Yolaine Oddou became the first Canadian woman to win an IBU Cup medal, and did so on home soil with a time of 21.56.7 at the Canmore Nordic Centre on Sunday, (Feb. 12).
Oddou only missed one shot and was 16 seconds out of first place for bronze.
“I’m very excited. I focused on my shooting today. I’m really happy with it. The fans were cheering – I want more,” Oddou said.
This is Oddou’s first year on the senior biathlon team and her first IBU (International Biathlon Union) Cup medal. Originally born in France, the Quebec-based biathlete is considered one of the team’s rising stars and is improving her results on the IBU Cup circuit, which serves as a feeder circuit for the biathlon World Cup.
Marina Korovina of Russia finished first while Maren Hammerschmidt of Germany was second. Hammerschmidt is the top-ranked female on the IBU Cup circuit.
Going into the race, Oddou focused on concentration
“I know I needed to focus more and take my chance,” she said.
The win also means Oddou will likely represent Canada at the world championships.
Oddou edged teammate Megan Heinicke off of the podium. Heinicke then ended up in a tie for fourth place with a time of 22.15.4. She’s battled health problems this year.
“Every race I notice I’m getting a little faster. Right now I need the intensity,” Heinicke said.
She held nothing back, bursting out of the gate, but her legs began to burn by the end of the race.
“My goal today was to ski as fast as possible for as long as possible,” said Heinicke, who was disappointed to miss the podium, but satisfied her body responded to the big push.
In rare, windless conditions, the team shot well, as several athletes posted personal best top finishes on the IBU Cup circuit. Top Canadians included Rosanna Crawford (ninth), Melanie Schultz (13th), Claude Godbout (23rd), Karen Messenger (31st), Cindy Clark (34th), Carly Schiell (35th) and Kathryn Stone (37th). New Zealand athlete Sarah Murphy, who trains in Canmore, finished 25th.
In the inaugural IBU Cup race on Saturday (Feb. 11), the Canadian women didn’t perform as well. Rosanna Crawford was the top Canadian on the day, finishing eighth while Oddou was ninth.
Coming back from an illness that knocked her out for almost three weeks, Crawford, who lives less than a kilometre from the Nordic Centre, relied on local’s knowledge to carry the day.
“I know that range backwards and forwards, and on a day like today it’s easy to hit those targets,” Crawford said. “I love racing in Canmore.”
Heinicke was the third fastest Canadian, finishing 11th, followed by Megan Imrie (17th), Claude Godbout (23rd), Schultz (24th), Stone (32nd), Clark (33rd) and Messenger (37th).
Head coach Matthias Ahrens said he was happy with how the women responded after some less than stellar shooting on Saturday.
