Biathlon Radu brothers podium at Nationals

Radu brothers on podium at US Biathlon National Championships. Photo: Marcel Radu

CASPER, Wyoming — Phillip Radu took second place in the U.S. National Championships for biathlon on Sunday in the U17 Sprint, representing Midway’s Team Soldier Hollow (SoHo) in Casper, Wyoming. 

He followed that performance up with another second-place finish in the team relay.

His brother Daniel, 18, got second in his age group relay.

Their other brother Martin, 15, raced as a substitute guide for a female biathlon athlete from the National Ability Center (NAC) who competes with a visual impairment.

The 10km cross country races featured two shooting stops. They shot one time in the standing position and the other in the prone.

The boys’ mom, Ivana, born in Slovakia, a cross country ski instructor, and her husband, Romanian-born dad, Marcel, volunteer at nationals. Both parents have worked at Deer Valley as ski instructors, Marcel, for 25 years. He was an alpine ski racer in Europe. 

Marcel told TownLift, “It was extremely windy, making shooting straight and hitting targets a challenge. However, the athletes all persevered and I’m proud of my sons.”

Other US Biathlon Nationals podium placements from Team SoHo include Sara Hottle, who won first in the U17 Sprint, and Thomas Vandekamp, who won first in the U17 Pursuit and co-second in the Relay.