|
|
|
| |
3/28/2007
Canadian Biathlon Team Digest 3/21-25
March 25, 2007
GOLD MEDAL SWEEP FOR JEAN-PHILIPPE LEGUELLEC 2007 BIATHLON CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Make it a clean sweep for Jean-Philippe Leguellec, who took the final gold medal in the senior men’s pursuit race at the 2007 Canadian Championships in Charlo, New Brunswick. The 21-year-old Olympian headed home for the season with three gold medals and three new Canadian Championship titles.
A native of Valcartier, Que., Leguellec struggled in the first shooting bouts and found himself behind the leaders for the first few laps. Not succumbing to panic, “JP” as he is known on the team, kept to his race plan, posting only one miss in the final shooting bout and put himself back in the lead pack heading into the final lap. Leguellec snuck past François Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., who ended the day in the silver medal position and David Leoni of Camrose, Alta., who was third.
“This week has been so much higher than my expectations,” said Leguellec. “My goal coming in was top-five with potentially a podium finish. To leave here with three gold medals is beyond what I could have hoped for. Each race was challenging and exciting, and I am extremely satisfied to be ending the season this way.”
Zina Kocher of Red Deer, Alta., stood atop the podium for the first time of these Championships. Kocher has been fighting illness and jetlag after hopping a plane to Charlo from Russia earlier in the week. The 24-year-old managed to battle through the end-of-season fatigue to take the women’s title in the pursuit.
“My head was not really in the game this week,” said Kocher. “Shooting was definitely rough all week and today was no exception. I think the difference today was that I thought about it being the last race of the season, I felt strong on the last loop and just gave it everything I had left.”
In junior women’s action, Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., made her own sweep of the podium, claiming all three Junior women’s titles, including the gold medal in Sunday’s (March 25) pursuit. Imrie was also named Manitoba’s Junior Athlete of the Year at the Canadian Sport Awards, Friday, in Winnipeg.
“It has been a really great weekend,” said Imrie. “I can’t think of a better way to end the season. After Canada Games, I did another tough week of training, and then took a mental break, so the first race my legs felt awesome and that has really made all the difference. I felt just as strong this week as I did at Junior World Championships. Added to that, was winning the award, which is a huge honor that I was not expecting. This week has been unbelievable. What a way to end my time as a junior athlete.”
Coming in behind Imrie in the silver medal position was Claude Godbout of Quebec, followed by Cindy Clark of Winnipeg in third. On the junior men’s side, Maxime Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., stayed on top of the junior men’s podium, taking the pursuit title over Marc-André Bédard of Valcartier, Que., by nearly two minutes.
March 24, 2007
SANDRA KEITH AND JEAN-PHILIPPE LEGUELLEC GO TWO-FOR-TWO AT CANADIAN BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS
After taking gold in the individual races, Thursday (March 22), Sandra Keith and Jean-Philippe Leguellec kept the streak going, taking gold again in Saturday’s (March 24) sprint races at the 2007 Canadian Championships in Charlo, New Brunswick.
Keith, a native of Calgary, won handily in the senior women’s category, posting one shooting error and completing the 7.5-kilometer race in 24 minutes 13.7 seconds. Runner-up for the second race in a row, Sonya Erasmus of Vanderhoof, B.C., crossed the line 30.6 seconds behind Keith for the silver medal. Recently returning from the last World Cup race of the season in Russia, Red Deer native Zina Kocher shook off three shooting errors to take the bronze medal, stopping the clock 38.2 seconds behind the new national champion.
“It’s always challenging to race at the end of the season,” said Keith. “I managed to fight off the spring fever, focus in on the race and came out with the win. I’m usually stronger in the longer distance races. It’s been nearly five years since my last sprint win at nationals, so I am really happy with the way I skied today.”
After a day of freezing rain and less than ideal conditions, competitors were treated to a beautiful day of racing, complete with sun and blue skies.
