chase O鈥橞rien, got to race on an unofficial team with a Master鈥檚 athlete, Eric LeMee from Alberta.

鈥淪o he was racing with a guy that鈥檚 probably about mid-fifties, and they won.

鈥淭he guy that he was racing with was so happy to be cheered on by this group of teenagers every time he went around a bend or every time he took a shot. He was like, 鈥楾his is the best experience ever.鈥� So that was really awesome.鈥�

Marnik said O鈥橞rian really enjoyed himself as well.

Lydia Brown, Stella Mueller, Claire MacMillan, Matthew London, Keelan Robins and Bruce Porter rounded out the team.

According to Nick Marnik, half of the team had serious travel woes on the way to Quebec. But they were able to persevere through them and 鈥渄o their thing,鈥� said Marnik.

Then they had more problems flying back to Toronto.

鈥淭here was some massive fumbling around with checking in the team,鈥� recalled Marnik. 鈥淭here was four of us that were refused entry to the plane when we got to the gate. I would say that it was really a staffing issue on the airlines part. It was the combination of lack of experience from the check-in agents as to how to deal with the firearms. It鈥檚 literally one extra piece of paper that goes into it, but when it takes over 10 minutes to check in an individual and you have 12 people, it doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e there two hours before the flight.

鈥淭he customer service supervisor was fully aware of who needed to get on that flight to Toronto, but did not assist in expediting us at all.鈥�

On the flight fiasco, Sophia Marnik said she just wished that Air North would give them a charter.

鈥淲e got stuck in Toronto, we went out, taxied, came back to the gate, waited around for a few hours, did the same thing again and then they canceled the flight. So then it was about 12 hours of hanging around in Pearson (airport) with five athletes who have to go and train the next day. It can really throw people off a bit, so I鈥檓 proud of them for not being too thrown off by that experience, especially if they鈥檙e nervous about flying and nervous about competing.鈥�

Sophia Marnik said that the biathletes were 鈥渢he best group of kids to travel with. They were just a delight.鈥�

Nick Marnik added, 鈥淎t the end of the day, all the luggage is here, the rifles are here, everybody鈥檚 back in Whitehorse.鈥