Canadian shoots path to top 20 in super sprint at Canmore biathlon IBU Cup

CANMORE – Canadian Shilo Rousseau sniped her way into the top-20, while Zach Connelly wore the lone Maple Leaf in the men's super sprint final at the Biathlon IBU Cup in Canmore.

With the temperature a few degrees above freezing, spirits were much brighter for the quick, shoot-'em-up races on Sunday (Feb. 26) at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

The start of the women’s super sprint at the biathlon IBU Cup in #Canmore #ibu pic.twitter.com/2XwP7V2OJy

— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) February 26, 2023

Rousseau was the top Canuck of the day, finishing 18th in the women's 7.5-km super sprint at a time of 25:42.0. Shooting 16-for-20, the 22-year-old from Ottawa said at times the four trips to the range were a bit overwhelming in the short race.

However, for the last trip into the range, the Canadian's five-for-five propelled her into the top-20.

"I had some shootings that could have been better, but two really good bouts where my last standing I cleaned it really fast and that moved me up some places for the last lap," said Rousseau. "It's my first time doing this kind of race format with the super sprint, so it was a really good experience and I'm super proud of myself."

Rousseau and Gillian Gowling were the only two Canadian women in the top-30 to qualify for the women's final. Gowling finished 22nd on 17-for-20 shooting.

Winning gold was Norway's Emilie Aagheim Kalkenberg (18/20) at a time of 24:04.5

Rounding out the podium were Italy's Michela Carrara (16/20) in second and France's Paula Botet (17/20) in third.

In the qualifying round, Canadians outside the top-30 were Janice Grundahl (8/10) in 34th, Jenna Sherrington (6/10) and Zoe Pekos (5/10) tied for 41st at a time of 16:15.4, and Anna Sellers (8/10) was 44th.

#Canada’s Zach Connelly signing autographs for young fans following the men’s super sprint at the #IBUCup in #Canmore #biathlon pic.twitter.com/cmaASCP7Iu

— Jordan Small (@jordiesmall) February 26, 2023

In the men's super sprint, Connelly finished 28th in men's 7.5-km final. In the qualifying round, the 21-year-old from Ottawa shot 80 per cent and took ninth spot. However, shooting wasn't his friend in the final when he shot just 60 per cent or 12-for-20 on the range.

"I think the final was a bit disappointing, but at the end of the day I had a great time just racing with some of the best here," said Connelly.

"It was really the shooting today that caught me. It was a good opportunity to learn for next time and with the world juniors coming up it will definitely help me solidify those lessons."

Taking top spot in the men's super sprint was France's Emilien Claude, who shot clean and clocked in at a time of 20:25.7.

Germany's Lucas Fratzscher (19/20) took the silver medal, and Norway's Vebjoern Soerum (17/20) finished with bronze.

Meanwhile, Canadians Lucas Smith finished 35th (8/10), Troy Martel (7/10) was 49th, Haldan Borglum (5/10) was 50th, Tobias Quinn (6/10) was 53rd, and Ryan Elden (5/10) was 54th.

The Canmore IBU Cup resumes Tuesday (Feb. 28) with the mass start races. The women's starts at 11 a.m. MST, and the men's is 1:45 p.m. MST.