As one of the hometown favourites at this weekend’s Biathlon Canada Youth/Junior World Championship trials, Iona Cadell has an advantage over the other 51 athletes competing in the youth women’s division.
That’s not just because she knows those trails like the back of her hand.
While biathletes from across the country converge on Otway Nordic Centre armed with rifles in a battle for Canadian national team spots, the 18-year-old Caledonia Nordic Ski Club member can relax knowing she’s already made her team.
The Great Britain team, that is.
Cadell was born and raised in Prince George but her parents Ali and Will are both from Scotland and based on the strength of her IBU Junior Cup results this year, she will be sporting the Union Jack on her racing suit in the IBU World Youth/Junior Championships in Oestersund, Sweden, Feb. 26-March 5.
“It just makes it a little less stressful and a little more fun,” said Cadell.
Cadell was in Sweden in November for selection races that qualified her for the IBU Junior Cup. She joined the tour in Ridnaun, Italy, where she placed 74th and 64th in the sprints and 69th in individual event. Two weekends ago in Goms, Switzerland, Cadell finished 54th in the mass start race and was 44th (out of 103) in the sprint – her best IBU Junior Cup result.
Cadell raced at the 2024 world youth/junior championships in Estonia, so she knows what to expect when she lines up in the starting gate next month in Sweden. The competition will be fierce, just like it was in her IBU Junior Cup races, where biathlon powerhouses like France, Sweden, Norway and Germany groom their future World Cup stars.
“It’s pretty cool seeing all the countries race, I definitely have a lot of work trying to get up to their level,” said Cadell. “I’m definitely not on the same level as them but it’s really cool to race against them to see how I can change my (ski) technique to be like them. The way they ski just seems more powerful. They’re just more efficient with their technique and the way they shoot.”
Canada does not have a team on the IBU Junior Cup tour and Cadell is among several BC-born biathletes competing for Great Britain.
She’s been skiing since she learned to walk and got involved in biathlon when she was nine and grew up skiing and running the trails at Otway. Her new training base is the Biathlon Alberta Training Centre team in Canmore, where she moved in June. Back home for Christmas, she’s in the best shape of her life and can’t wait to put her home trails to the test.
“I’m pretty excited to race back in PG,” she said. “There hasn’t been a big race like this in a few years so I’m definitely excited to race with a bit of an advantage and we’ll see how it goes.
“The shooting has improved quite a bit, I’m pretty happy with that. I’m hoping for more ski speed but so far I’m pretty happy with how things are going.”
The trials start with the women's sprints Saturday at 10 a.m. (men at 1 p.m.), followed by the pursuits Sunday (women at 10 a.m., men at 1 p.m.). The event wraps up Tuesday morning with the mass start race (men at 10 a.m., women at 1 p.m.)
The top eight youth and top eight juniors (four from each gender) will be picked for the teams Canada will be sending to Sweden.
After the trials Cadell will head back to Canmore, home of the national team, and she plans to enter a few local races before boarding the plane to Sweden. Next fall she will enroll in the University of Calgary’s bioinformatics program, using computers and artificial intelligence to develop mathematical models to study biological systems.
Cadell trains in Canmore with 18-year-old Aliah Turner of Prince George. Turner and Liam Simons of Prince George, who trains with the Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club, both made Canada’s team for the FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy, Jan. 13-23.
Cadell’s 16-year-old sister Isla, the aggregate senior girls champion at the Canadian national team trials, is also racing at Otway this weekend. Isla will represent Great Britain at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Georgia, Feb. 9-16.
Other Caledonia athletes entered in the world trials are: Ethan Hawes (youth men), David Hillhouse (youth men), Nathanael Dean (youth men), Gabby Hoehn (youth women), Payton Sinclair (youth women) and Moira Green (junior women), the Canadian aggregate champion.
