Team Canada Opens the Para Biathlon Season in Spectacular Fashion

Para Biathlon

12 Dec 2025

Team Canada Opens the Para Biathlon Season in Spectacular Fashion

Canadian athletes set the tone on the opening day of the IBU Para Biathlon World Cup in Canmore. The home crowd is used to seeing victories from Mark Arendz and Nathalie Wilkie, but few could have predicted such a triumphant comeback from Colin Cameron after a year-long break.

The 2025/26 season began on perfectly prepared tracks, with a quite strong turnout of local fans. They had reasons to celebrate right from the first race - the men’s sprint sitting. Returning after a serious shoulder injury, 37-year-old Colin Cameron showcased his trademark precision and power, taking the win just as he did at the 2023 World Championships in Östersund. His 23-second margin over Aaron Pike was remarkable, especially given that the American shot clean while the Canadian had to complete a penalty loop. Ukraine’s Taras Rad, also returning from a year of recovery, rounded out the podium.

Oksana Masters marked her own successful comeback to para biathlon after a series of injuries. The Paralympic icon missed twice in her second shooting bout, opening the door for the flawless Kendall Gretsch who became the first Total Score leader of the season. This year’s triple world champion from Pokljuka was the only athlete in the field who avoided the penalty loop. Germany’s Anja Wicker finished third, 41 seconds back. The question now is whether she can once again make the podium in every race this season, as she did last year.

In the men’s standing race, Mark Arendz delivered a commanding performance. The Canadian was the only competitor to shoot clean, winning by well over a minute ahead of Ukraine’s Serhii Romaniuk. The numbers underline Arendz’s sustained excellence: since the start of the 2023/24 season, he has claimed 15 victories in 19 starts. France’s Benjamin Daviet completed the podium; the Paralympic champion might have aimed higher, but a missed turn near the finish forced him to reverse - a mistake that likely cost him around 30 seconds.

The women’s standing category displayed remarkable consistency, with the entire podium shooting clean. In such conditions, ski speed proved decisive. Nathalie Wilkie set the pace, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Liudmyla Liashenko and 18 seconds ahead of her Canadian teammate, Brittany Hudak.

“Starting the season with a win is really reassuring. It gives me a lot of confidence. I knew I could be a contender today. Mid-race, I had a good feeling, but I didn’t get any splits, so I honestly had no idea where I was. After the second shooting, I thought, ‘Okay, I’m clean. Now I need to ski fast and give everything I have.’ That was my only focus on the last lap,” said Wilkie right before the flower ceremony. “I’m definitely not in peak form yet. I want to build that toward March for the Paralympic Games in Val di Fiemme. My last couple of weeks of training weren’t ideal, so performing this well so early is awesome - but I really hope it’s not my peak. I’m planning to peak in March,” she added.

The competition in the men’s VI category was even tighter, with just 11 seconds separating the top three. Anatolii Kovalevskyi edged fellow Ukrainian Iaroslav Reshetynskyi by two seconds - both delivered perfect shooting. France’s Anthony Chalencon placed third after two penalty loops. In the women’s VI sprint, the results reflected last season’s hierarchy: Leonie Maria Walter once again emerged victorious, finishing 46 seconds ahead of Johanna Recktenwald, with Carina Edlinger, competing for the Czech Republic this season, in third place.

Friday is a rest day in Canmore. The athletes will return to action on Saturday for the fast-paced and dramatic Sprint Pursuit.