December 13, 2007 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – After contemplating retirement last spring, and at risk of losing his start position on the World Cup circuit due to poor results, Canada’s Robin Clegg proved to the world he still belongs.

The 30-year-old Ottawa native stormed into the top-10 for the first time of his nine-year career after finishing in eighth place, two minutes 47.0 seconds behind the leader, in the men’s 20-kilometre individual start race at the Biathlon World Cup in Pokljuka, Slovenia on Thursday.

“For years my biggest goal was to break the top-10 and to do it today just means so much to me,” said Clegg, who added he had extra motivation to maintain his spot on the World Cup as the fields are going to be limited to 80 athletes, and he was ranked 77th. “I was on the edge and definitely couldn’t sleep last night.”

Clegg took advantage of wearing bib number one in a field of just under 100 athletes, to be the first skier out of the gate and maintain his focus. Athletes start in 30 second intervals in the individual start race.

“For someone like me, with what I was dealing with, being first is an advantage because I was able to go out and do my own thing,” said Clegg, who only missed two shots – one prone and one standing – in his four trips to the shooting range. “I didn’t see anyone around me for the first 10-to-12 minutes of the race so it was nice to be out there on my own.”

Not performing to the level he expects of himself, coupled with getting married this summer, Clegg was ready to pack it all in last year and retire from the sport.

“I wasn’t supposed to race this year, but it was a pretty big commitment, both time-wise and financially, to continue on,” said Clegg, whose wife has also gone away to law school this year. “That just makes today that much more important. I will take what I can from it, but it is important to remember, tomorrow is a new day and a new race.”

The eighth-place finish matches the best-ever World Cup result by a Canadian male previously achieved by Canada’s Steve Cyr in the 1990’s. Cyr also had an eighth-place result at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France.

Clegg has been slugging it out on the Biathlon World Cup for nearly a decade – many of those as the lone Canuck. Under his leadership, the young Canadian team is starting to make significant strides forward as the Canadian sporting world approaches the two-year countdown towards the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Last week, Jean-Philippe LeGuellec posted his best-ever World Cup results, finishing in the top-of-the-pack with the world’s elite. LeGuellec and Clegg also joined up with Jaime Robb and Scott Perras to post a 13th-place result in the team relay last Sunday.

“JP is raising his game and showing me up,” laughed Clegg. “It is so much better to have a team around you that is producing results. It does motivate you to go out and perform well so it makes it easier for sure.”

While Clegg celebrated his best-ever result, Norway’s Emil Hegle was jubilant over his first World Cup victory after setting the time to beat at 51:58.1. Germany’s Alexander Wolf was second (+48.6), while Serguei Sednev, of the Ukraine, took home the bronze medal (+1:55.9).

Russia’s Ekaterina Iourieva won the gold medal in the women’s 15-kilometre individual start with a time of 43:47.3. Italy’s Michela Ponza was second after crossing the line 55.1 seconds off the pace, while Germany’s Martina Glagow continued her podium reign, winning the bronze (+1:18.2).

Three other Canadians suited up on Thursday in Slovenia. Jean-Philippe LeGuellec was 59th (+7:15.0) in the men’s race, while Megan Imrie, of Falcon Lake, Man., was 49th (+6:39.1) and Calgary’s Sandra Keith was 63rd (+7:58.6) in women’s action. Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., who became the first Canadian to win a World Cup biathlon medal since Myriam Bedard did more than a decade ago when she won a bronze in Sweden last year, will rejoin the team following the holiday break.

The Biathlon World Cup continues on Saturday in Slovenia with the men’s and women’s sprint races.

Biathlon Canada, the governing body for biathlon in the country, oversees the Canadian Championships, Eastern and Western Canadian Championships, and the 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.

Results (brief)

Men
1. Emil Hegle, NOR, 51:58.1
2. Alexander Wolf, GER, +48.6
3. Serguei Sednev, UKR, +1:55.9
4. Oleg Berezhnoy, UKR, +1:56.2
5. Friedrich Pinter, AUT, +2:07.0.

8. Robin Clegg, Ottawa, +2:47.0
59. Jean-Philippe LeGuellec, Shannon, Que., +7:15.0

Women
1. Ekaterina Iourieva, RUS, 43:47.3
2. Michela Ponza, ITA, +55.1
3. Martina Glagow, GER, +1:18.2
4. Anna Carin Olofsson, SWE, +1:31.4
5. Helena Jonsson, SWE, +1:37.9

49. Megan Imrie, Falcon Lake, Man., +6:39.1
63. Sandra Keith, Calgary, +7:58.6

For complete results.