Annie Azzi, a Grade 10 student at École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord in Blind River, won two medals at the recent Ontario Winter Games in Renfrew. She competed in biathlon, a discipline that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
On Feb. 10, Azzi won the silver medal in the 7.5 kilometre biathlon race (mass start) for senior girls. With precision rifle marksmanship, she hit 19 of 20 targets and overcame rain and difficult weather conditions.
The next day, Azzi placed 3rd in the 7.5 km race (pursuit, individual start) of the biathlon. She earned the bronze by shooting 17 of 20 targets and completing the event with a time of 35:01.1.
Recognized for her community involvement, Azzi has been a member of the Blind River Cross Country Ski Club since age 7. A diligent student, she maintains her presence on her school's honour roll despite putting a lot of time and effort into her training, the Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon noted in a news release.
During the Ontario Winter Games, Azzi displayed pride in her Lebanese and Canadian heritage. Furthermore, she proudly wore her Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne (FESFO) tuque to promote this organization in which she serves as the contact person at her school.
In addition to sitting on the ÉSC Jeunesse-Nord student parliament, she is a member of the school’s volleyball team and of the music group La Volée du Nord. A young entrepreneur, she creates and sells specialty cakes through her business “Annie’s Baking”.
Building on her success at the Ontario Winter Games, this versatile student and athlete is continuing her training to participate in other competitions, including the Apogée Québec CUP 4 and the Biathlon Ontario Championships March 4 and 5.
On Feb.16, she also represented North Shore secondary schools at the NOSSA cross-country skiing championship in North Bay where she finished sixth. The performance qualifies her for the provincial secondary school championship (OFSAA) to be held in Lakefield on Feb. 23 and 24.