March 04, 2015 (Canmore, AB) – Germany’s Karolin Horchler won her her third IBU Cup race in a week in Canmore, while Prince George native Sarah Beaudry kept Canada’s flower ceremony streak alive by finishing sixth in the women’s 15km Individual biathlon race on Wednesday (March 4) at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

Horchler only missed one target and sped through the tough course in 44:34.4 with a gap of 12 seconds ahead of Kaia Woeien Nicolaisen of Norway, who shot 18/20. Marine Bolliet of France finished third in 45:36 missing three prone shots.

Beaudry, 20, is considered one Canada’s top biathlon prospects and has appeared in IBU Cup and World Cup races this year. She was on the hunt for redemption after a tough series of races at the 2015 World Junior Biathlon Championships, where her best result was a 15th place finish. She shot 19/20 to stop the clock at 46:57.7 in Canmore.

“It’s definitely one of my best races this year. It’s just awesome to be at home, do well, hit some targets, have some fun in the mountains in the nice sun,” Beaudry said. “I had some rough races at world juniors. I wanted to put out a solid race and remember what it was like.”

Sporting a Canadian flag sticker on her cheek in front of more than 100 cheering fans, Beaudry kept her mind on the race, even though her thoughts were with her father, who was undergoing hip surgery at the time of the race.

“It’s so easy to be relaxed at home. It feels more like another NorAm in a good way. Knowing everyone out here and the volunteers,” said Beaudry.

It was a tough day on the range for the rest of the Canadians, who despite a few misses, still managed to have four athletes crack the top 20. Each missed target carries a one minute penalty. Emma Lunder finished 17th (14/20), Zina Kocher 19th (13/20), Claude Godbout 16/20. Other Canadians included Erin Yungblut (25th) and Melanie Schultz (32nd).

The top US biathlete was 29    25         HOWE Katrina Howe in 29th with 7 penalties followed by Kelsey Joan Dickinson in 35th with six missed targets. Madeleine Phaneuf did not start.

The women resume racing on Friday, with a 7.5 km sprint race.

Full results here.