Quesnel biathlete Ryan Elden, 18, will be competing at the International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Youth/Junior Championships in Estonia from Feb. 26 to Mar. 4.
It will be the first international competition for the up-and-coming biathlete.
Elden, who lives and trains in Whistler at the Whistler Nordic Development Centre, competed in the NorAm Biathlon race series on Jan. 6-7, contending in two sprint and one mass-start races.
The races served as qualifiers for the Canadian Youth/Junior team, and for the Canadian team for the IBU junior race series.
Despite terrible weather conditions, including rain, fog and heavy snow, Elden qualified after his placings at the NorAm series, coming in fourth in sprint one, second in sprint two and first in the mass start.
“After the first two races, my percentages were borderline to qualify,” says Elden.
“If someone else had done well they could have bumped me out.”
Elden’s first-place finish in the mass start clinched his spot on the Youth/Junior team.
“It was a huge relief to make it. It’s what I’ve been dreaming of for so long,” he comments.
Jim Crellin, who coached Elden in Quesnel from age nine or 10 for biathlon, says the 18-year-old’s accomplishments are excellent.
“He’s one of the athletes we had where we could see the potential there. He has trained hard to get where he is, and I think it’s great.”
Elden has been skiing since he was three, and got his start with the Cariboo Ski-Touring Club, working his way through its Jackrabbit program. He says he began competing in the biathlon at age nine, simply because it was the next available competitive step. Turns out, he is skilled at both skiing and shooting, and says he often prefers shooting.
The Championships in Estonia attract youth from all over the world, so Elden will be competing against hundreds of skilled biathletes, and is looking forward to it.
“Biathlon is a lot bigger over there. In Canada in my age category, there are probably about 30 to 50 people competing. There should be over 100 competitors in all the races [in Estonia], which will be really fun,” he says.
Elden doesn’t think he’s in medal contention for this event, but says its as much about the experience as winning.
“I’d be happy with a top 30 placement,” he explains.
But qualifying for the National Youth/Junior teams is just one step on what Elden hopes is his journey to the top: the 18-year-old has Olympic-sized goals.
“The 2022 Olympics would be the earliest I could see… I really want to make the team by 2026,” he says.
With the support from provincial coaches in Whistler and with his family, friends and former coaches cheering him on in Quesnel, there’s no reason Elden couldn’t make this dream a reality.
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In good company
Elden wasn’t the only Quesnel biathlete competing in Whistler.
Several members of the Cariboo Ski-Touring Club also travelled to participate in the Whistler Biathlon open races, held after the NorAm races.
Chris Elden competed in the Master’s Men category, coming in second and third in the two sprint races, and fourth in the mass start.
Claire Elden took second in the Senior Girls sprint race. She came fifth overall, although she wasn’t able to compete in all events due to illness.
And Odin Mills competed in the Senior Boys category, with strong finishes in both the sprint (12th place) and mass start (13th place).
