ZHANGJIAKOU, China — While doing practice laps on the biathlon track on Wednesday, Emma Lunder began to reflect on what a return to the Olympics means to her.
Originally from Vernon, British Columbia, Lunder represented Canada for the first time at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Participating in the Beijing Games, she says, allows her to appreciate how much she and her teammates have grown together over the past four years.
“I only did light ski training, I didn’t shoot, and I felt so grateful and proud seeing the (Olympic) rings while thinking I was at the Games again,” Lunder said, pointing in the direction of the Olympic rings that overlook the shooting range of the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center, located about 200 km northwest of Beijing.
“And I think a lot of that comes from representing Canada and being here with the team that we’ve worked so hard with together,” she continued.
Sarah Beaudry of British Columbia, along with Alberta brothers Scott and Christian Gow, will join Lunder to form the veteran core of Canada’s biathlon team at these Olympics.
According to Scott Gow, the four band members were called upon to take matters into their own hands about three years ago when several of the biathletes they trained with early in their careers chose to retire from elite competition.
“We found ourselves in this position where we were the oldest in the team. It’s nice to be in this position, to be able to help our current teammates become, we hope, the next best biathletes. »
Lunder noted that taking on a leadership role is proving to be a liberating experience on the eve of the Beijing Games.
“In fact, it gives me a lot of pleasure. I think it takes a bit of the pressure off because it feels like I’m doing something for someone else. I don’t just focus on my own preparation. »
Christian Gow says he was flattered to be called a leader by his teammates. He adds that strong leadership and an atmosphere of camaraderie are things that Canada, as a relatively small biathlon nation, can use to stay competitive.
“I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been at this level of competition, and I want to share it with my younger teammates, so they can get to this level and the next ones sooner than me,” he said. he explains.
Calgary’s Jules Burnotte and Adam Runnals from Sherbrooke are participating in their first Olympic Games in men’s biathlon. So did Megan Bankes, also from Calgary, and Emily Dickson, from Burns Lake, BC, on the women’s side.
According to coach Justin Wadsworth, mental toughness is a crucial skill in biathlon, especially on the range, and having veterans on Team Canada to lead by example is paramount.
“Many of our veteran athletes who have spent a lot of time with our mental performance consultant are the ones who really take him down on the range,” he says.
Lunder started the World Cup season with a career-best sixth-place finish in the 15km individual event on November 27 in ?stersund, Sweden.
Scott Gow also started the schedule on a high note by shooting a perfect 20 of 20. This performance earned him fourth place in the individual 20 km event, also in ?stersund.
Like Lunder, this is Gow’s career-best World Cup finish.
“This first race of the World Cup for both men and women was such a success, like our best weekend in I don’t know how long,” remarked Lunder, adding that she had to fight the disease for most of the season.
“But finally, this last month, everything started to fall into place; the races, the good training. I’m almost glad I got rid of it at first. Now things are starting to go well again.”
The biathlon will start on Saturday with the 4 x 6 km mixed relay.
