Mark Arendz of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island has won his first gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games. On Thursday evening in Canada (Friday in Pyeongchang), Arendz placed first in the men’s 15 kilometre biathlon standing competition for his fourth medal at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
Arendz posted a winning time of 42 minutes, 52.2 seconds. Ben Daviet of France won the silver medal with a time of 43 minutes, 50.5 seconds. Nils-Erik Ulset of Norway won the bronze medal with a time of 44 minutes, 6.7 seconds. Arendz reached the podium one minute, 55.6 seconds over Grygorii Vochynskyi of the Ukraine, who was in fourth place with a time of 44 minutes, 47.8 seconds. Prior to Thursday, Arendz won the silver medal in the men’s 7.5 kilometre biathlon standing division and bronze medals in the men’s 12.5 kilometre biathlon standing division and the men’s 1.5 kilometre cross country skiing standing division.
In the men’s 15 kilometre biathlon sitting division, Collin Cameron of Sudbury, Ontario won the bronze medal with a time of 50 minutes, 59.1 seconds. Martin Fleig of Germany won the gold medal with a time of 49 minutes, 57.2 seconds. Daniel Cnossen of the United States won the bronze medal with a time of 50 minutes, 42.7 seconds. Cameron earned his medal by 4.5 seconds over Taras Rad of the Ukraine, who was in fourth place with a time of 51 minutes, 3.6 seconds.
In the women’s 12.5 kilometre biathlon standing division, Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan won the bronze medal with a time of 41 minutes, 20.7 seconds. Anna Milenina of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes won the gold medal with a time of 38 minutes, 56.8 seconds. Ekaterina Rumyantseva of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes won the silver medal with a time of 39 minutes, 0.6 seconds. Hudak earned a medal by 3.7 seconds over Iryna Bui of the Ukraine who was in fourth place with a time of 41 minutes, 24.4 seconds.
Canada is tied for third place with Ukraine in the medal standings with 19. The United States lead with 30 medals and the Neutral Paralympic Athletes are in second with 20 medals.
