Eighteen countries. One hundred and fifty-five athletes. Two IBU Cups.
After a three-year wait, the IBU Cup will return to Canmore from Feb. 27 to March 7 at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Olympians Zina Kocher, Scott Perras and Marc-Andre Bedard will lead the Canadian contingent, which will bring together a mixture of seasoned veterans on the hunt for medal performances, and future stars seeking to race hard on their home course.
Canadians are expected to medal at the event, according to Biathlon Canada’s high performance director Chris Lindsay, and the athletes are excited to perform in front of their fans for the free event.
“It will be great to race at home,” Kocher said. “Canmore typically has fast conditions because of the man-made snow. It sets a really hard pack. The course is in top shape for fast speeds and the times will be really tight, because it’s not a course that really divides people. There aren’t any huge hills, but you’re working all the time.”
This could be the last time to watch Kocher race at home, as the three-time Olympian is considering retirement. She’s tempted to race next year’s world cup in Canmore, but will face a tough field this year, which will include several world cup medallists.
After opening ceremonies on Feb. 27 at the Canmore Civic Centre, the action begins on Saturday (Feb. 28) and Sunday (March 1) with a pair of sprint races.
Here is a list of Canada’s IBU Cup athletes:
Marc-Andre Bedard
Born: Feb. 19, 1986
Hometown: Saint Gabriel de Valcartier, Que.
A world class athlete in multiple sports, Bedard and girlfriend Claude Godbout split their time between biathlon and adventure races, where they’re among the best Spartan athletes in North America. A veteran on the Canadian team, Bedard represented Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. He performs well in Canmore and should be a podium threat.
Sarah Beaudry
Born: March 19, 1994
Hometown: Prince George, B.C.
As a child, Beaudry’s mother would spend afternoons teaching Sarah how to knit, sew and bake sweets. Years later, the blonde biathlon phenom still sews her own outrageous race suits and bakes treats for her teammates, but along the way also picked up the skills to become one of Canada’s most powerful athletes. She earned a bronze medal at the 2014 world juniors, made her world cup debut this season, and narrowly missed a shot at world championships. This will be one of the best chances to watch Beaudry compete against an international field as she continues her ascent up the world rankings.
Andrew Chisholm
Born: Nov. 17, 1991
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
One of the most dedicated athletes in the sport, Chisholm has been on a roll of late, reaching the top of the podium in three of his last four races. Proud of his Canadian and Estonian heritage, he’s realizing one of his career dreams by racing an international field on home soil. A hard worker in the gym and on the piste, Chisholm is a lock to give it his all.
Macx Davies
Born: Dec. 24, 1992
Hometown: Canmore, Alta.
The longer Davies grows his hair, the faster he gets. Davies has shown Samson-like strength on IBU and world cup circuits this year and that has coaches salivating over his potential. He’s earned top-10 results at junior world championships and hasn’t looked out of place on the world cup. His best result on the IBU Cup this year is a 13th-place finish and he’d love to grab his first IBU Cup medal in front of a hometown crowd.
Claude Godbout
Born: Jan. 29, 1984
Hometown: Valcartier, Que.
A Spartan race world champion, Godbout’s tough-as-nails approach to biathlon has resulted in six years with Biathlon Canada, where she’s consistently a top-20 threat on the IBU Cup circuit. She has spent more time concentrating on winter triathlons this year, but still managed a fourth-place finish in the IBU Cup trials race at the Nordic Centre on Sunday.
Matthew Hudec
Born: April 14, 1994
Hometown: North Battleford, Sask.
Training under Richard Boruta at the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre, Hudec is breaking out in his rookie season. He recently medalled at the Canada Winter Games and earned a trip to Open European Championships, where he was 24th in the junior men’s sprint. The Prairies have produced many of Canada’s best biathletes, and Hudec hopes to continue that tradition.
Zina Kocher
Born: Dec 5, 1982
Hometown: Red Deer, Alta.
A three-time Olympian, Kocher is the last Canadian woman to win a world cup medal. One of the fastest pure skiers in the sport, her blistering speed has carried her to 10 top-10 world cup results over her career. She is also contemplating retirement, so this could be the last time to see one of Canada’s best race on home soil.
Emma Lunder
Born: Sept. 2, 1991
Hometown: Vernon, B.C.
By day, she knocks down targets with reckless abandon; by night, she doles out espresso shots at the Canmore Starbucks. Lunder has shown steady improvement over the past two seasons. Now a consistent threat on the IBU Cup, the part-time barista cracked the top 30 on the world cup last season and should receive a hometown advantage at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Aidan Millar
Born: Dec. 1, 1995
Hometown: Canmore, Alta.
Considered Canada’s top junior prospect, Millar is fresh off of an eighth-place finish at world junior championships in Kazakhstan. A concussion last spring changed his expectations, but he’s exceeded all of his goals this year. Growing up at Lake O’Hara Lodge meant a childhood skiing up big mountains and plunging into pristine lakes, which proved to be good training for the cardio-intensive sport. He’ll miss the first weekend of racing, but will be one to watch on IBU Cup 8.
Matthew Neumann
Born: July 13, 1989
Hometown: Prince George, B.C.
Neumann is one of the fastest Canadian biathletes around and proved so by winning an IBU Cup trials race on Dec. 22 in decisive fashion, beating the field by 55 seconds. This year, he’s changed up his training regimen and appears to be peaking at the right moment. Shooting clean on his home course, Neumann could surprise.
Scott Perras
Born: Oct. 25, 1983
Hometown: Regina, Sask.
A gifted, multi-sport athlete, Perras didn’t start biathlon until his late teens, but that didn’t stop him from reaching the Winter Olympics in 2014. The elder statesman on the men’s team, Perras has a top 10 world cup finish to his name and has been a consistent performer throughout his career and a staple on the men’s relay team. Perras also got engaged this year on the top of Mt. Whitney.
Melanie Schultz
Born: July 4, 1985
Hometown: Canmore, Alta.
After retiring from the sport two years ago, it was believed Schultz had traded in her rifle for a kitchen stocked with exotic foods and life as a mild-mannered patent agent. However, at the IBU Cup trials race, there was Schultz, shooting 9/10 to earn a spot on the team. CrossFit has kept her in shape, and she’s shown no sign of deterioration in her shooting. Never count out a biathlete who makes homemade prosciutto in her basement.
Leilani Tam von Burg
Born: Dec. 7, 1995
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.
Another Canada Winter Games medallist, Tam von Burg is also peaking at the right time after her first year with the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre. Internationally trained, Tam von Burg will gain valuable experience racing a strong field in Canmore, as she’ll battle for more IBU starts next season. She finished a career best 17th at the world junior championships this year, and has a great platform to build upon.
Erin Yungblut
Born: June 18, 1993
Hometown: Wroxeter, Ont.
A sharpshooter with a sweet tooth, Yungblut is the envy of her teammates thanks to her chocolate sponsorship with Giddy Yoyo. Yungblut discovered the sport late, and due to a lack of training opportunities, she initially worked out in Ontario forests, shooting wooden targets she hung from trees. One of the kindest Canadian teammates, Yungblut should benefit from racing at home.
