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Wadsworth appointed Biathlon Canada's new coach

Biathlon Canada's new coach, Justin Wadsworth is hopeful for the upcoming season and stresses the importance of team unity
Justin 2-2
Former Canadian cross-country ski coach, Justin Wadsworth has been appointed Biathlon Canada national team head coach. Nordic Focus PHOTO

CANMORE – Three-time Olympian and one of the nation’s top cross country ski coaches, Justin Wadsworth has been appointed Biathlon Canada national team head coach. 

Wadsworth, took over from longtime head coach Matthias Ahrens in April of this year as an interim coach, but will now continue through the 2019-20 season.

“I saw the opportunity to help out a young team," Wadsworth said. 

"It’s exciting as a coach to be able to build and shape a program and the culture of a team."

He said initially he was only planning to coach the team for three months to help athletes develop their ski speed . 

“After a couple of months, I was really enjoying myself and I the athletes were as well," he said. "I cherish the responsibility of 12 athletes and trying to take them on a career path.”

Wadsworth’s entry into biathlon came during the 2018 Winter Olympics, when he served as a commentator for CBC. He was also an Olympic cross-country skier for the U.S. team in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

He recalls watching many world cup biathlon events to prepare for the role and has high praise and respect, as do the athletes, for the team's shooting coach, Pavel Lantsov, who has been working with Biathlon Canada for 16 months. 

“I know some stuff about shooting now, but I didn’t coming into the job,” said Wadsworth. “Pavel has full control over the shooting, so that has allowed me to focus on what I know best.”

Biathlon Canada noticed a gap in the team's pace of skiing, and looked to improve upon that with Wadsworth at the helm. He has experience coaching, having been the coach for Cross-Country Canada for six years. 

"We were looking for a head coach with a speciality in ski technique, ski speed, and overall athlete physical preparation. All are skills we knew Justin possessed as evidenced by his past success coaching the Canadian national cross-country ski team. The athletes responded immediately to his approach and coaching philosophy," said Biathlon Canada general manager, Heather Ambery.

“I have had the benefit to work with Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey, Chandra Crawford, you know some of Canada’s top skiers. I know what fast skiing looks like and how to achieve that.” 

Wadsworth is eager to start the season and is positive his team will achieve exciting results.

The season will get under way on Nov. 4 at the Canmore Nordic Centre, when the team hosts its trials. He said they have a few athletes that have already been selected to the world cup team, but the trials will help determine the remaining spots for the elite level. 

The remaining athletes will be placed on the International Biathlon Union (IBU) cup circuit.

Wadsworth said everyone on the team is in a different place in their career.

“We have some younger athletes with not a lot of experience on the world cup especially, and then we have some ‘older’ athletes that have some world cup experience and some good results in the past that we can can really build on,” he said.

Aside from the track and shooting range, the self described "athletes coach," Wadsworth has stressed the importance of team cohesion. From his time as an athlete, he has seen the direct benefit of a having a tight knit team. 

“You could have the top 10 skiers on a team, but if there is no team unity, that will only impact the team and individuals in a negative way.”

Staying positive in the face of doping is another issue Wadsworth has brought up with his young team. He said as an athlete during some of the highest levels of doping in the sport, he knows how it can be discouraging to clean athletes. 

“Good results and consistent results can still be achieved among those that are doping. I have seen it done. I really understand it is possible and I hope my athletes take that to heart,” Wadsworth said.

Over the past four months as coach, Wadsworth has been impressed by his athletes' dedication to the sport. He said because biathlon is one of the least funded sports in Canada, athletes work full or part time and financially support themselves for the most part. 

“Canmore is great. The community supports a lot of athletes and this team really needs support right now, and that’s one of the reasons I decided to stay because I don’t want to let these guys down. I want to see them to their fruition of their athletic success.”

The team will host a fundraiser at the Iron Goat in Canmore on Nov. 14, and will include dinner, a silent auction and a speech from Olympian Beckie Scott.

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