Matt Neumann - Biathlon

Sport: Biathlon-the combination of cross country skiing and marksmanship

My Blog: http://biathlete.blogspot.com/

Personal:

I am a Junior Canadian biathlete training for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. I currently live in Squamish and train full time at the Whistler Olympic Park. I am a member of the Biathlon BC High Performance team and train under the guidance of iLmar Heinicke. I have being training as a member of the Biathlon BC HP Team for the last four years. Last season I was Canadian Champion, and attended World Junior Championships for the first time. I am training hard for the 2009/2010 season and the 2010 World Junior Championships in Torsby, Sweden where I am aiming for a top twenty finish as a second year junior.

Where I started?

I have been interested in sport my entire life, and began cross country skiing when I was 8 years old. I have a passion for racing, and when I was 10 years old I began competing in Biathlon.  When I was 11 years old, I began following my first official training plan revolving around the biathlon season. I started with a 225 hour per year plan which my biathlon coaches (Jeremy Campbell and Fiona Coy) had constructed. Without their dedication, biathlon would have never become a part of my life. At the time I was also competing in triathlon, and had not made up my mind on which sport to pursue. All I knew; I wanted to compete at the Olympics. I raced in both Biathlon and Triathlon until I was 15. At that point I decided I would make Biathlon my priority sport. I loved all the sports I was doing, but I had to start concentrating more on sport specific development.

I was 15 when I attended my first Canadian Biathlon National Championships, in Edmonton, Alberta. I finished near the bottom of my category, but realized that this was my challenge. I saw who had won, and said to myself, "I will beat them." Over the next three years, I watched myself steadily progress watching as alot of my friends decided to drop out. I have never given up on a goal, and I said that I was going to win a gold medal at the National Championships. In 2008, after 8 seasons of competing in biathlon, I won the Youth (17/18) 12.5km Individual at the Whistler Olympic Park, and became Canadian National Champion for the first time. My first goal was accomplished and I was looking forward to bigger goals for next season.

This season, I won three gold medals at the 2009 Canadian National Championships. I am now the top ranked junior (19/20) in Canada and was the first qualified for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. My top result was a 47^th finish in the 12.5km pursuit as a first year junior.

Achievements:

• 1^st Canadian National Championships Junior Men 15km Individual (March 26^th, 2009)
• 1^st Canadian National Championships Junior Men 10 km Sprint (March 28^th, 2009)
• 1st Canadian National Championships  3X6km Relay (March 29^th,2009)
• 1^st Canadian National Championships Youth Men 12.5km Individual (March 27^th,2008)

• 13^th World Summer Championships Junior Men 6km Running Pursuit Sept 20/09

• 20^th World Summer Championships Junior Men 4km Sprint Sept 19/09

• 30^th World Summer Championships Junior Men 10km Sprint

• 33^rd World Summer Championships Junior Men 12.5km

• 2007 and 2008 BC Premiers Athletic Award for Biathlon

• 2^nd NORAM Cup #10 Fort Kent, ME Junior Men 12.5km Pursuit (March 21^st, 2009)
• 2^nd NORAM Cup #10 Fort Kent, ME Junior Men 15km Mass Start (March 22^nd, 2009)
• 2^nd NORAM Cup #7 Whistler Olympic Park Junior Men 10 km Sprint (February 7^th, 2009)
• 2^nd NORAM Cup #7 Whistler Olympic Park Junior Men 12.5 km Pursuit (February 8^th, 2009)
• 3^rd NORAM Cup #6 Canmore, AB Junior Men 10km Sprint (January 17^th, 2009)
• 47^th World Junior Championships Canmore AB, 12.5 km Pursuit (February 1^st, 2009)

Goals

• Gold Medal at 2010 Canadian National Championships

• Top 20 at 2010 World Junior Championships in Torsby, Sweden

• Compete at the 2012 World Biathlon Championships in Ruhpolding, Germany

• Compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Other Interests

If I'm not training or racing, I'm enjoying the Squamish trails either on foot or on wheels. I participate in weekly XC biking Twoonie Races which usually feature some fairly technical trails and up to 150 starters. I also spend a lot of time on my road bike, and participate in a group ride put on by a local bike shop, Corsa Cycles. There are usually around 30 riders, and the ride is about 50km. It's a pretty quick pace with a couple of designated sprints along the way.

Why Biathlon?

Through Biathlon, sport has become a lifestyle for me. During the past 10 years, Biathlon has grown from a fun sport to a full time job. By training at a professional level, I am constantly striving to improve my skills as an athlete and bridge the gap to the international podium. I am always making and redefining my goals. It is satisfying to accomplish a height and push the bar one step higher. It is a long way to the top, but the reward is indescribable. I am interested to see how far I can go and am willing to push my limits to achieve my full potential.

Special Thanks

I can train as hard as I can, and spend as many hours possible focused on succeeding, but at the end of the day, I need the support of a team behind me. I can train 10 % harder and more effective than every other athlete in my age category, but if I'm losing 5 % because I don't have the best equipment and another 5% because I can't afford to participate in training camps, then I've gone nowhere. As small as 10 % looks on paper, the international podium is often divided by only a few seconds. I've already been helped by Devinci Cycles, The National Firearms Association, Prince George Rod and Gun Club, Flex-art-studio, Alain Baril and of course Stride & Glide Sport. Thank you!