December 2, 2006 – Canadian biathlon veteran, Robin Clegg, fired his way back up the international rankings after finishing 33rd in the men’s 10-kilometre World Cup sprint in Őstersund, Sweden on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Ottawa native, who is entering his seventh season of competing against the top biathletes in the world, is feeding off some early-season momentum built from teammate Zina Kocher’s bronze-medal performance earlier this week. Clegg, who had one of the fastest times in the range while missing only one shot, crossed the line one minute 53 seconds behind the leading pace.

“It usually takes me a couple of races to get going each year because we aren’t exposed to the pace over hear in Europe while we are training in Canada,” said Clegg. “So I am really happy to be able to put together a strong performance at this point in the season. I’m not at Zina’s level yet, but I am certainly trying to build off that momentum of her medal. It has been an inspirational shot for all of us over here and is a reminder that we can do it too.”

Clegg was one of 115 starters in the field that had to battle significantly deteriorating conditions in Sweden. The entire field is struggling to compete on a combination of icy snow with dirty patches that makes skiing a challenge.

“It definitely makes the skiing interesting and actually makes some of the downhills a test of courage,” laughed Clegg. “You have to be very careful, but everyone has to ski under the same conditions. I know I’m on pace with my goals and I was really pleased with my shot today. If I can get the skiing going with that I’ll be right where I need to be.”

Two other Canadians suited up on Saturday. David Leoni, of Camrose, Alta., was 75th, while Jean-Philippe Leguellec, of Shannon, Que., was 80th. Both athletes finished just over three minutes off the frontrunners.

Norway’s Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won his second consecutive gold medal after crossing the line with a time of 24 minutes 16.2. The Norwegian overtook Russia’s Dmitri Iarochenko by 15.5 seconds in the sprint to the finish. Germany’s Michael Greis was 17.2 seconds behind in third spot to round out the podium.

The Biathlon World Cup continues on Sunday with the men’s and women’s pursuit races. Clegg and Zina Kocher will be wearing the Canadian colours in their respective events.

Biathlon Canada, the governing body for biathlon in the country, oversees the Canadian Championships, Eastern and Western Canadian Championships, and North American Cups held in Canada. The organization’s mandate is to provide national level programs for the continuous development of biathlon athletes from the grassroots to the elite level. For more information on Biathlon Canada, please visit their Web site at www.biathloncanada.ca on the Internet.

Top-5 Men:

1. Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, NOR, 24:16.2; 2. Dmitri Iarochenko, RUS, +15.5; 3. Michael Greis, GER, +17.2; 4. Sergei Rozhkov, RUS, +28.7; 5. Zdenek Vitek, CZE, +38.2.

Canadian Results:

33. Robin Clegg, Ottawa, +1:53.0; 75. David Leoni, Camrose, Alta., +3:08.7; 80. Jean-Philippe Leguellec, Shannon, Que., +3:22.7.