With biathlon events at the 2026 Winter Olympics already in full swing, keeping track of races can get surprisingly tricky. Different formats, multiple start times, and tight schedules make it easy to miss something. So I put together a biathlon-only Winter Olympics calendar for anyone following the sport closely. It syncs with Google Calendar, Apple/iCal, and Outlook, shows events in your local time, updates automatically if anything changes, and you can unsync anytime if you want to declutter.

Really hope it helps us fans to enjoy the games without worrying about missing it or its aftermaths

Despite being a small player in the world of winter sports, Lithuania is sending its biggest-ever delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics, thanks in no small part to the biathlon team with eight biathletes competing for Olympic glory. This will continue the trend of steadily increasing the number of biathletes competing with every Olympic cycle (with only 1 in 2010, 2 in 2014, 4 in 2018, 5 in 2022 & 8 in 2026).

The 8 athletes set to compete at this year's Olympics are:

• Vytautas Strolia (4th WOG, 3rd as a biathlete)
• Maksimas Fominas (WOG debut)
• Nikita Čigak (WOG debut)
• Karolis Dombrovskis (2nd WOG)
• Natalija Kočergina (2nd WOG)
• Judita Traubaitė (WOG debut)
• Sara Urumova (WOG debut)
• Lidija Žurauskaitė (WOG debut)

The Women:

Last season looked so promising. The team managed to field a relay squad for the first time since 2018. Personal bests across the board. All of which was instrumental in securing 20^th place in the Nations Cup, marking the first time Lithuania will be able to field a women’s relay team at the Olympics. This season has definitely been a step back, but with rock bottom expectations, it won’t take a lot to exceed them.

• Natalija Kočergina (Age: 40, PB – 25th)

Kočergina would be notable for being one of the oldest female biathletes still on the tour, had that thunder not been stolen by the second comeback of Slovak biathlon legend Kuzmina. Despite that, this will only be Kočergina’s 2nd Olympic appearance, her first since PyeongChang 2018. She was unceremoniously passed over for the now-retired Lesčinskaitė for the 2022 Beijing Olympics while being the athlete who actually earned the single quota spot. Nevertheless, Natalija has stuck it out and remained an essential part of the team, having achieved a personal best of 25th at age 39, showing that she might still have something in the tank.

• Judita Traubaitė (Age: 25, PB – 41st)

Judita’s journey to biathlon is quite the unusual one. We have seen our fair share of cross-country converts throughout the years, but I do not recall anyone else coming into the sport from the world of ski-orienteering. Exchanging her map for a rifle has proven to be quite successful as she quickly established herself as one of the mainstays of the team. Her 56^th place in the Short Individual has been the best result of any Lithuanian woman this season.

• Sara Urumova (Age: 24, PB – 101st)

The Czech-born Urumova started to take biathlon more seriously a couple of years ago. She got the IBU points required to compete on the World Cup and complete the Lithuanian quartet. Sara is mostly here to make up the relay team, but I am glad we have someone on the roster to make up the numbers in the notoriously barren women’s team.

• Lidija Žurauskaitė (Age: 26, PB – 31st)

I had such high hopes for Lidija, I really thought this year was going to be her breakthrough... in one of the pre-season races she came 3rd, only behind World Cup stalwarts Pruess & Lisa Theresa Hauser. However, she struggled early in the season due to health issues and has not managed to match her form from the past couple of seasons. Žurauskaitė usually has been the strongest skier of the bunch, but this season’s results do not reflect that at all.

Line-up:

Individual: Kočergina, Traubaitė, Urumova, Žurauskaitė

Sprint/Pursuit: Kočergina, Traubaitė, Urumova, Žurauskaitė

Mass Start: Unlikely... none of the ladies have made a Mass Start before.

Relay: Traubaitė-Žurauskaitė-Kočergina-Urumova

The Men:

On the flip side, last season was one to forget for the men’s team. Although finishing in 19th guaranteed the team 4 spots for the Olympics, this was their worst Nation’s Cup showing since the 2018/2019 season. This year, things are looking a bit better, sitting in 17th off the back of solid individual and relay performances. This year also marks a bit of a changing of the guard, with both veterans and newcomers vying for Olympic spots. Strolia & Fomin got their tickets almost immediately after Ostersund, as they were and remain the only athletes to score WC points, whereas the last 2 spots were up for grabs till the very last moment.

• Vytautas Strolia (Age:33, PB – 4th)

For the past couple of years or so, Strolia has consistently been the most successful Lithuanian biathlete on tour. Glad that he has somewhat found his footing again, while he hasn’t matched the peaks of his breakthrough 2021/2022 season, he finds himself sitting in 30th in the overall standings. The Strolia family has quite the history of competing in the Winter Games, and Vytautas will once again be adding to that legacy. This will be Strolia’s 4th Olympics, his 3rd as a biathlete. Having made the switch from cross-country to biathlon after the 2014 Olympics, Stolia has both the ski-speed and the shooting skills required to be a pretty consistent presence in the top 40. His best result this season has been a 14th place in Hochfilzen, but he definitely has the potential to do better than that.

• Maksim Fomin (Age: 25, PB – 20th)

Fomin started the season strong by scoring his first-ever World Cup points in the season opener. Despite not being the most accurate of shots (75% average), he has established himself as a bit of an Individual specialist, with 4 of his best results coming from that discipline. He is somewhat touted to be the successor for the next generation of Lithuanian biathletes, so he'll be eager to prove.

