In a sport where Russian billionaires back competitors and there are massive European sponsorship dollars, the Canadian National Biathlon Team should have no business even sharing the same course.
Armed with a meager $220,000 of Own the Podium funding, Canadian athletes had to pay several thousand dollars out of their own pockets to compete for the last two world cup stops of the season.
They were only able to have one coach, one junior wax tech (most teams have four and Canada’s top techs were absent) and no physiotherapy or massage therapist support on tour, something that’s become a requirement for most teams. In comparison, Cross Country Canada has a luxurious bus for support thanks to generous sponsorship donations.
Despite the lack of funds, it appears as if nothing can stop the team’s strong performances this year. On Thursday (March 6) Zina Kocher and Rosanna Crawford both cracked the top 15 in the 10-kilometre pursuit race for the first time this season, finishing 13th and 14th respectively on Saturday (March 8) in Slovenia, while Emma Lunder made her world cup debut with an astonishing 30th-place in the sprint on March 6.
The result was a career-best in the pursuit for Crawford, and the best of the year for Kocher.
“It’s pretty impressive with the lack of funds we have been able to pull this off. I hope we can change this around in the future, because a slight increase doesn’t instantly guarantee medals, but we are closing the gap and it’s oh so close,” Kocher said.
Within the race, Kocher shot 16/20 but had the fastest last lap on the day, while Crawford grew stronger as the race went on, shooting clean in her last two bouts to finish the day 16/20.
“It was a bit of a strange race today for me. Things started out really bad with three misses in my first prone bout. I over-corrected for the wind, so it’s all me,” Crawford said. “(After my final shooting bout) as I left the range there wasn’t anyone too close to me, but then Zina passed me on one of the up hills and I was like ‘OK, time to give ’er.’ ”
Things improved dramatically as the race went on, and Kocher and Crawford found themselves sprinting side by side in the last 100 metres. Kocher edged Crawford at the line.
“It was really fun with Rosanna there. It was truly motivating for both of us. She knows me well and when I passed her she challenged herself to not give up,” Kocher said.
The Slovenia world cup stop was the first since Sochi for the Canadian team and, with the pressure of the Olympics behind them, the team was able to loosen up. Kocher spent a week ski touring in Europe, and it appeared to help her race.
“I think a lot of it has to do with just being more relaxed now that the Olympics are over. My shape is still really good, I’m having fun and just going for it,” Kocher said.
Lunder had an incredible debut in the sprint race on Thursday (March 6). Aiming for a top 60 result, she surprised herself.
“It was a definite shock to finish 30th in my first world cup. I felt fantastic in my race and was really pleased to shoot 90 per cent. But when I was skiing my last lap, all I could think about was that I was fighting for top 60 to make it into the pursuit. When I crossed the finish line and glanced over at the results board, I did a double take, making sure that yes, it was my name in 30th position. It was the perfect way to begin my world cup racing career,” Lunder said.
Crawford was impressed with her teammate’s debut, and said the future looks bright for the program.
“We have some fresh blood at this world cup. It’s great to share your experiences with them and see how excited they are to be here. It really helps bring some life to the team,” Crawford said.
The men were not to be outdone. Brendan Green finished 21st in the mass start by shooting 17/20. Nathan Smith also raced for Canada and finished 36th in the pursuit.
“Conditions have been challenging here all week with strong winds, especially this morning. I had too many shooting mistakes compared to the front of the field. My physical shape still seems quite good coming off the Olympics, so I’m optimistic that I’ll have more good opportunities over the next coupe of weeks,” said Green.
The world cup season wraps up in two weeks.
