Quebec hopes there's room on the podium for both Leboeuf brothers
By Tracey Madigan
for CBC Sports Online

Quebec is watching as brothers François and Maxime Leboeuf compete against each other in the biathlon event.

The two from Val Bélair were ready for a challenge when they were recruited three years ago by Podium 2010, a Biathlon Canada initiative aimed at creating top biathletes by 2010.

Maxime Leboeuf will be the youngest Quebecer to compete in the biathlon at the Games (Photo by Jean Bédard)

The Leboeuf brothers were skiing with Cross Country Canada when they were recruited. The boys were looking for more of a challenge and biathlon fit the bill.

François, 17, says the shooting part of the race is causing the most grief.

"I am a good skier but my shooting is not regular so if [I get a decent] shooting -eight on ten - I am on the podium."

During practice in Valcartier, Que., where winds gust up to 40 kilometres an hour, the boys miss several targets.

Wind can be a biathlete's worst enemy, according to Daniel Lefebvre, Biathlon Canada coach for the eastern national training centre.

"There are wind flags on the range, and the athletes know how to read the wind. What's hard to judge is wind gusts and that's a matter of control," Lefebvre points out. "In those cases they just have to learn to wait until the gusts go down. But with experience and time, they'll be able to adjust even to the wind gusts and have a perfect shoot."

On windy days, biathletes in training add on extra laps to make up for missed targets. Lefebvre says that's the challenge of the biathlon.

"They can all shoot and they can all shoot well. But when they get to the race, you have to manage your race and not increase your heart rate too high so that you can't shoot," he says.

"I think they're a little young, a little immature about racing, so when they get to the start line their idea is just to smoke everyone in site [by] skiing and they forget they have to come and shoot. If they don't forget about that, they'll shoot well in the competition."

Quebec's biathlon team for the 2003 Canada Winter Games is its youngest in years, thanks to Biathlon Canada's aggressive talent search.

Lefevbre says mastering shooting technique takes between three and five years, which is good news for Maxime Leboeuf. At 15, he'll have the rare opportunity to compete again at the Canada Winter Games in four years.

But this year he'll be the youngest in the race. Maxime says he's not stressed out by his competition.

"I'm trying to do my best and I can get very good results, so those guys have got more pressure than me!"

Coach Lefebvre says despite being young, his team has a good shot at making it to the podium, and he plans to push them to get there.

"There are some in Canada that are showing consistency which I think have a better chance at the podium. However, I think they can all be a podium [winner]. Obviously for me, the goal is always to win. We just want to win. Gold, gold and gold."

Winning even one medal would be a great feat for this team. At the last Winter Games, the Quebec men didn't make it to the podium. The women took home one medal, a bronze in the relay event.

At the Canada Winter Games, there are no age categories. That means Maxime won't just compete against boys four years his senior, but also against his 17-year-old brother François.

So far, there doesn't seem to be any tension between the two.

"Me and my brother, in the ski time, is the same. It depends on the shooting to decide who is the winner," says François.

But is there some sibling rivalry at times?

"Yeah sometimes, but I think he's better than me now, so he should not be stressed," Maxime says.

Supporters of the Leboeuf brothers figure there is enough space on the podium for the two of them.