THUNDER BAY – Sports – NDC-Thunder Bay athlete, Andy Shields, skied to a bronze medal today at the Haywood Noram Western Canadian Championships in Grande Prairie Alberta.   After suffering a major illness in Europe last month at the World U23 Championships, Shields showed that he is back on form and ready to go. 

Andy Shields back on form – Winning!

Winning the morning’s qualifier by over a second in the 1.4km free sprints, Shields used some tactics to get himself through to the final, “It was a fun course but tricky to pass. Getting ahead off the start was quite advantageous and I was able to do so a couple of times.”  A very tough field showcasing some of the best sprinters in Canada, Sheilds out-lunged NDC alumnus, Michael Somppi for the bronze medal, “I managed a third place finish with some guts, determination and the craziest lunge I’ve ever pulled off!”

This was Shields’ first Noram podium of his career as a Senior Man. 

Shields’ teammates Dudley Coulter and Bob Thompson finished 15th and 19th respectively.  Erin Tribe finished a very strong 8th place on the women’s side.

Full results can be found at www.zone4.ca

Racing continues tomorrow in this 3 day multi-stage event with a classic distance race and finishes on Sunday with a free technique handicap start.

5 other racers on the NDC Thunder Bay team will be competing in the Ontario University Championships taking place at Lappe Nordic Centre tomorrow and Sunday.