POKLJUKA, Slovenia – The feeling was mutual between Natalie Wilkie and her mother, who were texting on the morning of the Paralympian’s final race at the biathlon world championships, that something big was about to happen.
And, boy, did it ever.
The 24-year-old Canadian was crowned world champion on Sunday (Feb. 9) in the 12.5 kilometre interval women’s standing race, her second gold medal at the 2025 IBU Para Biathlon World Championships in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
For the kid from Salmon Arm, B.C., a small mountain town huddled away in the Columbia Shuswap region, it never gets old seeing “world champion” next to your name, she said.
“I feel every title is so hard fought for, there are so many competitive women in my category,” said Wilkie, who trains with the national Para nordic ski team in Canmore.
Although things turned sour amid the special moment following an alleged incident that occurred when physical contact was made between Wilkie and one of Ukraine's coaches that resulted in a review and investigation.
Biathlon involves the endurance of cross-country skiing and precision of target shooting inside a range and during Wilkie’s third shooting bout of four, she skied in with Ukrainian Oleksandra Kononova. She was preparing her rifle when she “felt a kick” at her skis.
The pair were in prone position or laying down next to each other, which resulted in their skis clashing in close proximity, said Wilkie. As she began scooting over, Wilkie said she felt more force than merely skis smacking against each other.
“I was like, ‘Holy, that’s uncalled for.’ Who kicks somebody’s skis in a race?” said Wilkie.
Wilkie, a seven-time Paralympic medallist, said she was about to shoot and “would have missed that shot” had she pulled the trigger at that moment.
Initially, she thought the contact came from her competitor, Kononova, but found out after the race it was one of the Ukrainian’s coaches. The contact occurred during the handoff of Kononova’s rifle – a common practice for Para biathlon coaches, but they aren’t allowed to communicate with athletes.
During a live stream, Kononova briefly looks over at her coach, who was in between her and Wilkie, when the alleged incident would have happened. Wilkie and the coach weren't in frame.
“I didn't find out until after the race, otherwise, I probably would have been pretty mad,” Wilkie said.
“That team got an official warning and everything, but I just felt that was such an awful thing for a coach to do to another athlete.
“It’s definitely not very sportsmanship-like and it’s unfortunate, too, that it reflects on this athlete as well.”
A coach interfering with an athlete in a race can result in disqualifications.
The Outlook reached out to the Pokljuka event organizers for comment and will update if possible.
Nordiq Canada confirmed contact was made between the coach and Wilkie, but did not speculate on the intentions behind it.
“Contact can happen in Para biathlon races, as the range can be quite busy. That said, the IBU conducted a review and investigation into the situation and determined that no further action was needed,” said Nordiq Canada’s Nathaniel Mah in an email.
Mah added the Ukraine team was "given an official reprimand" which didn't effect results.
With top athletes on both sides, Ukraine and Canada are friendly rivals in Para nordic skiing.
Wilkie maintained composure following the contact and shot down all five targets. When she returned to the range for a final time, she came in with Kononova and teammate Brittany Hudak, who were 1-2.
About to shoot, Wilkie heard both athletes miss beside her.
Wilkie had been out of gold medal contention up until that point after missing one shot in her opening bout of shooting.
Shaking as she tried to line up her rifle, she believed she could be world champ if she shot clean. Five shots later and Wilkie was sprinting to the finish line.
“I think this race was realizing that it isn't over until you cross the finish line,” said Wilkie. “There are still so many things that can happen and my coach kept yelling at me to not give up ‘cause other people could miss or I could end up making up time and still salvage the race.”
Three days prior, Wilkie had also won gold in the 7.5km sprint race.
Canada’s other big winner was Mark Arendz, who picked up two world championship titles and a bronze medal in Pokljuka.
In the men’s standing, Arendz, 34, of Hartsville, P.E.I., won gold in the 7.5km sprint by barely edging out Germany’s Marco Maier, who finished 1.2 seconds behind.
He claimed bronze in the sprint pursuit on Feb. 8, before securing gold, and another world championship title, in the 12.5km individual.
“We are a year out from the Paralympic Winter Games, and so, this year's World Championships act as the final dress rehearsal for how I want to approach next year,” said Arendz in an email. “From the training in the summer and fall, competition schedule and training in the weeks leading up to the priority event, this year Worlds, but next year Games. I have specific plans in place, and I reflect each day, what I did, how it felt and what I should watch out for or if anything needs to change for next year's plan.”
Canada's Derek Zaplotinsky won a silver medal at men's sitting individual, while Hudak just missed the podium with three fourth-place finishes.
Up next are the 2025 FIS Para Cross Country World Championships in Toblach, Italy, from Feb. 12-14.
