There’s a super cool story making the rounds right now, and we just want to share it with you. It’s about two Durango residents. Twins, actually. Olympic biathlete twins from Durango, if you want to get all technical about it.
Watch this awesome commercial, which only aired for one day on Wednesday, Jan. 29, due to some regulations about Olympic athletes and ads and sponsors and blah, blah, blah.
Try not to cry.
Are you crying? Yeah. We know. It’s OK.
Lanny and Tracy Barnes are from Durango, and the twins are both biathletes (biathlons pair the sport of cross country skiing with rifle shooting). They both went to the 2006 Olympics, and Lanny also competed in the 2010 Olympics. Although they were both aiming to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Lanny was too sick to compete in the final two Olympic trial races. Meanwhile, Tracy qualified. So, what did Tracy do? She gave up her spot to the next person in line: her twin sister.
As Lanny told The Denver Post:
“I was completely shocked,” Lanny said. “I almost always know what Tracy’s thinking, and for once in my life, she actually caught me by surprise. When she told me what she wanted to do, I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I tried protesting and telling her, ‘No, this is your spot, you deserve it.’ She wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Since the Barnes’ announcement on Jan. 13, their story has been making headlines across the country and around the world. They’ve been featured on live news shows and in newspapers. On Wednesday, they appeared in their one-day-only Guinness ad, which aired several times on TV and quickly went viral online.
Dang. That’s some cool stuff, Barnes twins. All of us at the Durango Quality Inn just want to say: Way to go, Tracy, and best of luck in Sochi, Lanny!