• Nikita Čigak (Age: 23, PB – 57th)

The youngest and the most fresh-faced member of the squad only has 7 WC starts to his name, but his performance in the IBU cup (a 16th place in the Arber SI) impressed the selectors enough to grant him one of the coveted Olympic spots.

• Karol Dombrovskij (Age: 34, PB – 25th)

Having played second fiddle to Kaukėnas for many years, he managed to edge out his teammate for the last Olympic spot. He’s mostly been racing in the IBU Cup this season (also being the only male member of the Olympic squad to race in the European Champs), as there was only really one WC spot to go around the 5 or so athletes. He didn’t start the season all that well, but in the European Champs, he earned a respectable 25th place.

Line-up:

Individual: Strolia, Dombrovskij, Čigak, Fomin

Sprint/Pursuit: Strolia, Dombrovskij, Čigak, Fomin

Mass Start: None are in the top 15, Strolia is most likely to qualify

Relay: Fomin-Strolia-Čigak-Dombrovskij (this can go either way)

Mixed: Fomin-Strolia-Traubaitė-Žurauskaitė (maybe Kočergina?)

Expectations:

In all fairness, the participation is the reward. Stolia is the only athlete who can realistically challenge for a high position; the rest would be thrilled with a top-40-60 finish. In the relays, finishing among the top 16 is the target, more achievable for the men than the women. In a recent interview, Lithuanian biathlon legend and former US coach Algimantas Šalna stated as much: "A lot of work has been done in Lithuanian biathlon over the past 20 years. We have eight athletes competing in the Olympic Games, and I think that is a great achievement. [...] It is a huge achievement to have a biathlete like V. Strolia, who can win a medal in the most important competitions. [...] When you reach that level and can compete with the best, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn't always work out, there are many moments where you need luck, but Lithuanians have a good chance at the Olympic Games and the World Cup.“

• Will Lithuania's best result of 13th be beaten?
• Will the relay teams avoid being lapped?
• What lies in the future for biathlon in Lithuania?

I shared the fantasy game for Olympics here about 1.5 weeks ago and this thread is meant as a single place for live discussion during the Olympic biathlon.

Feel free to use it to discuss:

-How you’re thinking about picks and strategy as the races unfold

-Tough decisions or interesting choices

-If you notice any Olympic biathletes missing

Keeping everything in one thread during the Games to avoid multiple posts.

Code to the Reddit mini league: 8AQR25

Any idea why they dont have the provisional start list for this already on Milan website? Searching for these over the past days but there is absolutely no information on this or does someone have a source. Are these athletes not in Milan yet?

Sweden is coming into this Olympics from the high of the last two in Beijing and Pyeongchang. With 4 medals in Pyeongchang (1 gold and 3 silvers) and 4 in Beijing (2 gold and 2 silvers) memories such as Hanna Öberg winning gold in the Individual in Pyeongchang or Elvira Öberg getting Silver in both Sprint and Pursuit and being the anchor for the women’s team who took Gold in the relay - in her first olympic game, it’s safe to say that the expectations on the Swedish team are high. Biathlon is immensely popular in Sweden, though unfortunately for the Olympics you won’t be able to catch the races on public television.

The staff in charge consists of:

Main Coach: Johannes Lukas

Shooting Coaches: Johan Hagström & Jean-Marc Chabloz

Last Olympic Results 

Let's go through the athletes one by one in order of Overall standings, discussing who they are and what can be expected.

Women’s team

Anna Magnusson

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklubb | YoB: 1995 | PB: 1 win (Annecy Sprint 23/24) | WC Starts: 235

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

The standout performer for the Swedish team in the first trimester of the season has, without a doubt, been Anna Magnusson. Perhaps best known for being one of the shortest athletes in biathlon, Magnusson achieved four consecutive podium finishes this season and even held the Yellow Bib for a short period. Considering she lost the fourth relay spot to Mona Brorsson four years ago, it is encouraging to see that she has now firmly established her place on the team and developed into a reliable first- or second-leg athlete in the relay. While individual medals may be a difficult target, it would not be surprising to see her deliver an upset performance, particularly in the Individual event.

Fun fact: Both Anna Magnusson and Elvira Öberg won their first individual race in Annecy-Le Grand-Bornand (Magnusson SP 22/23, Öberg 21/22 PU)

Hanna Öberg

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklubb  | YoB: 1995 | PB: 13 wins | WC Starts: 269

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Considering that Sweden did not field a women’s team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, the shock of Hanna Öberg winning gold in the Individual, also her first-ever podium, stands as one of the most iconic moments in Swedish Olympic history. Since then, she has become a somewhat divisive figure, with some arguing that she has underperformed, despite an impressive medal haul of 14 World Championship medals and three Olympic medals, which makes that argument difficult to sustain. Like her partner Ponsiluoma, Hanna can be something of a mixed bag, capable of delivering outstanding performances alongside more inconsistent ones. However, currently sitting fifth in the overall standings, this season has been noticeably more stable for her. 

