Squamish athlete Larissa Black is firing on all cylinders, as she’s representing Canada at the Junior World Biathlon Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
The competition started on Jan. 24 and wraps up on Feb. 2.
Black, who skis with the Whistler Nordic Development Centre, is one of 17 junior athletes from Canada who are facing the world. Half a world away,
The Chief managed to catch up with her via email on Jan. 28 and see how things are going.
Following this championship, she will be racing in Germany.
Q: How does it feel to be representing Canada?
A: Representing Canada has always been the best feeling. This is my fifth event in which I'll be wearing the flag and it never gets old. Competing alongside the best girls in the country is super rewarding and exciting.
Q: How is the tournament going for you? What events have you done? How have you been ranking?
A: So far I have only done one event which was an "Individual." This event is the longest one of World Champs and although my shooting wasn't where it needed to be, I still had a lot of fun pushing myself on the skis. Jan. 29 is the relay event and I'll be the second lag!
Q: Can you describe what you feel has been the most memorable part of the competition for you?
A: I think the most memorable part is experiencing the biathlon culture here in Europe. It's very different than back at home and the course is always packed with biathlon fans, which makes pushing yourself so much more fun!
Q: How did you get involved in the sport?
A: I got involved in the sport through Sea to Sky Nordics, which is the local biathlon club at Whistler Olympic Park. I tried out the shooting one day and I was hooked on the difficulty of it and have been working on getting better ever since!
Q: How have you been preparing for this competition?
A: As a Whistler Nordic Development Centre athlete, I am training usually twice a day, six days a week. I was putting in some big blocks of training back home at the Whistler Olympic Park to get prepared for these events.
Q: Anything you'd like to say to Squamish?
A: The community has been a huge supporter of my ambitions in biathlon and I have always been amazed at how people are willing to support me. I'm super proud to be from such an amazing town.