Jean-Philippe Leguellec of Valcartier, Que., enjoyed the taste of victory so much he decided to add a second national title to his record. Leguellec was in a league of his own, crossing the line in 27:19.3, +1:17.5 ahead of Edmonton’s Jaime Robb. Settling into the bronze medal position, David Leoni of Camrose Alta., took third place for the second race in a row, +1:21.3 behind Leguellec.
In junior women’s action, Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., successfully defended her 2006 sprint title, taking her second gold in as many races. Maxime Leboeuf of Val Bélair, Que., made his way to the top of the junior men’s podium, defeating Thursday’s winner, Brendan Green of Whitehorse, N.W.T., by a margin of 37.1 seconds.
March 22, 2007
CANADA’S ELITE BIATHLETES BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY AT THE 2007 CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day one of the 2007 Biathlon Canadian Championships got underway, Thursday (March 22), in Charlo, New Brunswick. Sandra Keith and Jean-Philippe Leguellec were the first to be crowned national champions, in the men’s and women’s individual races.
Fresh off a successful season on the World Cup circuit in Europe, Calgary’s Sandra Keith took the gold medal in the women’s race with a time of 52 minutes, 53.0 seconds, defeating Sonya Erasmus of Vanderhoof, B.C., who crossed the line for the silver medal (54:52.0) and Nicole Pacas of Alberta, who snagged the bronze (55:40.5).
It was a challenging day for the competitors, as the skies opened up about 30 minutes before the race and dropped freezing rain throughout the day. However, for those athletes who have spent many months competing in Europe, the rain is typical.
“It wouldn’t have felt like race day without the rain,” said Keith. “It was challenging for sure, especially when my hat froze to my barrel on the first downhill, but for me the conditions have been like this all season in Europe. I am really happy with my race today, and it was great to see the representation of many provinces on the podium. It shows the depth and development of biathlon across the nation.”
Zina Kocher, top Canadian female on the World Cup circuit this season, did not compete in Thursday’s race, opting to rest for the weekend after just getting off the plane from Russia, Monday.
In men’s action, Jean-Philippe Leguellec of Valcartier, Que., reigned supreme on the day, taking his first senior national title, stopping the clock at 56:10.1. Leguellec defeated 10-time national champion, Robin Clegg of Ottawa, who was the runner-up on the day (56:36.2) and fellow World Cup teammate David Leoni of Camrose Alta., who was third (58:48.6).
“I was a bit nervous in the first lap because my skis weren’t running that fast,” said Leguellec. “Luckily the rain created a nice quick layer of ice on the track that made things a lot faster. I am pretty excited about winning my first national title as a senior, especially against such great competitors.”
Junior champions were crowned in the men’s and women’s races as well. Brendan Green, gold medalist from the Canada Winter Games in his hometown of Whitehorse, won the junior men’s race. Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., 2006 Junior National Champion in the sprint race, took the gold in the junior women’s 12.5-kilometer individual.
|
| |
1/5/2007
"GERMAN WOMEN SWEEP THE PODIUM AT BIATHLON WORLD CUP IN FRONT OF 19,000 FANS"
"Steep uphill climbs and slushy conditions proved a tough challenge for the Canadian women during the 7.5 kilometer sprint in Oberhof, Friday. Hoping to build off their 11th place finish in the relay, the Canadian squad was unable to find the speed from their skis on the difficult course."
"Calgary's Sandra Keith was top Canadian on the day, finishing in 54th place, just under four minutes behind the leader from Germany. The 26-year-old Olympian found inspiration from the 19,000 fans who braved the elements to watch their biathlon heroes compete."
"ôThe fans here are amazing,ö said Keith. ôThey are lined up along the really steep uphill section and the cheering is so loud that it really motivates you to try to get up the hill as fast as you can.ö"
"Keith's strategy for the race was to use the challenging conditions to her advantage, knowing that her competitors would be facing the same difficulties."