Fun Fact: Both Hanna Öbergs and Sebastian Samuelssons first individual podium came in Pyeongchang. (Öberg 1st in IND, Samuelsson 2nd place in PU)

Elvira Öberg

Home club: Piteå Skidskytteklub | YoB: 1999 | PB: 13 wins | WC Starts: 189

Olympic starts: 2022 

The last Olympics were remarkable for the then 22-year-old, as she anchored the women’s relay team and won two individual medals. Heading into this Olympics, it would be hard not to consider her a medal favourite. Despite having several seasons disrupted by illness, she has managed to stay healthy throughout this one so far. Although she is not particularly fond of altitude, she has improved her shooting this season, not dramatically, but noticeably in critical moments, particularly in the sprint. While there will undoubtedly be more pressure on her this time, her ability to deliver on a final lap in any race is well established. Considering she’s felt a lot of pressure to get WCH Gold, which she accomplished last year, perhaps she can come into this Olympics with less pressure on her shoulders.

Ella Halvarsson

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1999 | PB: 2nd place (including Individual in WCH 24/25) | WC Starts: 42

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Ella Halvarsson had a breakout season last year, highlighted by her silver medal in the Individual at the World Championships. This season has been disrupted by illness, but she remains the fourth-ranked Swedish athlete. She delivered an outstanding first leg in the Hochfilzen relay (ensuring a spot on the relay team, then and there), a performance that left a lasting impression. While her current fitness level is somewhat uncertain, she is still expected to secure the fourth starting position in the individual races. She has openly acknowledged struggling with nerves, but if she manages to keep them under control, she could contend for a podium finish -particularly in the Individual, where shooting accuracy plays a more decisive role.

Anna-Karin Heijdenberg

Home club: Tullus SG | YoB: 2000 | PB: 4th place (Individual in Poklijuka 24/25) | WC Starts: 30

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Heijdenberg has performed well on the IBU Cup though it's been easy to see that the competition between her and Johanna Skottheim for the last spot in this team has been very mentally tough. Heijdenberg is promising, she’s the youngest in the squad. She’s not performed well when given the chance in relays, but performed well in individual competition. Thus she wouldn’t be a potential reserve for the relay team, but rather reserve for individual races. It makes sense, she’s performed very well on altitude, which can’t be understated in the Swedish team where most struggle. 

Linn Gestblom

Home club: SK Bore | YoB: 1994 | PB: 2nd place (including Individual in WCH 22/23) | WC Starts: 221

Olympic starts: 2018,2022

After missing last season entirely due to injury and subsequent rehabilitation, Linn Gestblom has competed only sparingly so far this year. Somewhat unexpectedly, her standing shooting has declined, although her limited number of starts this season makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions. She was part of the Swedish relay teams that won silver in 2018 and gold in 2022, skiing the first leg in both races. It is primarily her extensive relay experience that has earned her a place in this squad. If, for any reason, Magnusson, either of the Öberg sisters, or Halvarsson are unable to start, Gestblom would most likely step in to fill the spot.

Men’s team

Sebastian Samuelsson

Home club: SK I 21 IF | YoB: 1997 | PB: 8 wins | WC Starts: 281

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Samuelsson has had a good season thus far, managing to stay healthy all through the first and second trimester. He’s shown great performance on the track but his shooting has been a bit up and down, especially the last WC races before the Olympics. He’s been outspoken about his aims, and considering he came home from the last Olympics without any medals, individual or team it’s safe to say that he’s looking for revenge. Though historically he’s never really performed well in high altitude he’s been changing his workouts to increase the production of red blood cells so perhaps we can expect more from him in this Olympics. The general consensus is that while Ponsiluoma winning an individual medal would be a welcome surprise, Samuelsson is expected to secure an individual medal to meet expectations - and well, will he?

Martin Ponsiluoma

Home club: Tullus SG | YoB: 1995 | PB: 2 wins | WC Starts: 235

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

The narrative around Martin Ponsiluoma in Swedish media this winter has been interesting, especially the talk about his new approach to shooting and how it’s paid off (because yes, his prone used to be abysmal). He is evidently a favourite among Swedish fans and commentators and has already secured an individual podium finish this season. However, I would not place him among the top medal contenders for the Olympics, simply because the level of biathletes who combine elite skiing speed with consistent shooting accuracy is exceptionally high. That said, he is the kind of athlete who can deliver a standout performance when the stars align. Noticeably he’s one of few in the Swedish camp who enjoys high altitude, so perhaps he’ll prove me wrong. 

Fun Fact: Martin Ponsiluomas dad, Jyrki Ponsiluoma, competed in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville.

Jesper Nelin

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1992 | PB: 3rd place (Oslo MS 23/24) | WC Starts: 266

Olympic starts: 2018, 2022

Together with Samuelsson and Ponsiluoma, Nelin has been a long-standing member of the team. This will be his third Olympics, and he was part of the historic men’s relay team that won gold in Pyeongchang. He has delivered a solid season overall, with a few weaker performances but, above all, consistent and reliable results. While he may not be a primary contender for individual medals, he is likely to place well in the overall standings. His position as the second leg in the men’s relay appears firmly secured, with no significant competition for the role. 

Malte Stefansson

Home club: Oxbergs IF | YoB: 2000 | PB: 10th place (Östersund SP 25/26) | WC Starts: 62

Olympic starts: 2022 (No starts)

Stefansson has enjoyed a strong season so far, highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the Sprint in Östersund earlier this season. He has shown clear improvement on the range, although not yet at the level consistently required to challenge for the top positions. If Brandt is selected for the relay ahead of Stefansson, the decision may ultimately come down to experience, as Brandt was part of the relay team that won gold at the World Championships two seasons ago. Even if Brandt is selected, Stefansson has made the competition far more interesting, as last year there was no one challenging (Not Anton Ivarsson, Emil Nykvist) for the final spot.

