There’s no doubt para nordic skier Mark Arendz burned up the course as he skied, shot and sprinted his way to six medals at the recent Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
It was also no doubt a dream scenario for the Hartsville native as he reached the podium in all of his events, including gold in the 15-kilometre biathlon, silvers in the 7.5K biathlon and the mixed relay and bronze medals in the 12.5K biathlon, 1.5K cross-country sprint and 10K cross-country.
He was also Canada’s flagbearer in the closing ceremonies.
Pretty sweet results for his third Paralympics. It brought his total medal count up to eight after winning silver and bronze in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
The Guardian caught up with Arendz, 28, just after the Canadian nationals in Charlo, N.B., and fired a few questions his way about the Paralympic Games medal haul.
Guardian: You captured that elusive gold medal. What did you immediately think when you realized you had the gold?
Arendz: Just before the final bout of shooting, I knew that gold was at that point mine to lose. In the moment, I had to keep control and firstly hit my next five shots. I had to step away from my normal shooting routine a bit, adding it a fraction of a second longer for each shot ensuring it was a hit. Once I cleaned that bout, I could tell I was skiing the final lap to the gold medal. I had worked towards that moment over the past eight years and to finally ski across the finish line to become Paralympic champion was a flood of emotion - relief, excitement, joy and countless others.
Guardian: Did you ever dream you’d win six medals at a Paralympics?
Arendz: No, my focus going into the Games was on the three biathlon races. I was more than capable of earning a medal in each of those three races. My next focus was to be ready to do my best with whatever was required of me in the relay, whether a freestyle or classic leg or in the mixed or open relays. I have always been a strong classic skier. My confidence in cross-country races has been growing over the past two seasons to where I now know I can podium in any race I enter. But to actually do it, that is a different feeling. I stayed focused on the day and what I needed to do in order to have my best race. That approach worked day in, day out.
RELATED: Meet and greet for P.E.I. Paralympian Mark Arendz set for March 29
Guardian: Where did the stamina and energy come from especially down the stretch when you had virtually a race every day?
Arendz: Racing most days is nothing new to me. World championships and world cups are set up in a similar fashion. A big part is managing the energy between races. Prioritizing what I needed to perform the next day over anything else. With the success that the nordic team was having, the energy was snowballing, everyone was having success and it feels easier to then perform yourself.
Guardian: Where will you display the medals? Will you have to build a larger display case?
Arendz: For the next while, the medals will be with me as I try to share them with anyone that asks. The organizing committee of the Games provide a beautifully crafted wooden case to go with each medal so that is where they will end up, but I think it may take a few months before I put them away