"ôI actually really enjoy competing in the rain,ö said Keith. ôI just remind myself that the other racers are likely not enjoying the conditions and that I can use that to my advantage. You just can't let it get to you because you can't control the weather.ö"
"German youngster, Magdalena Neuner picked up her first World Cup victory, in front of the sold-out Rennsteig Arena. The 19-year-old skied a fantastic race to take the top spot, despite two errors on the shooting range, finishing with a time of 24 minutes 18.4 seconds. World Cup veteran Andrea Henkel had to settle for second, +17.3 behind Neuner. Fellow German Martina Glagow completed the podium sweep, +19.7 off the pace."
"Other Canadians in the race, Red Deer, Alta., native Zina Kocher finished in 65th, Marie-Pierre Parent of St. Paul de Joliette, Que., was 74th and World Cup rookie Sonya Erasmus of Vanderhoof, B.C., was 76th."
|
| |
1/4/2007
CANADIAN MEN'S BIATHLON TEAM BATTLE THE ELEMENTS TO CRACK TOP-15 IN WORLD CUP RELAY
"The Canadian Men's Biathlon Team followed the trail set out by their female teammates to crack the top-15 in the Biathlon World Cup relay event in Oberhof, Germany on Thursday, Jan.4."
"Battling through gusting wind and wet snow, the four-man Canadian contingent, led by two-time Olympian, Robin Clegg, of Ottawa, David Leoni, of Camrose, Alta., Frantois Leboeuf of Val Belair, Que., and Nathan Smith, of Canmore, Alta., crossed the line in 14th place, just under nine minutes behind the leading team from Russia."
"ôWe had a really great race today,ö said Leoni. ôRobin skied an unbelievable first leg, and really put his experience to good use. We tagged off in fifth place and held that position until the final two legs. The atmosphere was amazing, but with almost 25,000 fans in the stadium, it made it a bit challenging to maintain composure.ö"
"Although the team was unable to maintain their top-five position, the result is a great stepping stone for the newly-formed team who were participating in their first race of the season."
"ôWe are a young team, and Frantois and Nathan are both rookies on the World Cup circuit,ö said Leoni. ôEven though we didn't hold onto our top-10 position, we are extremely pleased with the way our team performed today.ö"
"The day belonged to the Russians, who finished the race in one hour 26 minutes and 9.89 seconds, with no penalty laps and only eight misses. Germany's Michael Greis skied an impressive final leg, but it was not enough to catch the Russians, settling instead for the silver medal, +41.8 seconds off the pace. The bronze medal went to Norway, who logged four penalties and 15 misses, finishing +2:45.2 behind the leaders."
|
| |
1/3/2007
ZINA KOCHER LEADS CANADIAN WOMEN TO 11TH PLACE IN WORLD CUP RELAY
"In their first relay event of the season, the Canadian women fought through challenging conditions to finish in 11th spot, just over seven minutes behind the leaders from France, with a time of one hour, 28 minutes and 18.8 seconds, in Oberhof, Germany on Jauary 3."
"Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., led the charge for the Canucks, with teammates Sandra Keith of Calgary, Marie Pierre Parent, of St-Paul de Joliette, Que., and World Cup rookie Sonya Erasmus, of Vanderhoof, B.C., all combining for a solid outing."
"ôThe conditions were quite difficult on the range,ö said Kocher. ôThe wind was really shifty. One minute it was gusting, then it would quiet down and then it would start gusting in the other direction. The mix of artificial and fresh snow made the course really slippery so there were a few crashes, making the already narrow track even trickier.ö"
"Despite gusting wind and difficult conditions on the range, the Canadian squad managed to pull together one of the best shooting performances in the field, with only two penalties and 12 misses."
"Meanwhile the French team captured their second straight relay victory, finishing with a time of 1:20.58.4, despite logging a surprising three penalties and 15 misses. However, strong skiing put them in front of the Germans, who finished with a time of 1:21.05.2, and who also met their match on the shooting range with three penalties and 17 misses. China took home the bronze medal after clocking a time of 1:21.18.8."
