After spending countless hours picking, training, badgering and motivating Biathlon Canada athletes, assistant coach Roddy Ward likes what he sees at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
After the first week, the team has performed at an above average level and has shown good signs as they move toward their strongest events: the relays.
“Overall, as a team it’s been really good. We’ve had some above average days. On the men’s side we’ve been particularly good. The sprint was our best ever at a major event (three in the top 25) and the pursuit was amazing,” Ward said.
The women continued their string of solid results on Feb. 11 in the pursuit, where Zina Kocher was the top Canadian, finishing 25th in a time of 32:15.1, 2:44 behind the winner, Darya Domracheva of Belarus. Zocher’s skiing was incredibly fast, as she had the top lap time in the field on her final trip around the course, and she shot 16/20.
“Zina moved up from 32nd to 25th in her last lap alone,” Ward said.
Her performance pleased her coaches, but Kocher was looking for more.
“It was definitely great to move up. I was feeling more confident and relaxed. It was still frustrating (to miss four), but I know I’m skiing strong and need to focus on what went well,” Kocher said.
While Kocher skied well, Megan Imrie was the team’s top shooter. She missed two and finished 28th on the day with a time of 32:22.7, which is her best performance at the Olympics.
“Megan was solid on both days. She’s getting up there, and she just needs to keep doing the same thing in the individual,” Ward said.
Rosanna Crawford had a rough day on the range, where she missed seven shots and struggled mightily with the pressure, finishing 45th with a time of 34:15.6.
“I won’t bore you with details, but that race was a disaster,” Crawford wrote. “The nerves were high and I put way too much pressure on myself. I felt unnatural and just out of place in the range today. Usually it’s my second home.”
Megan Heinicke missed eight shots and was lapped out of the race.
“It’s been a bit up and down for the women. They’re having good days and bad days. Two had good days, ” Ward said. “It could be a good thing for them. They’ll be motivated and angry for the individual and the relay. We’re so close. We want to be on the podium and the potential is there.”
