Canada’s Para Nordic Team Adds Four More Medals to Vuokatti Total

VUOKATTI, Finland – After three days of Para biathlon racing, Team Canada shifted focus to Para cross-country for the season-opening races. Seven additional athletes joined the existing five who competed in the biathlon events, bringing renewed energy to the Canadian squad. 

Natalie Wilkie of Salmon Arm, B.C., extended her podium streak, finishing second in the classic sprint event behind Norway’s Vilde Nilsen. China’s Zhiqing Zhao secured the bronze. In her season debut, Emma Archibald of Fall River, N.S., narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth. 

Mark Arendz of Hartsville, P.E.I., continued his strong start to the season with a bronze medal. He finished behind Germany’s Sebastian Marburger, who took gold, and France’s Benjamin Daviet, who earned silver. 

“I felt it went really well, transitioning from biathlon just two days earlier to being a contender in the qualification and finishing third,” said Arendz. “The winner was always going to be extremely tough to beat on the day, but I put myself in a position to secure a podium and fight for second place.” 

For the first time since 2014, Canada fielded an athlete in every classification category at a Para Nordic World Cup. This milestone was made possible by the addition of development athletes Logan Larivière (Lively, Ont.), Madison Mullin (Fergus, Ont.), and Charles Lecours (Trois-Rivières, Que.), who made their World Cup debuts. Supporting the team were guides Matthew Strum (Canmore, Alta.), a Canadian biathlete, and Tory Audet (Chelsea, Que.), a former national ski team athlete. 

“It’s great to see that we have athletes earning podiums, and at the same time we have athletes starting their first world cup’s all in one weekend,” said Nordiq Canada’s Para Nordic Development Coach Leslie Bode. “It shows that our development program is working, and it’s so exciting to see the older athletes like Mark (Arendz) and Brittany (Hudak) becoming mentors to the younger athletes”. 

Mullin and guide Audet placed sixth in the women’s visually impaired category. Larivière and guide Strum finished 14th in the men’s visually impaired category, while Lecours placed 31st in their World Cup debuts. 

Day 2 saw athletes face temperatures as low as –18 C during the 12.5-kilometre individual free event. Brittany Hudak and Mark Arendz both finished just off the podium in fourth place, clocking times of 33:00 and 28:52, respectively. 

In her season debut, Christina Picton of Fonthill, Ont., finished eighth with a time of 42:27. Sherbrooke, Que.’s Lyne-Marie Bilodeau placed ninth, stopping the clock at 44:02 in the women’s sitting category.  

“It was nice starting the season in a familiar place like Vuokatti,” said Picton. “I’m proud of the training season I had, and it was great to test myself on trails I’ve raced many times before. It was exciting to have a larger field in the women’s sitting category, giving me a clear sense of where I stand and how to set my goals for the rest of the season.” 

In the third and final race of the Vuokatti Para cross-country World Cup, athletes raced head-to-head in the 10km Mass Start Free event. Natalie Wilkie and Norway’s Nilsen Vilde were matched through the first three laps of the race in the women’s standing field. On the final lap Wilkie made the decisive move coming across the line with a triumphant celebration at a time of 32:44, 8 seconds ahead of Vilde. China’s Zhiqing Zhao finished third at 34:02, while Prince Albert, Sask.’s Brittany Hudak finished fourth (34:28). 

“The head-to-head racing format is always exciting, especially since we don’t race this way often,” said Wilkie. “Racing against athletes with different abilities is fascinating because we all have unique strengths—I’m strong on the hills, but two-poled athletes are faster on the flats. 

“My strategy was to stay with the lead group and be smart about my tactics. I tucked in behind some Norwegians to conserve energy throughout the windy course and made my final push on the last lap. 

“I’m thrilled with how my race played out today, and I’m ecstatic to take the win! It was extra inspiring to hear coaches from other countries cheering me on—I definitely gave it everything I had.” 

Starting in 13th place with a 2:42 deficit, Mark Arendz surged through the field in the men’s standing race. By the final lap, he climbed into fifth place and delivered a final push to secure bronze with a time of 31:34. China’s Chenyang Wang won gold at 29:55, followed by teammate Xiaobin Liu, who took silver at 30:47. 

“Eleven podiums over six races is an awesome start to the season,” said Canada’s Para nordic coach Brian McKeever, a 20-time Paralympic medalist. “There’s still room for improvement, and with World Championships on the calendar this season, every race is an opportunity to learn and prepare for that event.” 

This season, Canada’s Para nordic team will compete for Para Biathlon World Championships titles in Pokljuka, Slovenia, from Feb. 6-9, and Para Cross-country World Championships titles in Toblach, Italy, from Feb. 11-14. 

Arendz now leads the overall standing, while Emma Archibald is ranked fourth as the team heads into the holiday break. 

“After the sprint and the first 10km, I was surprised to learn that I’d have the leader’s bib for the mass start,” said Arendz. “With the third-place finish in the mass start, I’ll hold onto the leader’s position heading into the new year. I don’t recall ever having both leader’s bibs at the same time after a World Cup. It shows my improved consistency and reflects the decision to compete in every race so far this season.” 

Canada results summary  

Full Results: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=PCC&eventid=56092&seasoncode=2025