"ôIt is a pretty good result for our first relay of the season,ö said Kocher. ôThe team did a fair amount of training during the holidays to prepare for World Championships so we haven't had much of a break. For the most part we are pretty happy with the way we finished today.ö"
|
| |
12/20/2006
HOLIDAY BREAK A WELCOME BREATHER FOR CANADA'S ZINA KOCHER
"The holiday break could not come at a better time for Canada's Zina Kocher, who has been on a whirlwind tour since the 2006 World Cup biathlon season began."
"Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta. who won her first World Cup medal three weeks ago in Sweden, and has consistently finished among the world's best throughout the first half of the season, was less than satisfied with her performance in the last race before the holidays, missing two targets in the women's sprint event."
"The 24-year-old completed the race in 24 minutes 23.6 seconds, resulting in a disappointing 34th-place finish."
"""It was a really frustrating day,"" said Kocher. ""Conditions were perfect for shooting clean, but the targets just weren't going down for me. That's biathlon though, sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not."""
"Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson was a force to be reckoned with, capturing her first win of the season and effectively ending the three-race winning streak of Germany's Andrea Henkel. Shooting flawlessly on the range, Olofsson stopped the clock at 22:6.9, a full 32 seconds ahead of Sandrine Bailly, of France, who won the silver medal. Henkel had one miss on the range, and settled for third spot, +41.6 behind Olofsson."
"""Today's race really belonged to the best skiers,"" said a frustrated Kocher. ""Because so many of the top racers shot perfectly on the range, it made it really tough for a good result if you had any misses."""
"Other Canadians in the race included: Sandra Keith, of Calgary in 73rd (+3:51.6), and Marie-Pierre Parent, of St-Paul de Joliette, Que. was 83rd (+4:26.1)."
"The next generation of Canada's top biathletes were also in action on Friday, December 15. In men's Europa Cup competition, Marc-AndrT BTdard got an early Christmas present, turning in his best result of the season with a sixth-place finish, in the men's 10-kilometer sprint event."
"Narrowly missing the podium, the Quebec native shot flawlessly on the range to complete the race in 26:29.4, just 25.5 seconds behind the winner, Christoph Stephan of Germany. Teammate Sebastian Berthod claimed the silver medal, 12.7 seconds behind Stephan, while Austria's Julian Eberhard was third, 14 seconds out."
"Maxime Lebouef, of Val Belair, Que. who posted his best result of the season just a week ago, was 25th on the day, just under two minutes behind the leader."
|
| |
12/15/2006
HOLIDAY BREAK A WELCOME BREATHER FOR CANADA'S ZINA KOCHER
"The holiday break could not come at a better time for Canada's Zina Kocher, who has been on a whirlwind tour since the 2006 World Cup biathlon season began."
"Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta. who won her first World Cup medal three weeks ago in Sweden, and has consistently finished among the world's best throughout the first half of the season, was less than satisfied with her performance in the last race before the holidays, missing two targets in the women's sprint event."
"The 24-year-old completed the race in 24 minutes 23.6 seconds, resulting in a disappointing 34th- place finish."
"(It was a really frustrating day,÷ said Kocher. (Conditions were perfect for shooting clean, but the targets just weren't going down for me. That's biathlon though, sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not.÷"
"Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson was a force to be reckoned with, capturing her first win of the season and effectively ending the three-race winning streak of Germany's Andrea Henkel. Shooting flawlessly on the range, Olofsson stopped the clock at 22:6.9, a full 32 seconds ahead of Sandrine Bailly, of France, who won the silver medal. Henkel had one miss on the range, and settled for third spot, +41.6 behind Olofsson."
"(Today's race really belonged to the best skiers,÷ said a frustrated Kocher. (Because so many of the top racers shot perfectly on the range, it made it really tough for a good result if you had any misses.÷"
"Other Canadians in the race included: Sandra Keith, of Calgary in 73rd (+3:51.6), and Marie-Pierre Parent, of St-Paul de Joliette, Que. was 83rd (+4:26.1)."
Canada's World Cup team will not be competing in the team relay and will head to Italy for a week of training before the holiday break.
"The next generation of Canada's top biathletes were also in action on Friday (Dec. 14). In men's Europa Cup competition, Marc-AndrT BTdard got an early Christmas present, turning in his best result of the season with a sixth-place finish, in the men's 10-kilometer sprint event."