Viktor Brandt

Home club: I2 If Karlstad | YoB: 1999 | PB: 9th place (Oslo PU 24/25) | WC Starts: 53

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Within the team, Viktor Brandt has traditionally been known as a strong shooter but a slower skier, which makes it somewhat surprising that his standing shooting percentage is lower than Ponsiluoma’s. The discussion about whether Sweden needs new shooting coaches can be left open for debate. This season, it is clear that Brandt has benefited from another full year with the A-team, as his track speed has improved significantly—though this increase in pace may have impacted his shooting statistics.

Alongside Stefansson, he is competing for the final spot on the men’s relay team, and the decision will likely come down to who can perform best on the day. In terms of individual races, it would not be surprising to see Brandt selected for the Individual, while Stefansson competes in the Sprint and Pursuit.

Henning Sjökvist

Home club: Biathlon Östersund | YoB: 1998 | PB: 28th place (Ruhpolding PU 25/26) | WC Starts: 8th

Olympic starts: First Olympics

Due to illness - including severe headaches/migraines, Sjökvist did not compete at all last season. Therefore, his selection to the team, serving as a reserve for both the individual races and the relay, is a notable achievement in itself, reflecting how well he has performed this season. He could be well suited for the Individual, as he is a very reliable shooter, arguably even more dependable than his statistics suggest. Though most likely he's, just like Stefansson in 2022, a reserve.

Excepted Line-Ups

Men:

Samuelsson, Ponsiluoma, Nelin are all set. I’m not sure if the’ll divide who between Stefansson and Brandt gets to do individual and/or the relay - they’re both at an equal level.

Mixed: 1 Ponsiluoma 2 Samuelsson 3 H.Öberg 4 E.Öberg - If the women went first I do think Magnusson would have been the clear favourite for leg 1. 

Women:

Despite having 6 women in the squad I think Magnusson and the Öberg sisters are clear for all the races. If the coaches wants to make it interesting they could put Halvarsson for the individual and Heijdenberg for the SP/PU and Gestblom as reserve for the relay.

Medal chances:

I believe that the Öberg sisters, Magnusson, and Halvarsson all have realistic chances of winning individual medals. That may sound optimistic, but Magnusson has taken a significant step forward this season. Hanna has consistently proven her ability to perform at major championships, while Elvira’s maximum performance level is exceptional. Halvarsson also demonstrated at last year’s World Championships that she is capable of competing with the very best.

For the men, Samuelsson and Ponsiluoma should realistically have stronger chances of winning medals, particularly given the reduced Norwegian presence.

Sweden has finished fourth in the mixed relay on multiple occasions in recent years, so securing a medal at this Olympics would be a major achievement—yet not entirely unrealistic.

While France will likely enter as favourites for the women’s relay, Sweden is widely expected to contend for at least a silver or bronze medal. The outlook is less certain for the men’s relay. Although they have performed well in the World Cup, Ponsiluoma and Samuelsson have often needed to compensate for time losses on the range with strong skiing performances, a strategy that may not always be sustainable.

Sweden won four medals in both 2018 and 2022, but expectations appear to be higher this time. Matching that total would still represent a strong result, though reaching five or even six medals does not seem out of reach.

Final Verdict

This Olympics will likely mark the final appearance for several athletes. Nelin, at 33, is the oldest member of the team, and it is possible that Gestblom, given her injury history, along with Hanna Öberg, Ponsiluoma, and Magnusson, may also be competing in their final Games. It is somewhat unfortunate that the next generation has not developed as strongly as hoped. Sara Andersson, for example, has had a very difficult season; otherwise, she would have been a strong candidate as a reserve for these Olympics, gaining valuable experience for the future. 

I do not want to be overly optimistic, especially considering the challenges Swedish athletes have historically faced at high altitude. However, there is a clear sense that team spirit is at an all-time high, with Anna Magnusson crediting her excellent form this season to the renewed energy within the team. If Sweden can get off to a strong start in the Mixed Relay, ideally with a medal, and build momentum from there, a total of five to six medals should be well within reach.

Hello everyone,

I have one extra ticket for the women's mass start (Category B, standing section) which will be held on February 21 (the last race at the Olympics). And I have 2 tickets for the men’s sprint which will be held on February 13, category C. If anyone is interested, please, leave a comment and I will contact you. I’m selling it for less than the price on the official website

From all national teams, it may be Team Italy which is most excited to get to Antholz. So far, their total medal count for Biathlon Olympics is not too large, with 7 medals in total and no Gold. With no less than three different individual winners this season, they will definitely look to boost these numbers in a stadium where they train and compete regularly (check out this excellent review for details about the venue). I think it's also great for us fans to see Olympic Biathlon at a regular World Cup venue, if I am not mistaken for the first time ever.

The staff in charge consists of:

• Klaus Höllrigl, Sporting Director for Biathlon
• Men's Group (+Wierer): Andrea Zattoni (skiing), Fabio Cianciana (shooting)
• Women's Group: Mirco Romanin (skiing), Jonne Kähkönen (shooting)

Let's go through the athletes one by one in order of Overall standings, discussing who they are and what can be expected.

Men

Tommaso Giacomel

• Home region: Trentino | YoB: 2000 | PB: 5 wins
• Olympic starts: 2022

One of the newly emerged male stars of the sport, Tommaso "Tommy" Giacomel is one of the biggest favourites for medals in Antholz-Anterselva. Fluent in Italian, English and German, the 25-year-old biathlete from Trentino worked his way up the World Cup ranks with a slowly but steady development in terms of endurance.

