Following Nathan Smith’s historic silver medal performance at biathlon world championships in Kontiolahti, Finland, the Canadian world championships biathlon team suffered a case of podium hangover, but still managed a string of solid results, including several top 25 results.
Megan Heinicke led the Canadians in the 15 kilometre individual race on Wednesday (March 11), where she shot 19/20 to finish 21st. Her teammates struggled on the range, as Audrey Vaillancourt finished 79th (15/20), followed by Julia Ransom in 84th (15/20) and Rosanna Crawford in 87th (12/20).
Heinicke was the lone Canadian woman to qualify for the mass start on March 15, where her rifle was reliable once again, as she shot 19/20 to finish 24th.
Valj Semerenko of the Ukraine won the women’s race.
Brendan Green also finished 21st in the men’s 20-km individual on March 12, shooting 19/20 to lead the Canadian men. Green aggravated his old back injury right before world champs, but maintained his ski speed throughout the week of racing. Smith dropped back to 44th (15/20), while Scott Gow finished 63rd (16/20) and Christian Gow was 65th (17/20).
Green was the top Canadian again in the men’s mass start, where he shot 19/20 again to finish 21st. Smith shot 17/20 to finish in 23rd spot.
Jakov Fak of Slovenia won the men’s race.
High Performance director Chris Lindsay said he was impressed with the team’s performance, as there were several highlights.
“Brendan was up in fifth place for part of the race before dropping back with his single miss. His shooting percentage for non-relay races for the year is more than 88 per cent. This is one of the very best in the world. Nathan was able to stay in the race with great ski speed despite his rough start.”
He also praised Heinicke’s sharp shooting, which has been incredible throughout the season.
“Megan had a great race with exceptional shooting,” added Lindsay. “This is a great way for her to finish off the season, with multiple top-16 results and personal bests for the world championships. Meagan is a true role model for the younger athletes on the team, and was able to really show her potential.”
The team has one more world cup weekend to close the season in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Only Green, Smith and Crawford plan to compete in the final race weekend of the year.
