Hay River's Brendan Green says last month's Olympic Winter Games may have been the end of his Olympic career.
"That was quite likely my last Olympic Games," said the biathlete in an e-mail exchange with The Hub, although he added he is not certain. "I'll re-evaluate and reflect when the season is over in April and decide from there."
Green, who has now competed in three Winter Games, noted there is always mixed emotions with the end of an Olympics, which he described as the pinnacle of every athlete's career.
"Ultimately, I dedicate four years of fulltime training and racing in preparation for each Olympic Games," he said. "I feel proud of how I raced in Korea and what I was able to accomplish and contribute to our team."
The 31-year-old Green added that, with this being his third and very likely last Olympic Winter Games, the closing ceremony on Feb. 25 was more emotional this time around.
"Knowing that my career is starting to wind down, and knowing that I can't maintain this level of elite racing for too many more years, it was a little bit sad to think that I likely won't experience this again as an athlete," he said. "I do, however, have many great Olympic memories that I will take away with me, and I feel very proud and grateful to have represented Canada and the North."
In PyeongChang, Green participated in four races.
His final race was the 4x7.5-km men's relay on Feb. 23 in which Canada finished 11th.
"I am quite happy with the race that I executed," he said, noting it was another windy day in South Korea. "The wind was progressively picking up as the race went on, and I managed to shoot clean with one spare each in prone and standing. The skiing was also tricky with the wind. The pace felt relatively moderate if you were able to ski in a group or behind someone, but as soon as you stepped out to take the lead or if you were on your own, you would get hammered by wind, which was tough."
In the end, he managed the fourth fastest overall time for his leg of the race.
Green said it was a very strong race for him and he was happy about that performance.
"As a team, I know we are capable of a stronger result, but we all fought hard and did our best, which at the end of the day is what counts," he said.
Green had earlier participated in the mixed relay in which the Canadian team finished in 12th place.
In the 10-km sprint, he finished in 82nd place.
And in the 20-km individual race, he finished in 22nd place.
"The Olympics have always been an amazing experience for me and Korea proved to be no different," he said. "They did a great job hosting the games. Getting to represent and be a part of Team Canada is an extremely inspiring experience."
Canada fields one of the larger Winter Olympic teams and takes pride in building a unified team in pursuit of excellence, he added. "It's fun be a part of and share in Canada's successes during the Olympics and it is hugely motivating to know that you have the support of an entire country behind you."
Green participated in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the games in PyeongChang.
"It's an inspiring experience that I feel lucky to share with fellow teammates," he said.
During the televised closing ceremonies, he could be clearly seen walking into the stadium with other members of the Canadian contingent.
After the Olympics, Green headed to Scandinavia to finish off the season with a few more weeks of World Cup racing.
If the Winter Olympics in South Korea were indeed his last games, his lengthy Olympic career has inspired many and will be remembered for a long time in his hometown of Hay River.
Mayor Brad Mapes said not many communities have an Olympian who has been to three games like Green.
"He's been a great example for a lot of our youth to move forward in their sports and realize that there are opportunities even though you're in a small town and you can achieve a lot of goals," said Mapes. "He definitely inspired a lot of people and our town is very proud."
Along with PyeongChang, Green competed in the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi, Russia, in 2014.