Wilkie, Cameron win gold medals for Canada at Para nordic worlds in Sweden
Fellow Canadians Hudak, Arendz take home silver medals
Canadians Natalie Wilkie and Collin Cameron captured gold medals Saturday at the 2023 Para nordic world championship event in Österland, Sweden.
Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Sask., and Mark Arendz of Hartsville, P.E.I. also both claimed silver medals for the Canadian team.
Wilkie, of Salmon Arm, B.C., won the 7.5-kilometre biathlon event in the women's standing competition on her 22nd birthday. She missed just one of 10 shots but claimed top spot with a time of 22 minutes 43.5 seconds.
"A great birthday present," she said. "I woke up this morning hoping for a podium and taking the gold medal today, so it was a special way to celebrate."
Hudak finished behind Wilkie. She was perfect on the shooting range and posted a time of 23:14.2.
🥇🥇🥈🥈 to start off the World Championships! <br> <br>GOLD - Natalie Wilkie and Collin Cameron<br>SILVER - Brittany Hudak and Mark Arendz<br>Christina Picton 4th; Derek Zaplotinsky 6th.<a href="https://twitter.com/NordiqCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NordiqCanada</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNParalympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CDNParalympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/pSkZKMWIR9">pic.twitter.com/pSkZKMWIR9</a>
—@Kate_Boyd5Emotional win for Cameron
Cameron, of Sudbury, Ont., also earned his first world championship biathlon crown in the men's sit-skiing event. He missed just one of 10 shots on the range but posted a winning time of 24:10.0.
"That was so unexpected, I didn't even know that I'd won when I crossed the line," said Cameron. "It is such a great feeling to get my first biathlon win and to have it hear at worlds is amazing."
Collin Cameron skied to victory in biathlon at the Para Nordic World Championships! <a href="https://twitter.com/NordiqCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NordiqCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/73eNDozisf">pic.twitter.com/73eNDozisf</a>
—@CDNParalympicsIt was an emotional win for Cameron, who resides in Bracebridge, Ont., as his father had recently passed away.
Derek Zaplotinsky, of Smoky Lake, Alta., was sixth in 25:53.5.
Arendz was second in the men's standing competition. He missed two shots in his final bout of shooting and posted a time of 20:03.1, just three seconds behind winner Marco Maier of Germany.
"It was a very close finish," the Canadian said. "The speed I had on the final lap made it possible to challenge for the title despite some trouble on the range.
"That speed gives me the confidence going forward into the remaining races at worlds."
