January 11, 2007 (Vuokatti, Finland) – Canada’s Mark Arendz took advantage of his first ever opportunity to race against the world’s best disabled nordic athletes, placing eighth in the 12.5-kilometre long biathlon IPC World Cup on Thursday in Vuokatti, Finland.

The 17-year-old Arendz, who hails from Springton, P.E.I., had to borrow a rifle to compete in the event, and only missed four shots in total during his four trips to the shooting range. Arendz also combined his strong day on the range with skiing a veteran race to post a time of 46 minutes 54 seconds in the standing men’s amputation and limb disability category.

“I was really excited to get out there today, and compete in my first race on the World Cup,” said Arendz, who is an above-elbow amputee. “The conditions were fast, I shot very well on the range, and the sun even popped out for a bit during the race, so it was a perfect day in Finland. I think this was a great start for me and I’m very happy.”

Building off his strong performance, Arendz will now be gunning down the leaders on the disabled World Cup. On Wednesday, it was Norway’s Erik Ulset who set the leading pace, taking home the gold medal with a time of 37:15, despite missing two shots on the range. Germany’s Josef Giesen settled for second in the dash to the finish line, stopping the clock at 37:19, while his teammate, Thomas Oelsner rounded out the top-three at 38:09.

The disabled nordic World Cup for biathlon is divided into three categories for the various disabilities. Canada only had one other competitor suit up on Thursday. Shauna Maria Whyte put together a solid opening-season performance in the women’s 10-kilometre sit-ski division, but was later disqualified after a problem with her rifle on the shooting range. The Hinton, Alta. native had a failed clip on her rifle, and when it was replaced, she took an extra shot than was allowed. As a result, Whyte was disqualified and her time did not count.

The Canadian ParaNordic Team, which combines cross-country skiing and biathlon, will hit the start line again on Friday in Finland with the short biathlon race.

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 website at www.biathloncanada.ca on the Internet.

Cross Country Canada is the governing body of cross-country skiing in Canada. Its 45,000 members are athletes, coaches and officials, including members of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team and Canadian Disabled Cross-Country Ski Team. Cross-country skiing is Canada’s optimal winter sport and recreational activity with more than one million Canadians participating annually.

Top-Five Men’s Results (12.5 kilometre Standing):
1.Erik Ulset (NOR) 37:15
2. Josef Giesen (GER) 37:19
3. Thomas Oelsner (GER) 38:09
4. Alfis Makamedinov (RUS) 42:47
5. Konstantin Yanchuk (RUS) 42:54
8. Mark Arendz (CAN) 46:54
Complete Results: www.championchip.fi