"Narrowly missing the podium, the Quebec native shot flawlessly on the range to complete the race in 26:29.4, just 25.5 seconds behind the winner, Christoph Stephan of Germany. Teammate Sebastian Berthod claimed the silver medal, +12.7 seconds behind Stephan, while Austria's Julian Eberhard was third +14 seconds out."
"Maxime Lebouef, of Val Belair, Que. who posted his best result of the season just a week ago, was 25th on the day, just under two minutes behind the leader."
For complete results: www.biathlonworld.com
|
| |
12/13/2006
CANADA'S ZINA CRACK'S TOP-15 AT WORLD CUP PURSUIT IN AUSTRIA
"Canada's Zina Kocher continues to solidify her position as one of the top biathletes in the world after the 24-year-old finished 14th, and a personal best result, in the 10-kilometer women's pursuit race in Hochfilzen, Austria on December 9."
"Starting more than a minute behind the leader following a sixth-place performance in Friday's December 8 sprint race, the Red Deer, Alta. native, made her way into the top 15 after losing nearly three more minutes off the leading pace in heavy rain and icy conditions on a barren track in Europe. Kocher finished three minutes 51.5 seconds behind Germany's Andrea Henkel, who was first to cross the finish line."
"""I'm satisfied with my result despite the conditions because it wasn't easy out there,"" said Kocher. ""I know it is not excellent, but it is a personal best. I find the pursuit races a little more difficult to concentrate because there is so much going on and many distractions, whereas in the individual races I can just focus on my own pace. It is something I need to work on getting more comfortable with."""
"The women's pursuit discipline has the fastest 60 athletes from Friday's sprint. Athletes start according to their time behind the sprint leader. Each athlete skis a two-kilometer track five times, while hitting the shooting range between each lap. Shooting consists of a combination of two prone and two standing. Kocher missed five out of her 20 shots on the range."
"""The leader only missed one shot so that was the difference. I think if I could have even shot 90 percent I would have been right there,"" said Kocher, who has quickly made her way into the pack with the world's elite this year after claiming the nation's first World Cup biathlon medal in more than a decade. ""I skied really well today, and I really picked it up in the final lap so I'm happy despite the shooting."""
"Andrea Henkel took advantage of her 30 second lead from Friday's sprint victory to cruise to her second gold medal in as many days with a time of 32:29.28. The 28-year-old German hit 19 of her 20 targets which helped distance herself from her closest rivals, Norway's Linda Grubben and Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson, who battled it out for the silver medal position on the final lap. Grubben won the dash for silver, finishing 37.4 seconds behind Henkel, while Olofsson settled for third, 39.9 seconds off the mark."
Calgary's Sandra Keith was the only other Canadian to hit the start line in women's action. The 26-year-old settled for 45th spot more than seven minutes behind the gold-medal time.
"Meanwhile, nobody has yet been able to stop Ole Einar Bjoerndalen from taking the top step of the podium in the men's World Cup. The Norwegian claimed his fifth straight victory on Saturday in the 12.5-kilometre pursuit race after dominating the field with a time of 39:50.91. Russia's Dmitri Iarochenko was his next closest competitor, crossing the line in second spot, 2:08.1 later. Iarochenko's teammate, Ivan Tcherezov, was third +2:20.0."
"David Leoni, of Camrose, Alta., finished as the top Canuck in the men's pursuit race. Leoni crossed the line in 51st spot, 7:37.0 behind Einar Bjoerndalen. Ottawa's Robin Clegg also qualified for the Austrian pursuit, but did not finish."
|
| |
12/13/2006
CANADA'S ZINA KOCHER MAINTAINS STRIDE AMONGST WORLD LEADERS WITH SIXTH-PLACE FINISH
"Nearly two weeks after her bronze-medal performance, Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., is continuing to prove she can race with the world's best, after sprinting her way into a sixth-place finish at the Biathlon World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria on Friday, December 8."