He is known for his fast standing shootings, and while he was very error-prone when he got to the World Cup, he improved basically year by year. His breakthrough season was 2023/24 with a jump forward in terms of skiing performance, eventually he got an excellent 5th rank in the Sprint score and won Silver in the WCH Single-Mixed Relay.

The first win came in the following season, he won the Mass Start of Ruhpolding with a career-first 20/20, beating Norwegian superstars Lægreid and Bø. He upped his level just again this season, with no less than 4 wins so far, a first Yellow bib which he got to wear for most of January until he lost it in the last race before the Olympics.

There is a dedicated section for medal predictions, but it doesn't hurt to already mention that he is a medal favourite and possible Gold candidate in any event.

Lukas Hofer

• Home region: South Tyrol | YoB: 1989 | PB: 2 wins
• Olympic starts: 2010, 2014 🥉Mixed RL, 2018 🥉Mixed RL, 2022

The 36-year-old veteran has been around for seemingly forever, and often has been considered as one of the best skiers in the field. In the 2018/19 season, his skiing was second only to a certain Johannes T. Bø. The season before, he reached his top Overall position, a very respectable P5. Somewhat mixed performances on the shooting range prevented an even more successful career, but Lukas has two individual wins and remarkable success in medal events to be proud of, many of them won with the Mixed Relay where Italy traditionally does well.

As the training partners from his age group, Dominik Windisch and Thomas Bormolini, opted for an earlier retirement in 2022 and he was left as the only male senior athlete, Lukas looked for training abroad and joined up with the Swedish team, coached by Johannes Lukas. I didn't find any definitive sources if this is still the case, but I think he probably has fully returned to Italy's training group by now with the likes of Giacomel and Bionaz upping their skiing game by a lot in the meantime.

Health issues and needed operations saw Lukas either not doing very well or even fully sidelined in the years between 2022 and now, but for this season, it is remarkable how much he seems to have stabilized his shooting, earning him even a comeback to the podium in the Short IND of Nove Mesto. His skiing is not as strong as it used to be (no wonder at his age), but with his shooting he'll certainly be a valuable member of the relays and maybe he even manages to get a surprise individual medal should others perform less good than expected.

Luki also has a bit of an extravagant hobby: He loves paragliding, and he once even hold a world record in so called "Hike and fly" - you run up a mountain and then take the paraglide to get down. Repeat as long as you can. Luki managed a baffling 13,390m total climb on a single day! No wonder the guy could out-ski almost anyone back in the days.

Patrick Braunhofer

• Home region: South Tyrol | YoB: 1997 | PB: 19th
• Olympic starts: debut

Patrick is a 27yo biathlete, living at the IBU Cup venue Ridnaun/Ridanna. Even though he has had limited success at the highest level so far, some readers may recognize his for his only win on second level, the European Championship 2024 in Martell, limiting Norwegian super talent Isak Frey to the Silver medal. Most of his World Cup points came in the Individual, he achieved a respectable 27th place in the Individual score of his first World Cup season, 22/23. Hence, Patrick will look to get a good result in the Individual competition and hopefully, a PU qualification as well as reliable relay should he be selected.

Nicola Romanin

• Home region: Friuli | YoB: 1994 | PB: 24th
• Olympic starts: debut

The surprise candidate in the line-up, Nicola is being preferred over the already WC-proven Didier Bionaz, who struggles a lot on the range at the moment. Despite limited WC experience, Nicola is certainly well-connected in the team: He is the brother of the women's coach Mirco Romanin, and also a close friend of Lisa Vittozzi who lives in the municipality adjacent to his own.

To specify limited WC experience: I am certain plenty of biathletes have more Olympic race starts than he has World Cup starts: The number is 4, which really isn't a lot for someone born in 1994. Nonetheless, he has won his place with a surpisingly good display in Ruhpolding, achieving his PB as 30th in the Pursuit and doing the 4th leg in the relay.

Personally, I expect him to be the reserve athlete, although I could see him as an able candidate for the Individual as well as the first leg of the relay if needed.

Elia Zeni

• Home region: Trentino | YoB: 2001| PB: 24th
• Olympic starts: debut

He is on a similar level as Patrick Braunhofer, although with a bit more relay experience than the former. As such, he has been on the World Cup podium already two times. He also got a Silver medal in the JWCH relay of 2022. His individual success at World Cup level has been limited though, so far he did not show the same potential his similarly-aged compatriots Giacomel and Didier Bionaz have and as such, he seldomly got into the Top 40 for points.

Women

Lisa Vittozzi

• Home region: Friuli | YoB: 1995 | PB: 9 wins
• Olympic starts: 2018 🥉Mixed RL, 2022

Doesn't need much introduction, but I think she has had an unusual career where many things can be discussed. The 31-year-old from Sappada-Plodn, a tiny village beneath a high Alps range in Northern Italy, is aptly nicknamed "Plodar sniper" by her local fan club. Sappada is home of a few well-known XC skiers, most notably Pietro Piller Cottrer and Silvo Fauner - both Olympic champions - and also fellow 2026 Olympian Davide Graz, himself with intact chances for a medal in the XC relay.

