N.W.T. town cheers Olympic biathlete Green

Last Updated: Friday, February 26, 2010 | 8:20 PM ET

CBC News

Children wave handmade flags on a main street in Hay River, N.W.T., to show support for local biathlete Brendan Green, who competed Friday in the men's biathlon relay. (Allison Devereaux/CBC)

Canadian Olympic biathlete Brendan Green is a hometown hero in Hay River, N.W.T., where residents are bursting with pride over his performance in the men's biathlon relay.

Many in the town of 3,650, located near the N.W.T.-Alberta border, wore green clothes and waved flags as they watched Green, 23, compete in the men's 4x7.5-kilometre relay in Whistler on Friday.

Green, along with Robin Clegg of Canmore, Alta., Marc-Andre Bedard of Valcartier, Que., and Jean-Philippe Le Guellec of Quebec City, placed 10th in the 19-country field.

Many residents spent Friday — dubbed "Green Day" in Hay River and across the N.W.T. — watching the biathlon relay on TV, with some gathering at Diamond Jenness Secondary School, the town's Legion and the local movie threatre to watch the action on a huge screen.

Role model

Hay River's inukshuk landmark is dressed up for 'Green Day' celebrations on Friday. (Allison Devereaux/CBC)

Residents said Green deserves a lot of credit for being Hay River's first Olympian, calling the young biathlete a role model.

"It's inspiring knowing that [given] what he's doing, why can't we do it also? We just have to work hard," said Joseph Lirette, a 16-year-old who is also a Hay River biathlete.

"Look where he's become with all his hard training and everything. He stayed drug-free and smoke-free, and now he's an Olympian and a real role model to the territories."

For his part, Green has been urging children and youth from Canada's North to pursue their Olympic aspirations.

"I'd encourage kids to have fun with sport," Green told CBC News late Friday from Whistler.

"Dream big and don't lose sight of your goals. It was a long journey to get here, but definitely worthwhile," he said.

Green becomes the first athlete from the Northwest Territories to compete in a Winter Olympics since 1984, when cross-country skiers Sharon and Shirley Firth of Inuvik, N.W.T., competed in their fourth Winter Games in Sarajevo.

The Canadian men's biathlon team has another northern connection in Clegg, who was born and raised in Yellowknife and began skiing on local ski trails.

The town of Hay River plans to give Green a hometown hero's welcome when he returns from the Olympics.