"With just one miss on the range, the 24-year-old Kocher skied her strongest sprint race of the young season, stopping the clock just over one minute behind winner Andrea Henkel of Germany, who finished with a time of 24 minutes 22.6 seconds."
""I skied really well today, and if I would have shot clean on the range I think I would have been on the podium," said Kocher. "Winning the bronze medal a few weeks ago has given me the confidence I needed to know that I can be in the top-10 consistently, and start to be a medal threat.""
"The result is key to setting up another strong performance in Saturday's pursuit race, which Kocher will start just over a minute behind the frontrunners."
""I am sitting in a really good position not far behind the leader. If I ski well again, and also have a good day shooting, then hopefully I'll be right in there with the leaders and post another great result.""
"Two other Canadians also posted their best results of the season. Ottawa's Robin Clegg finished in 27th spot, while Calgary's Sandra Keith finished 37th. Clegg completed the men's 10-kilometer sprint just 1:39.7 behind Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndale, who clinched his fourth World Cup title in a row with a time of 26:27.9. Keith crossed the line in the 7.5-kilometre women's sprint 2:59.9 behind the frontrunner."
"Kocher's results, and those of her teammates, are an affirmation that Biathlon Canada is making strides in the right direction as Vancouver 2010 approaches."
""Through the support of Own The Podium over the past two years, we have been able to augment our coaching and sport science team to provide the athletes with an even greater level of service than we have been able to do in previous years," said Joanne Thomson, executive director, Biathlon Canada. "This detailed attention to the athletes' training programs is proving successful with the improved results that we are starting to see across the board. Ongoing support from Own The Podium over the next three years will only serve to augment further, the gains that Canadian biathletes can make in the sport at the international level.""
"Joining Henkel on the women's podium was Magdalena Gwizdon, of Poland, (+30.6), while China's Yingchao Kong was 37.4 seconds back in third. The men's podium also included Germany's Michael Greis, who finished 39.2 seconds behind Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, while Switzerland's Matthias Simmen was third just 46.5 seconds off the pace."
"Other Canadian results included: Marie-Pierre Parent, of St-Paul de Joliette, Que., in 70th (+ 4:44.9), while on the men's side, David Leoni, of Camrose, Alta., finished 55th (+ 2:32.6), and Jean Phillippe Leguellec, of Shannon, Que., was 100th (+5:34.3)."
"For more information on Biathlon Canada, please visit their Web site at www.biathloncanada.ca."
|
| |
12/13/2006
CANADA'S MEGAN IMRIE FIGHTS HEAVY SNOWFALL TO CRACK TOP-15 AT EUROPA CUP SPRINTS
Canada's Megan Imrie led the Canuck charge through heavy snow and a difficult track to a 14th place finish in the Europa Cup women's sprint event.
"Imrie, a native of Falcon Lake, Manitoba, moved to Canmore just over a year ago to train at the newly upgraded Canmore Nordic Centre."
"""I decided to use the conditions to my advantage today,"" said Imrie. ""I was confident that the training I did in the off-season was going to help me handle the challenging conditions."
"Shooting eight out of 10 on the range, the 20-year-old Junior National Team member skied a strong race, coming in just one minute 16.5 seconds behind leader Jenny Alder of Germany, who crossed the line in 23:06.3."
"""I shot really well on the range and I am sitting in a great position, just over a minute behind the leader, going into the pursuit."""
"Other Canadians in the women's race included Claude Godbout of Quebec, who finished 38th +3.21.2 behind the leader. Winnipeg's Cynthia Clark was 48th (+3:59.5), and Audrey Attali rounded out the Canadian women's squad in 62nd, just over five minutes behind Alder."
"On the men's side, it was a complete German sweep of the top five positions. Simon Schempp has the lead over teammate Christoph Stephan by just over 10 seconds, completing the narrow course in 27:29.2."
