By Canadian Press

Canadian biathlete Nathan Smith after a career of historic results

Dec 19, 2018 | 2:30 PM

CANMORE, Alta. — The first Canadian man to win a world championship biathlon medal has retired from the sport.

Nathan Smith of Calgary won a silver medal in the 10-kilometre pursuit at the 2015 world championship in Kontiolahti, Finland.

The two-time Olympian also won a World Cup gold medal in 2015 and helped the men’s relay team win a world championship bronze in 2016.

Smith was just the second Canadian man to win a World Cup race after Jean-Philippe Le Guellec in 2012.

Smith, 32, made Sunday’s relay at a World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria, the final race of a 16-year career representing Canada.

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“Emotional,” Smith told the International Biathlon Union on social media. “Everything you do every day, when you do training for the World Cup for years it’s very repetitive, but it’s a comfortable thing.

“Now I don’t have to do that any more. It’s going to be a change.”

A virus sidelined Smith for most of the 2016-17 season.

“I got sick two and a half years ago,” he said. “I kept fighting and fighting and fighting to come back to where I was before I got sick. I had setbacks, but I had points where I was really promising so I kept fighting.

“I wanted to give it one more try to see what could happen this winter. It didn’t turn out how I’d hoped. I’m still glad I tried.”

Smith competed in the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Games, with his best result 11th in the 12.5k pursuit.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Canadian biathlete Nathan Smith after a career of historic results

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