Sarah Beaudry, biathlon, two-time Olympian
Sometimes a change of scenery is all one needs.
Finding freedom in a brand new approach to biathlon, Sarah Beaudry’s struggles in picking off targets ceased and the Olympian has been money on the world cup range, shooting in the high 80s overall, which is up nearly 10 per cent from last season.
In order to move to the next chapter in her career, Beaudry decided to leave Biathlon Canada’s national senior team in spring 2021 in favour of more personalized training.
“This season I really focused on building a solid base in the spring, really knowing my position and being confident in that,” said Beaudry, 27. “This past training season I was on Team Trail Sports, and it is a lot more independent and self-directed training, so I was in charge of what I wanted to do at the range, which made it possible for me to focus on what I needed. I shot a lot less than I have in previous seasons, but I made every session count.”
Going into a second consecutive Olympics, some of the main lessons the long-time biathlete took to heart since PyeongChang 2018 was figuring out what she needed as a person and an athlete and being able to create those situations and environments for herself.
Growing up in Prince George, B.C., Beaudry’s family was big on the ski scene at the local club.
She recalls back when she began racing, Jackie Benson was the only high-level athlete from town. It was like destiny when she came across an old pair of Benson’s skis at a ski swap.
Noticing the excitement in their daughter, Beaudry’s parents purchased the classic skis for the budding athlete.
“We often would ski past the [biathlon] range when they were training, and my older brother was really keen to join,” she said. “Once he was old enough, he joined the team and like any good younger sister, I quickly followed him.”
When Prince George’s Megan Tandy emerged on the biathlon scene and qualified for her first World Youth Championships, Beaudry got the feeling of “if she can do it then I can too”.