"Two Canadians found their way into the top-30. Maxime Leboeuf, of Val Belair, Que. was top Canuck in 27th stopping the clock +2:35.2 behind Schempp. Fellow Quebecor, Marc-Andre Bedard was 30th(+2:42.5). Just missing the top-30, Brendan Green of Hay River, NT. was 32nd only seven seconds behind his teammate Bedard."
|
| |
12/7/2006
Robin Clegg Fights Back
"Canadian biathlon veteran, Robin Clegg, fired his way back up the international rankings after finishing 33rd in the men's 10-kilometer World Cup sprint in Ostersund, Sweden on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006"
"The 29-year-old Ottawa native, who is entering his seventh season of competing against the top biathletes in the world, is feeding off some early-season momentum built from teammate Zina Kocher's bronze-medal performance. Clegg, who had one of the fastest times in the range while missing only one shot, crossed the line one minute, 53 seconds behind the leading pace."
"""It usually takes me a couple of races to get going each year because we aren't exposed to the pace over here in Europe while we are training in Canada,"" said Clegg. ""So I am really happy to be able to put together a strong performance at this point in the season. I'm not at Zina's level yet, but I am certainly trying to build off that momentum of her medal. It has been an inspirational shot for all of us over here and is a reminder that we can do it too."""
Clegg was one of 115 starters in the field that had to battle significantly deteriorating conditions in Sweden. The entire field struggled to compete on a combination of icy snow with dirty patches that made skiing a challenge.
"""It definitely makes the skiing interesting and actually makes some of the downhills a test of courage,"" laughed Clegg. ""You have to be very careful, but everyone has to ski under the same conditions. I know I'm on pace with my goals and I was really pleased with my shooting today. If I can get the skiing going with that I'll be right where I need to be."""
"Two other Canadians suited up on Saturday. David Leoni, of Camrose, Alta., was 75th, while Jean-Philippe Leguellec, of Shannon, Que., was 80th. Both athletes finished just over three minutes off the frontrunners."
|
| |
12/7/2006
CANADA'S ZINA KOCHER WINS BRONZE MEDAL AT BIATHLON WORLD CUP IN SWEDEN
"For the past six years, Canada's Zina Kocher has dreamed about putting together the perfect race, and crossing the finish line knowing she would be standing on a World Cup podium wearing her country's colors."
"That dream came true on Wednesday, November 29 for the Red Deer, Alta. native after winning a bronze medal in the season-opening women's 15-kilometer individual Biathlon World Cup event in Ostersund, Sweden. Just one week shy of her 24th birthday, Kocher's result makes her the first Canadian biathlete to step onto the World Cup podium since Olympic gold medalist Myriam BTdard did more than a decade ago."
"""I've been dreaming about this moment every day for years, and everything happened exactly the way it was supposed too,"" said an emotional Kocher, who has been celebrating with her teammates since crossing the finish line just 23 seconds behind the frontrunner. ""I had the same nerves and anxiety that I always do today, but I just went to the race relaxed, and excited to be competing again this season. I crossed that line and started waving my poles in the air. It was unbelievable."""
"After a relaxing morning that included a massage and yoga session, Kocher skied the race of her life, and only had one error on the shooting range, which was good enough to solidify third spot and the first podium finish of her career. Two other first-time World Cup medalists joined Kocher on the podium. Irina Malgina, of Russia, won the season-opener with a time of 50 minutes 41.2 seconds, while Norway's Liv Kjersti Eikeland was second 3.6 seconds back."
"""The smile on my face was so huge when I left the shooting range for the final time,"" laughed Kocher who quickly broke down into tears. ""When I stepped onto the podium, the medal and money meant nothing to me. ""It reminded me of the dedication, hard work, focus and determination to get to this point and put our sport back in the public eye. I've been emotional all day. I haven't been at this as long as my teammates, but this is just so surreal right now, and our team is ecstatic."""
"A gifted and well-rounded athlete recruited from cross country running, Kocher took her first strides in the sport of biathlon in 1998 and joined the national team in 2000. A will to succeed and dedication to achieving excellence has quickly propelled her up the international rankings. Her previous best result was a fifth-place finish in a World Cup sprint event last season."
