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Kristin Berg could not repeat the exploits she accomplished in the 1995-96
season last winter due mainly a sore lower back which kept her out of
action in January and February. It was the first time Berg, looking to
earn a second Olympic berth this winter, had experienced back problems and
she doesn't expect it to be a recurring problem. She has maintained a busy
schedule this fall with national team training and her forestry studies at
the University of Alberta. With little spare time she feels it's easier to
keep focused on the tasks at hand.
"For some reason I shoot better when I go to school," said Berg, 29, who trains in Edmonton. "Shooting is my weak point and I find the ability to focus is the key to success in the shooting range. I just find when you're busy you can focus better." Berg who took her first cross country ski strides at age 3 and made the Alberta team as a teenager, has displayed flashes of brilliance internationally since she began the biathlon about 10 years ago. At the 1996 world championships she placed a brilliant 14th in the 15 kilometre individual event. It bettered her previous best international result by 12 places. She also helped Canada to a best-ever seventh in the women's relay at a World Cup that same season. Berg's father Gunnar was born in Norway and Kristin, a Calgary native, speaks the Scandinavian language. It was with great pride that Gunnar Berg and the rest of Kristin's family saw her compete at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. "The only thing that could top the Lillehammer Olympic experience would be better results in Nagano," said Berg. |