Team USA's Jeremy Teela (28) races in the 15 kilometer mass start biathlon event at the Whistler Olympic Park at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in Whistler, B.C. He finished 29th with a time of 38:36.1. (Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY)
Sgt. Jeremy Teela will race and shoot in his final biathlon event today at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Teela and three teammates from Team USA will compete in the men’s 4×7.5 kilometer relay, which begins at 11:30 a.m. PST. Unfortunately the race will not be televised live, at least not where I live. You may want to check NBC’s site to be sure about your location.
The U.S. has never medaled in a biathlon event at the Olympics. However Teela, a member of the Vermont National Guard and the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, had the best-ever finish for an American in biathlon by finishing ninth in the 10-kilmoter sprint on Feb. 14.
Since that strong start in Vancouver, Teela has been hit with a run of bad luck. First, a bizarre error by a starter in the 12.5 kilometer pursuit cost Teela a penalty that helped land him in 24th place overall. Teela then missed the 20-kilometer race on Feb. 18 because of an illness. Three days later he competed in the 15 kilometer mass start and finished 29th overall.
Teela will be Team USA’s anchor today. Earlier this week on his Twitter page he said that he’s over his head cold, so it appears that his health will not be an issue.
