For Mark Arendz these Para biathlon worlds are the test run for 2026 Games

POKLJUKA, Slovenia – In individual Paralympic and Olympic sports there is usually no tournament or best of seven series. It can be as minimal just one race or event, on a specific day, known well in advance, and an athlete trains years to be at his or her peak at that moment.

Just think what could go wrong. In winter sports, as we have seen this week at the Para alpine worlds over in Maribor, Slovenia, weather can disturb all those preparations. An athlete could fall ill, be injured or have an unexpected equipment issue.

That’s why for Mark Arendz success at a world championship or at the Paralympics is the payoff to not only his efforts but to those who have supported him through the seasons, even through the years.

‘’For me the title of world champion is really special,’’ he said after training this week in Pokljuka. Arendz took the gold Thursday in the men’s standing 7.5 kilometre to open the Para biathlon worlds.

“It’s almost as good as the gold medal at the Paralympics. It’s that you performed on the day. That’s what high performance sport is about.’’

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Arendz has practically been unbeatable in the biathlon portion of Para nordic skiing over the past two seasons. In 2024-25, he missed his first target this season in the shooting range and has posted four wins in five Para biathlon World Cup races.

‘’The significance of these world championships is being (just over) one year from the Games,’’ said Arendz. ‘’This really is for me a final dress rehearsal before we go to the Paralympics.’’

The 34-year-old glided into Slovenia as a finely tuned machine.

“There are always elements that are going to challenge your performance and the biggest test of that is to perform regardless of those obstacles and those challenges,’’ he said.

As the interview ended, Arendz wanted to make sure he got another message across.

‘’And one last thing that’s special about world championships is you get to hear your national anthem (if you win) and the flag is raised.

‘’It is still one of the greatest things. I’ve seen it in the past and I want to see it again and to me that’s the ultimate giving back to sport, to the community be that Canada, my province – Prince Edward Island- or Hartsville my hometown.’’

There are no scheduled races at the Para biathlon worlds on Friday. Action resumes Saturday with the pursuit and on Sunday it concludes with the 12.5 kilometre race.

On Thursday, Natalie Wilkie of Salmon Arm, B.C., also won gold in the women’s standing 7.5 kilometre, Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Sask., was fourth while Derek Zaplotinsky of Smoky Lake, Alta., was eighth in the men’s sitting 7.5 kilometre.

You can read Thursday’s report HERE

You can stream the worlds live HERE

The Para alpine worlds in Maribor, Slovenia are still set to get underway, according to FIS, on Saturday with the women’s giant slalom. The men’s GS is on Sunday, the women’s slalom Monday and the men’s slalom Tuesday.

The downhill, Super G and combined, all scheduled for earlier this week, were cancelled due to poor weather.

With files from Nordiq Canada