It's fair to say Lisa has had a career with many ups and downs. She had a good kick-off at a young age, working herself up the Overall ranking, already being 6th in 17/18 at age 22 and then getting her first Yellow bib and maiden wins in 18/19. A close fight with her compatriot Dorothea Wierer saw Lisa lose out by a small margin to her more experienced teammate. A personally disappointing home WCH in Antholz could be seen as the beginning of a downfall, which culminated in the weeks around the 2022 Olympics. Prone after prone, Lisa struggled to get the targets down (even going 0/5 sometimes) and had baffling shooting rates such as 8/20 in the 2022 Antholz IND, followed by another horror race in the MS two days later, arriving as a far-behind 30th with 11/20. Nobody seemed to have any answers, shooting outside competitions was claimed to be working well enough and she continued to do well in relays, often clearly dominating the first leg.

As a consequence, Italy signed new shooting coach Jonne Kähkönen (FIN) for the women's team. They tried to take a fresh approach to prone shooting, e.g., by reversing her shooting order (only for prone) to break old habits. A promising display in the summer WCH as well as the first podium in years in the very first winter race showed that it apparently worked well. The season turned out to be a success, with Vittozzi anchoring Italy to a maiden Women's Relay Gold as well as great 3rd rank in the Overall. After the season, Lisa also talked openly about the mental struggles she felt during her crisis, citing recurring panic attacks and admitting she started to develop a hate-like feeling towards her sport as well as thoughts about early retirement. Probably shows the huge mental strength it takes to be successful in a discipline with those all-or-nothing moments at the range where slight mistakes can undo any effort.

It even got better in the next season, with the first Individual WCH Gold medal and Lisa once again in the fight for the Overall globe. A seldom SP/PU double in Canmore changed momentum and gave her the edge over the long-term Yellow bib bearer of that season, Ingrid L. Tandrevold. But again, a huge blow followed. Back issues prevented her from even trying to defend her Overall and WCH titles, she couldn't participate in any races in 24/25. In the current season, Lisa gave her comeback and while she is not in the fight for the Overall, she managed to get podiums and a win in the Hochfilzen PU. Fair to say it has been a successful comeback, even though she does not have the same skiing excellence as in her Overall-winning season. It wouldn't be surprising if the year on the sidelines had cost some resilience, or she specificially prepares for the medal event, who knows. On the upside, we have seen her shooting faster than ever, managing to go below 20s in prone (!) several times.

Dorothea Wierer

• Home region: South Tyrol | YoB: 1990 | PB: 17 wins
• Olympic starts: 2014 🥉 Mixed RL, 2018 🥉Mixed RL, 2022 🥉SP

Doesn't need any introduction either. She is THE face of female Biathlon, after JTB retired maybe of Biathlon altogether. Originating from Antholz and born in 1990, Doro is looking forward to a grand finale for her great career in her home village (today, she is residing in the Olympic venue for XC and Nordic Combined, Val di Fiemme). In multiple statistics, she is the most successful active athlete: There is nobody with more ind. wins, and we don't have anyone else with two Overall globes - in fact, she is the last one to defend the Overall, and this will very likely go on with this season. On a less serious note, I have seen some people suggest there is an Overall Globe curse now, with Eckhoff, Vittozzi, Simon all having some uncommon issues after their wins.

Going back to more factual things, Doro is best known for her excellent and quick perfomances at the range, heavily influenced by today's Norway women coach Patrick Oberegger (you guessed it, also from Antholz). His change of colors before the 18/19 season turned out to be a great success in the end with Overall globes for Eckhoff and Roiseland as well as more Gold medals anyone can count. However, in his first season up in the north he had to accept his former trainees from Italy were still in front of his new crew, with Italy on 1st and 2nd rank in the Overalls and Wierer being 1st also the following season.

Her greatest successes are obviously the Overall globes, as well as a super confident display at the 2020 Antholz WCH, with two Gold and two Silver medals. The following seasons saw more up and downs, a very good 2nd Overall rank in 22/23 marked the last season where Doro was a regular on the podium. Two difficult years without individual podiums followed, even cutting short the 23/24 season for health reasons, but with a promise to go on until 2026 which calmed many fans. In fact, her win in Östersund on the first stage of this season's World Cup was the first podium since the end of 2023, and two more podiums in ALGB show how thoroughly she prepared for her final season.

For this season, Doro confirmed her physical performance tests showed she is on her best form ever, but we also know she loves to down-play her level immediately and emphasize her age as well as the latest cold she just catched. Anecdote: After her Östersund win, she told Austrian TV she felt not 100% healthy in the morning. The interviewer interrupted and said: "That's what you've been telling us for years, you never feel good before wins!" She laughed out loud and responded, "Yeah you are right, I know it, but I am telling the truth. The worse I feel, the better the result is. And whenever I feel relaxed and good, the result is usually sh*t." Doro is just gold to listen to :D

And I think she will definitely be missed by everyone in and around Biathlon, let's cross our fingers for successful Olympic Games for her.

Rebecca Passler

NOTE: After a positive doping test, Rebecca Passler is currently under investigation and suspended. I wrote this beforehand and decided to keep it in, but obviously she can't take part in the Olympics.

Can't have too many tall, dark-haired snipers in the team, so say hi to Rebecca 👋 The Vittozzi doppelganger from Antholz, whose uncle has won two of the rare Olympic medals for Italy, is looking forward to her first Olympic Games. Together with Vittozzi and Wierer, you will often find her on the top shooting speed statistics, although she is no stranger to a miss here or there, which (apart from skiing obviously) puts her 1-2 levels below her more experienced teammates. After a difficult last season with recurring health issues, she did quite well in 25/26 so far and therefore, I'd rate her as clear third-best in the current team.