"""I just hope this reinforces to Canadians, and sport leaders in our country, that Canada's biathletes are medal contenders too, and we are improving internationally. Maybe this will help gain some additional support for our program,"" said Kocher. Canada's"
"Two other Canadian women that have benefited from the new training center model also suited up alongside Kocher on Wednesday. Marie-Pierre Parent, of St-Paul de Joliette, Que., was 69th, while Calgary's Sandra Keith was 70th. Both athletes were just over seven minutes off the leading pace."
Complete results can be viewed at www.biathlonworld.com.
|
| |
12/7/2006
CANADA'S ZINA KOCHER SPRINTS INTO TOP 30 AT BIATHLON WORLD CUP
"It wasn't a podium finish, but Canada's Zina Kocher turned in a solid top-30 performance in the women's 7.5- sprint at the Biathlon World Cup in +stersund, Sweden on Friday, Dec. 1, 2006."
"Despite three misses on the shooting range, the Red Deer, Alta. native powered her way into the top 30, nearly two minutes off the leading pace 26 minutes 03.0 seconds, thanks to an improved performance on her skis."
"""My skiing went really well today,"" said Zocher. ""In the past, with three misses on the shooting range, I never would have made it into the top-30. It is really encouraging to know that my skiing has improved so much. If I can shoot a bit more consistently, then I believe I have what it takes to start hitting the podium regularly this season."""
"Kocher fulfilled a life-long dream on Tuesday, November 28, bringing home a bronze medal for Canada in the season-opening women's 15-kilometer individual Biathlon World Cup. It was the first Canadian biathlon medal in nearly 12 years."
"""Winning the bronze medal on Tuesday took a lot of out me,"" said Kocher, who will soon turn 24. ""It was such an emotional day. Although I did not crack the top 10 today, I am satisfied with my race, and I have a good chance of moving up in the 10 km pursuit."""
"Meanwhile, it was Poland's Magdalena Gwidzon, who was perfect on the shooting range, crossed the line first with a time of 24:05.0 seconds."
"Germany's Kati Wilhelm was second in 24:26.4, while teammate Martina Glagow rapped up third spot at 24:40.2., despite having three misses on the shooting range."
|
| |
12/7/2006
NORWEGIANS WIN DOUBLE GOLD IN BIATHLON WORLD CUP PURSUIT
"The Norwegian flag made it to the top of the men's and women's podiums in the pursuit races at the Biathlon World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2006. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen captured the men's 12.5 kilometer race, while Linda Grubben won the women's event."
"Two Canadian athletes qualified to race amongst the top-60 athletes on Sunday. Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., finished 44th in the women's race, while Ottawa's Robin Clegg had to settle for 48th position after crossing the line three minutes 51.6 seconds off the leading pace. It was the end of an historic week for Canada's biathlon troops. Zina Kocher, who finished more than five minutes behind the leader on Sunday, kicked off the week winning the team's first World Cup bronze medal in nearly 12 years, while Clegg continued to work his way into top racing form with the best in the world."
"It was a brilliant start to the season for Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen who made his way to the top step of the podium all three times he hit the start line. Bjoerndalen set the mark to beat at 34:33.23 in the men's pursuit. Russia's Dmitri Iaronchenko was on the Norwegian's tale for the second straight day, winning the silver medal after stopping the clock just 19.7 seconds behind Bjoerndalen. France's Raphael Poiree was third 29.2 seconds behind."
"Norway's Linda Grubben won the women's event in a time of 31:07.47. Sweden's Anna Carin Olofsson pleased the hometown crowd with a silver medal just 23.3 seconds behind the leader, while Poland's Magdalena Gwizdon rounded out the women's podium finishing third 59.7 seconds off the leading mark."
"Biathlon Canada, the governing body for biathlon in the country, oversees the Canadian Championships, Eastern and Western Canadian Championships, and North American Cups held in Canada. For more information on Biathlon Canada, please visit their Web site at www.biathloncanada.ca on the Internet."
For complete results visit www.biathlonworld.com.
|
Return to News archives
|
|
