It was an experience of a lifetime for Sarah Beaudry who recently competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

She was one of five athletes from Northern BC to be selected and finished 29th out of 87 athletes in the 15km Biathlon individual race and was also a member of the 4×6 kilometre relay squad that placed 10th out of 19 teams.

It was good to showcase her skills on the world stage.

“I really wanted to take full advantage of that and with the individual having one-minute penalties per missed shot, even if I wasn’t perfect on the skis I could focus on the shooting and just came into the range confident I could hit the targets and that I could have a solid result.”

“It was really exciting to do my first race at the last minute but I felt ready and I was really happy with my performance.”

Beaudry replaced fellow Prince George athlete Megan Tandy who fell ill during the games.

While it was tough to see a fellow Prince George athlete not compete, it was equally as good to receive her encouragement.

“Our team is a pretty tight-knit group and it’s always unfortunate when somebody gets sick but I think we always want the best for each other and it meant a lot that she wasn’t just sitting in the corner bummed out but was really out there hoping for the best for the team and really was wanting us to succeed.”

The 23-year-old says it was also nice to connect with local product and snowboarder Meryeta O’Dine as they both trained together at Engage Sport North when it was called Pacific Sport of Northern BC.

“To see her again after having been training partners for other sports and then to succeed at this level is pretty neat.”

Sarah Beaudry at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea | Photo Courtesy of Sarah Beaudry

Being in the trenches during a competition like the Olympics gave the local athlete a different perspective on her sport.

“So much can change on shooting and skiing and to watch some of the favorites not do so great under pressure while some underdogs tried to catch a break and just to know that there is always a chance to do well if you put it all together.”

Beaudry is now in Finland getting ready to compete at another World Cup event next week.