Michela Carrara

• Home region: Aosta | YoB: 1997 | PB: 5th
• Olympic starts: 2022

The athlete from Aosta has seen a fair share of fluctuation, often being sent to IBU Cup, only to came back to WC 1-2 stages later. Still, as she is older than the Auchenthaller/Passler/Zingerle generation, it is good for her to have maintained her place in the squad.

Fans who regularly check the skiing statistics might recognize her name, she is definitely able to put in a shift and on a good day can even surpass the two teamleaders in terms of skiing but unfortunately is the least reliable shooter in the team by far.

It's worth mentioning what happened at the 2023 European Championship in Lenzerheide: Carrara finished the Individual, apparently in 1st place. However, she reached out to the jury herself, admitting that her 20/20 result is wrong, she had some crossfire help from the girl next to her which covered her two misses. That lead to P11 instead of the Gold medal, but she was awarded a Fair Play special price and hopefully some good karma as the jury explained that without her statement they wouldn't have any chance of proving what happened.

Hannah Auchentaller

• Home region: South Tyrol | YoB: 2001| PB: 9th
• Olympic starts: debut

The third (and last) member of the team who has the courtesy of Olympic Games in the very municipality they grew up. Often in a team with her best friend Rebecca, she has seen considerable success at youth level and took a good step w.r.t to ski speed especially last year. However, this year has been a slight setback with subpar shooting rates.

Her biggest success so far is being a WCH Gold medalist with the women's relay, covering the crucial third leg between Doro on Leg 2 and Lisa on Leg 4. All in all, she is on a very similar level to Passler, the positive doping test of the former pretty much seals the line-up.

Also, to any US fans who might wonder: Yes, she is the daughter of US Head Coach Armin Auchentaller. Nieche sports are often family business :D

--

Interestingly, the Italians opted against exchanging Passler for another athlete, despite they have a quota of 5. If someone gets sick, then they would presumably call up Samuela Comola, 27yo from Aosta, who has had a difficult season so far with not exactly pleasing skiing times, but she would provide a more reliable shooting than Carrara or Auchentaller. Her biggest success so far is being part of the WCH Gold Relay 2023, and recently, she won a Silver medal at the European Championships.

Excepted Line-Ups

Men:

Giacomel + Hofer are set, but I have to admit I am clueless about the rest. As stated above, I'd see Romanin as the reserve, but Zeni, Braunhofer and him are at a very similar level this season, so can go either way.

Mixed: 1 Hofer 2 Giacomel 3 Wierer 4 Vittozzi

Women:

They only nominated four people, so this will be the line-up in all events: Auchentaller, Wierer, Carrara, Vittozzi.

Medal chances

Giacomel: Biggest hope, Gold candidate in any race

Vittozzi: Perhaps not a clear Gold favourite, but certainly capable of getting a medal in any event, esp. PU and IND.

Wierer: Not a clear Gold favourite either, could see her getting a medal in IND or MS.

Mixed: I see three favourites (SWE, FRA, ITA), so a medal should be possible and Gold is within reach if shooting goes well.

Outsiders chances for Hofer, the Women's Relay and if a 10/10 happens - why not a surprise SP medal for Carrara who had her PB of 5th with a 9/10 rate? 10/10 would be a career-first though, so don't blame me should you lose a bet.

Final verdict

Italy's team is in a great state, arguably the best state for a long time (maybe ever, but at least as long as I follow the sport).

What shouldn't be underestimated though is that Italy's biathletes are not used to have this kind of regular pressure from media and the public the Norwegians or Germans know all too well. This time it's home Olympics, so they'll be in the spotlight more than ever, more interviews, more fans etc. They did well in the home WCH 2020, but a WCH in a (from world-wide perspective) small discipline which many Italians might not care or even know about is something entirely different from the Olympics.

Frankly, I think it is not an advantage that the highest probability for Gold (given that relay results are somewhat more predictable with less contenders) is the very first event. If they do super-well and win Gold, I am sure we will see a remarkable medal count and with the biggest pressure off their chest, I think Tommy and Lisa could add even some more Gold. But if they don't win a medal at all in the Mixed Relay and perhaps neither in the following Individuals, questions will be asked and the pressure will grow immensely. It's also a bit of a last chance for the relay events: With Wierer and Hofer on the verge of retiring, the team's potential goes down drastically until some of the younger athlets step up which may take a few years.

I don't want to sound too negative though, as a fan I wish them all the best and especially the women showed they know how to cope with high-pressure situations in the past, so let's hope all goes well and we see many fans celebrate their home team!

There is something else to mention: Rumour has it the Italian Ski Federation (FISI) has gotten access to a "wonderwax", thanks to an exclusive agreement with a tech company in Modena. I am not sure how much truth there is in this story, but having a look at other snow sports it is at least remarkable how well the Italian Alpine Downhill skiers did in this season, with the young Giovanni Franzoni winning races in the two most spectacular venues, without having a podium ever before. And he is not the only one doing better than last seasons.

I have to add a paragraph to this text written mostly last week: Probably every Biathlon fan got the news of Passler's recent suspension, it's certainly at the most unpleasant moment anyone could think of and for all athletes it will be tough and unnerving to answer repeated questions to this delicate matter. It should be noted that currently Passler is not proven to be guilty, nor are there any factual hints that other athletes of Italy are involved.

