Megan Heinicke stuck close to her adopted home in Germany and it paid off this weekend in her highest placing so far this the season on the IBU World Cup tour.
The 24-year-old from Prince George started the weekend with a 30th-place finish in the women's 15-kilometre individual race Friday in Ruhpolding, Germany. That qualified her for Sunday's 10 km pursuit, in which she finished 48th out of 60.
Heinicke missed just two of 20 targets in the individual race and finished in 43:31.2, 2:58 off the winning pace of Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic, who also won Sunday's pursuit. Heinicke had four misses in the pursuit, stopping the clock in 35:30.3, 4:50 behind Soukalova.
Rosanna Crawford of Canmore was the top Canadian woman in both races, placing 26th in the individual race (43:22.7) and 37th in the pursuit (34:27.1). Megan Imrie of Falcon Lake, Man., was 39th in the pursuit (34:38.7) and 58th in the individual race (45:26.4).
The Canadian women's relay team (Crawford, Imrie, Heinicke and Audrey Vaillancourt of Quebec) was 12th in Thursday's 4 X 6 km event. Russia won in 1:09:42.
Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway won both men's races in Ruhpolding. In the pursuit, Nathan Smith of Calgary was the top Canadian, 16th in 33:52.5, 1:14 behind Svendsen. Jean Phillippe Le Guellec of Quebec was 32nd (34:52.) and Scott Perras of Regina was 25th (35:07.8).
The World Cup circuit resumes this Thursday in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy.
n Two Prince George biathletes -- Sarah Beaudry and Matt Neumann -- took aim at international targets this past weekend in the IBU Cup in Ridnaun-Val Ridanna, Italy.
In Sunday's 7.5 km sprint, the 19-year-old Beaudry placed 37th in a field of 86. Beaudry had three misses in two shooting rounds, finishing in 24:46.2, 2:07 behind gold-medalist Valentina Nazarova of Russia (22:38.5). Julia Ransom of Kelowna was the top Canadian, 15th in 23:54.3.
On Saturday, Beaudry finished 29th in the women's 15 km individual race in 55:37.1, 6:28 behind winner Nadine Horschler of Germany. Beaudry had one miss in each of her first three shooting rounds but nailed all five targets in the fourth round and picked up 12 positions in the final lap.
Ransom was 27th Saturday, 5:49 behind Horschler. Erin Yungblut of Wroxeter, Ont., was 57th and Emma Lodge of Canmore was 61st.
Neumann, 24, placed 61st out of 125 racers in the men's 10 km sprint Sunday. Neumann missed three of 10 targets in two rounds and finished in 28:06.5, 2:58 behind race winner Alexy Slepov of Russia (25:07.9). Marc Andre Bedard of Quebec City was the top Canadian (39th in 27:30.8); followed by Carsen Campbell of Bedeque, P.E.I. ( 78th in 28:59.2) and Macx Davies of Canmore, Alta., was (94th in 29:48.9).
In the 20 km men's individual race on Saturday, Neumann missed 12 of 20 targets and finished 91st out of 109 racers, 13:04 off the winning pace of 54:25.3 set by Norway's Lars Helge Birkeland.
Scott Gow of Calgary was the top Canadian (10th in 57:10.8), followed by Brendan Green of Hay River, N.W.T. (15th in 57:33); Bedard (64th in 1:01:11); and Campbell (74th in 1:03.06).
By finishing in the top half in IBU Cup races that qualifies Beaudry and Neumann for World Cup events. They will be part of the Canadian team this weekend in Ruhpolding, site of a mixed relay Friday, sprint races on Saturday and the pursuits on Sunday.
Beaudry plans to be in Maine Feb. 28-March 7 as part of the junior team at the world youth/junior championships. Before she leaves for Maine, Feb. 20, she's hoping her training schedule will allow her to come home to Prince George for the Haywood Noram Western Canadian cross-country championships at Otway Nordic Centre, Feb. 14-16.
