Northern Ontario biathlete earns three medals at World University Games despite broken equipment

Shilo Rousseau of Thessalon, east of Sault Ste. Marie, has earned three medals at the World University Games in Lake Placid, New York this week.

Rousseau has earned two gold and one silver competing in a biathlon, which combines skiing and marksmanship.

And she did it all with a broken boot.

The zipper on her boot has been broken for some time now, but she said it didn’t stop her from picking up three medals.

"It’s expensive to get new ones," Rousseau said in an online video interview with CTV News Friday.

"It’s $1,200 for a new pair of boots."

Rousseau is also a full-time student studying biology at Ottawa University. She said that the sport she competes in can be expensive.

"This sport is super expensive with the rifles, ammunition, the skis, poles, boots and travel on top of that," she said.

And she said while the broken zipper hasn’t impacted her performance, it is an inconvenience.

"With the zipper being broken, I just get all snow in the boot and my boot gets wet and my sock gets wet," Rousseau laughed.

The biathlete said that she’s been fortunate to have support from her home community and other sponsors who help her with some of the costs.

"It takes more than just me to make this happen, so having everybody’s support has been really amazing," she said.

Growing up in Thessalon, east of Sault Ste. Marie, she said she began skiing at the age of 10 and it runs in the family, as her father competed as a biathlete on a national level and is the one who got her into the sport.

Rousseau said the turning point for her was when the Blind River Biathlon Club invited her to an air rifle competition.

"My dad got out his old rifle he used to race with and I practiced the night before," she said.

"I hit five out 10 targets and from there, I started doing races across Ontario."

Now, in her fourth year of university, Rousseau has since competed in numerous local and national events.

Her coach, Tim Hurley, said Rousseau’s dedication to the sport and her schooling is an example that anything is possible with hard work.

"She’s either training, sleeping or studying and that’s the only real way to make it work and perform at that level," Hurley said.

"She’s proven that you can go to university full-time and, if you’re dedicated enough, you can perform at that level."

He said the sport is difficult because it combines two disciplines.

"The endurance you need and the strength you need for cross country ski speed and being able to switch your mental focus to shooting, which is a totally different technical skill," Hurley said.

Rousseau will be competing in a final event on Saturday. She said she plans on hitting the books once she arrives back home in Canada.

She said she plans on competing in cross-country events in February and is also planning on taking her Master’s Degree at Ottawa University next year.

Earlier this week, we featured two female hockey players from northern Ontario who are also representing Canada at the Wolrd University Games.