Hay River's Brendan Green retires after 11-year biathlon career

Brendan Green crossed the last finish line in his career as a World Cup biathlete Friday, racing on his home course in Canmore, Alta., with friends, family and coaches cheering him on.

"It was an emotional day, a real emotional race as well," Green said afterwards. "Right from the get-go, as soon as I woke up this morning, on the way to the venue and during the race as well, it was hard not to tear up."

Friday's 10th place finish in the men's biathlon relay marked the end of the 32-year-old's 11-year career on the World Cup circuit, which featured three appearances for Canada in the Olympic Games.

Throughout his career, Green remained popular in the Northwest Territories, especially in his hometown of Hay River, which often held viewing parties when he raced on TV during the Olympics.

He also trains in Canmore,where this weekend's BMW IBU World Cup event is happening, meaning he had a sizable contingent watching him compete in his last event.

"You'd go around a corner and see an old coach cheering you on, that'd bring back a flood of memories, going through the stadium, with family and friends cheering for you, that brought back a lot of memories," he said. "It was definitely my most emotional race."

Overall, Green says he's proud of how his team competed in the "challenging" conditions, where temperatures hovered around -18 C for most of the day.

"Being able to finish off my career at a World Cup here in Canmore in front of my friends and family. That's a really special way to end," he said. "It was a really special last race and a really good way to end my career."