What better way to mitigate the annoyance of catching a cold during a national competition than coming home with two gold medals?
Pelly Crossing’s Daniele Marcotte, 16, once again used her steady hand and eagle eye to win two gold medals at last week’s Canadian National Pistol Championships in Calgary, despite having caught a cold midway through the event.
“In the morning when I got up I started to feel, I guess, yucky, and by the time of my shoot-off I could barely talk,” said Marcotte. “It was really annoying. It really made me mad that it had to happen - like, I got sick right before my shoot off.
“It was only 10 shots for the shoot-off, but it felt like a lot longer.”
Marcotte’s medals came in the 25-metre sport pistol and the 10-metre air pistol, both in junior divisions. No stranger to success at the event, Marcotte won gold in 2007 and silver in 2008 for the 10-metre air pistol.
Marcotte just started competing in the 25-metre sport pistol (with a .22) this year, but had already won gold at the 2009 Alberta Provincial Handgun Championship in June.
“We’re basically using (the .22) as a practice tool for her,” said Marcotte’s father and coach, Darcy. “I don’t think we’re going to get too serious with it, but she’s doing very well with it. Her priority is the 10-metre air pistol.
“Having said that, both disciplines are Olympic events. I’m pretty sure Daniel is going to make it to that.”
If illness and limited experience competing with the .22 weren’t enough, Marcotte also had to get used to the championships new timetable, squeezing four events into just two days.
“In the month before the nationals or a competition I’ll train like three times a week, but normally I’ll cut it down to two times a week,” said Marcotte. “I get breaks (in the competition) so I don’t get shaky.
“At last year’s nationals I kept going and going, shooting and shooting. And my coach (at the time) had me at the gym, and I’m a junior so apparently I’m not supposed to be doing that much stuff. It really beat me right up and I couldn’t do it last year, I was just exhausted.”
With her success at the event, Marcotte qualified for the first ever Junior Olympics being held next August 14 through 26 in Singapore.
“I guess (I’m excited),” said Marcotte. “I don’t really know what it is.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com