Two-time Paralympic biathlon champion Mark Arendz added to Canada’s medal haul at the inaugural Para Biathlon World Championships with his second gold medal in as many days.
The Hartsville, P.E.I., native continued his outstanding season by winning the men’s 12.5-kilometre standing individual race on Thursday, posting a time of 35 minutes 01.2 seconds at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club in Prince George, B.C. He went 20-for-20 in the shooting range.
The 34-year-old beat reigning Paralympic champion Benjamin Daviet of France, who clocked 36:40.7 to place ahead of fellow Paralympic veteran Grygorii Vovchynskyi of Ukraine (37:01.7). It marked a moment of revenge for Arendz, who took silver behind Daviet in the event at the Beijing Games in 2022.
Natalie Wilkie of Salmon Arm, B.C., also returned to the podium on Day 2 with bronze in the women’s 12.5km standing individual, Canada’s fifth medal at worlds. Her time of 41:11.1 was bested by Ukraine’s Liudmyla Liashenko (39:25.9) and China’s Zhao Zhiqing (40:17.7), the gold and silver medallists from the 2022 Paralympics, respectively.
The 23-year-old Wilkie missed just one of her 20 shots across the four rounds, adding a one-minute penalty minute to her final time. Prince Albert, Sask.’s Brittany Hudak was 18.3 seconds behind Wilkie for fourth place.
Wilkie tied Liashenko for gold in the women’s 7.5km standing sprint on the opening day.
Smoky Lake, Alta., native Derek Zaplotinsky also competed Thursday, finishing ninth in the men’s 12.5km sitting individual.
The Para biathlon worlds, which run through Sunday, will be followed by the World Cup finals at Caledonia from March 13-17.
Source Agencies
