Lanny and Tracy Barnes are two of the most decorated athletes in La Plata County. Saturday night, the twin sisters will be called hall of famers.
The Durango Winter Sports Foundation will induct the Barnes sisters into its hall of fame Saturday night at the Purgatory Sports building on North Main Ave. The induction will coincide with the DWSF’s annual gala.
Lanny Barnes is a three-time Olympian in biathlon, and Tracy is a two-time Olympian who famously gave up her spot on the Olympic team to Lanny in 2014. Tracy has won more than 10 national championships in biathlon and eight North American Championships.
She also won a silver medal in the team relay event of the 2002 World Junior Championships. She was named to the world championship team eight times, the European Cup team every year from 2003-13.
Tracy also earned the 2014 U.S. Olympic Committee Jack Kelley Fair Play Award and the 2014 United Nations International Fair Play Award for giving her spot to Lanny in the 2014 Olympics.
Lanny also has had a decorated career. She was named to the world championship team 13 times and won silver and bronze medals in the relay and individual junior championships in 2002. In 2002, she was named the U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete of the Year.
The six-time national champion finished 23rd at the Olympics in 2010, which was the best Olympic finish for an American in 16 years. She claimed a bronze medal in the European Cup in 2003 and earned second – and fourth-place finishes at the 2012 International Biathlon Cup.
“Both Tracy Barnes and Lanny Barnes epitomize our core values,” said Mike Elliott, co-founder of DWSF, in a news release.
“Hometown Durango twin sisters that earned trips to the Olympic Games in the sport of biathlon, this dynamic duo has become iconic role models for our youth. Not only have they upheld the highest standards in athletics, they have shown that camaraderie, sportsmanship and sisterhood come first.”
The induction ceremony will be held at 6:15 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door beginning at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children. The gala is the biggest fundraiser of the year for DWSF, which provides support to the Alpine, Freestyle, Freeride and Durango Nordic ski clubs in Durango.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
