Cross Country Canada —Paralympian celebrates four-medal week, two golds, in Germany—

FINSTERAU, Ger.—Mark Arendz added another gold medal to his haul, completing most successful Para-Nordic World Ski Championships in his career on Saturday in Finsterau, Germany.

Arendz, of Hartsville, P.E.I., had a perfect day in the men’s 7.5-kilometre standing men’s biathlon race where he shot clean and posted a golden time of 18:30.0.

“It was a very tight race, which is to be expected in this field,” said Arendz. “It feels amazing to get the gold medal today. I was a little concerned how the body may react to all of the racing, but the legs and body felt amazing.

“I focused on my skiing, being strong and relaxed on course. It suits my style very well.”

The 26-year-old two-time Paralympic medallist started slow out of the gate, but picked up time at the half-way mark where he hammered the pace to capture his second biathlon World Championship title of the week. He also won the silver in the biathlon distance race, and was part of Canadian history when he and his mates skied to the bronze medal in the cross-country ski relay.

“The wax techs gave me fantastic skis again today and I’m thrilled I could use them to a full benefit,” said Arendz, who now has three World Championship titles in his career. “Once I came to the range I switched a shooter and though it was my best shooting, it was clean. It was a very memorable and special week for me here at World Championships.”

Arendz edged out Ihor Reptyukh from the Ukraine for the gold. Reptyukh finished two seconds back at 18:32.6 (0+0). Benjamin Daviet, of France, missed one shot in his final round at the range, finishing third with a time of 18:57.2.

Derek Zaplotinsky, of Smokey Lake, Alta., was the top Canadian in the men’s sit-ski classification. Zaplotinsky was perfect in shooting, and finished 10th at 24:29.4. Collin Cameron, of Sudbury, Ont., was 12th at 25:13.1 (2+1).

Maksym Yarovyi, of the Ukraine, won the division with a time of 21:36.1 (1+0).

Vancouver’s Emily Young was the top Canadian in the women’s six kilometre biathlon sprint race. Young missed just one shot in her final bout to post an eighth-place time of 21:11.0 in the women’s standing classification. Brittany Hudak, of Prince Albert, Sask., was 10th at 22:30.9 (2+0).

Liudmyla Liashenko, of the Ukraine, continued her dominance of the women’s standing classification, winning with a time of 18:25.0 (0+0) on Saturday.

Complete Results: https://www.paralympic.org/nordic-skiing/calendar-results

The Para-Nordic Ski World Championships continue on Wednesday with the cross-country ski mixed relay events.

CCC is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada, which is the nation’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually. Its 60,000 members include athletes, coaches, officials and skiers of all ages and abilities, including those on Canada’s National Ski Teams and Para-Nordic Ski Teams. With the support of its valued corporate partners – Haywood Securities Inc., AltaGas, Mackenzie Investments, Swix and Lanctôt Sports– along with the Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Own the Podium and B2Ten, CCC develops Olympic, Paralympic and world champions. For more information on CCC, please visit us at www.cccski.com.

*****

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Chris Dornan

Media and Public Relations

Cross Country Canada

T: 403-620-8731