Biathlete Andrei Secu shot ten for ten enroute to a bronze medal performance in the sprint competition on a frigid and blowing snow day at River Bend Golf & Recreation Area.
“My race was pretty good overall,” said a beaming Secu. .”I managed to put it together on the range which was a pretty big part. I think that was key in the tough and windy conditions. On the skis I was feeling a bit slow but that will only get better as the week goes on.”
After the Canada Games, Secu will head to Sweden and Norway representing Canada for the very first time.
All four men were in the top 12 and three of the BC women were in the top seven.
“I’m pretty happy with how the team did,” said coach Jessica Blenkarn (North Vancouver). “The weather conditions were challenging today. It’s always good to get that first day over with. Now the athletes know the course and their routines. I look forward to the rest of the competition.”
The Team BC biathlon coaches have been getting some fun into the competition by putting stickers on the athletes skis before they race. The coaches believe the stickers will make the athletes smile and relax during competition. The stickers are selected specially for each athlete.
RESULTS From Sunday February 17:
Men 7.5 km Sprint
BRONZE MEDAL: Andrei Secu (Coquitlam) 24:20.0
Ryan Elden (Quesnel) - 5th 25:00.7
Ethan Algra (Vernon) - 8th 25:56.5
Keiran Marchand (Nelson) - 12th 26:56.0
Women 6 km Sprint
Larissa Black (Squamish) - 4th 23:03.8
Gillian Gowling (Whistler) - 5th 23:32.8
Natalie Benoit (Summerland) - 7th 24:10.02
Danica Ariano (Coldstream) - 17th 25:52.5
Next Up: Tuesday February 19 Men’s 12.5km Individual Pursuit and Women’s 10km Individual Pursuit (currently scheduled to begin at 10:00 am at the River Bend Golf and Country Club)