Minnesota National Guard Biathlon Team Competes in South America
The six service members, along with two members from Alaska and Wyoming, were invited to compete by Argentina’s Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Oscar Santiago Zarich.
Minnesotans representing the United States included Capt. Jared Becker, Chief Warrant Officer Two Shawna Thieschafer, Sgt. 1st Class, Sgt. 1st Class Samantha Hall, Staff Sgt. Hannah (Belle) Murray, Sgt. Trevor Larson, and Sgt. Hunter Zupko.
“It was like a winter wonderland, with parrots,” said Hall, a combat medic assigned to the 204th Medical Company Area Support, 347th Regional Support Group.
August is the final month of winter in the southern hemisphere, and according to Hall, the conditions on the biathlon course were optimal; thanks to the snow base and mountain pack.
Biathletes from Argentina and Chile took part in this year’s championship, and every competitor is a member of the military in their respective countries.
A strong military connection is not unique to biathlon. The sport originated as a ski-and-rifle training exercise for Scandinavian border patrols with the first international competition taking place between Swedish and Norwegian troops in 1767.
The three-day competition opened with a biathlon sprint of 7.5 km for women and 10 km for men. After completing a lap, competitors fire from either prone or standing positions at a 50-meter target. From the prone position, the target is roughly the size of a golf ball. The target is expanded to the size of a softball for the standing position. If competitors missed a target, they were penalized 150 meters of race distance.
The second day was a mass start biathlon at distances of 12.5 km for the women and 15 km for the men with the same firing positions and targets as the sprint.
The final day featured a 6 km biathlon single mixed relay, where Argentina captured the championship.
“What’s neat is competing against Olympians,” said Hall, who joined the Minnesota National Guard’s biathlon team shortly after enlisting in 2014.
Two members of Argentina’s team, and one from Chile, took part in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. For many of the athletes that competed, biathlon is their full-time job in the military.
“It was an honor to race against world class athletes,” she added.
Despite missing out on the championship, Hall was proud to have competed with her fellow service members.
“What really made the trip memorable was how we seamlessly integrated the Alaska and Wyoming athletes into our team of Minnesotans,” she said.
It’s unclear if Hall and her teammates will return to the competition in 2027. If the opportunity presents itself, there’s no doubt she will jump at the chance.
“This was my first international competition,” she said. “[It’s] hopefully not the last.”
By Staff Sgt. Bob Brown Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs
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