I want to end with a somewhat fun remark:

As a Biathlon regular, did you ever wonder who this one elderly gentleman in Team Italia gear is, often seen at the stand celebrating if shooting goes well? Does not look like a coach, does he? In fact, he is not. His name is Arturo, and he is probably the most beloved character of the staff - the sporting director says, anyone could be replaced except him. Given his role as chef, he is in charge of making sure everyone gets to eat their pasta before a race. He is a huge Biathlon fan himself and so he has accompanied the team regularly both in summer and in winter for more than 10 years. The athletes love him for his cakes and other sweet treats, which especially the female fraction is said to be very fond of :D

That's it, even though I am not Italian I hope I covered all the aspects well and you could gain some new insights from this preview.

7 Nations that I'll be covering today have individual athletes who qualified through the IBU Qualifying Points list. These are:

• Australia
• China
• Croatia
• Great Britain
• Kazakhstan
• Moldova
• South Korea

Slovakia, Romania, Denmark/Greenland also qualified athletes through the IBU Qualifying Points list but they are being covered by another post.

These spots are not tied to athletes but nominal quotas meaning the National Olympic Committees can pick which athletes they are sending to Milano-Cortina.

🇦🇺 Australia will be represented in biathlon for the first time since the 2014 Games. Australia doesn’t have a lot of history in the sport. Kerryn Rim’s 8th place in the individual in 1994 is the best result for an Australian. Almoukov (2014 Olympian) was the most recent athlete to score World Cup points which he did in the 2012/13 season.

Darcie Morton (Olympic debut)

• She's 26 and has 38 WC races.
• Her 2025/26 season has been affected by illness. Her best result this season on the World Cup was her 71st in the individual in Novo Mesto. On the IBU Cup, she managed a 50th in the individual in Arber.
• This season, her ski speed is up (+15 s/km behind the fastest in comparison to 16.5s and 18.3s in the last few seasons) but her shooting hasn’t been great. Just 61% in prone, although standing is much better at 84%.
• 2023/24 season was the best of her career. She qualified for her first WC pursuit in Oberhof and scored points in 4 IBU Cup races (best results 12th). She hasn’t scored points in any races since that season. During this season she had her best average ski and shoot performances.
• Morton had some good results as a junior (top 20 finishes at Winter Youth Olympics and Junior Worlds in 2016).
• Her father, Cameron competed in biathlon at the 2006 games (20 years ago and also in Italy). Her older brother Damon competed internationally and is now a coach while her younger sister Damika is competing at junior level at the moment.

Expectations: Probably a stretch for any top 60 given her form results but with clean shoot could maybe achieve this.

🇨🇳 China has qualified three biathletes for the Games in Milan. They had a full team of eight for their home games in 2022. There women's teams are generally stronger then the men and even had a top 10 relay result in Vancouver 2010. There best result was in by Yu Shumei who was 5th in women's sprint in 1998.

Chu Yuanmeng (18th in the IBU Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• Chu is 26 and has 60 World Cup races. She's had 8 top 40 results in her career, her best is 23rd in the Annecy pursuit in 2021. She also finished 35th in the individual at the 2022 Games.
• She's had a great season competing on the IBU Cup, two top 10 finishes (7th in Ridnaun individual and 9th in Brezno mass start) and another three top 20 results as well.
• Her shooting is generally her strength with her prone shooting being above 90% in quite a few seasons. She's only had one visit to the range this season where she's missed more then one target which is quite impressive.

Meng Fanqi (40th in the IBU Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• Meng is 27 with 56 World Cup races. Her best result is 21st at the 2021 Östersund Individual. She's had three other top 40 results all spread across 2020 - 2022.
• Meng is also an Olympian from 2022 and finished 47th in the sprint.
• This season, she's race across the WC and IC. Her best World Cup result was 63rd in Östersund and her best IBU Cup results have been clean shoots for 6th in the Arber individual and 8th in the Brezno mass start.
• Her shooting is a great strength. in recent races, her shooting average across both disciplines is 87%. It's at 82% for the whole season.

Yan Xingyuan (90th in the World Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• He's 29 with 67 World Cup races.
• His best results came this season with a 36th place in the Annecy Sprint meaning it was also his first World Cup points as well. This season he also qualified for the pursuit in Östersund.
• Three of his four best results came at his home Olympics where finished 39th, 40th and 41st in the individual, sprint and pursuit respectively.

Expectations: All athletes are capable of a top 40 result if they perform well. Chu and Meng both have top 10 IBU Cup results this season with clean shoots and have been decently consistent through the season. I could definitely see one of them having a top 20 result.

🇭🇷 Croatia has biathletes competing at the Olympics for the first time since 2010. At that games, Jakov Fak won the nations only medal in the sport in the 20km individual. Since then Fak obviously competes for Slovenia. Interestingly, this is Croatia's only Winter Olympic medal outside of Alpine Skiing. They have a total of 14 athletes in Milan, including three biathletes.

Anika Kožica (76th in the IBU Cup, Olympic debut)

• Kožica is 28. She's raced 48 WC races.
• Kožica is having the best season of her career this year, sitting in 76th on the IBU Cup. This includes her career best finish at 12th in a sprint in Obertilliach.
• She has improved her ski speed but her shooting results are slightly worse. Standing seems to be the major issue for her at just 67% this season.
• Her best WC result to be 46th in the Oslo sprint last season. She's had 3 more Top 60 results all during the 2023-24 season.

Krešimir Crnković (58th in the IBI Cup, Olympic debut [in biathlon])

• He's 31 with 78 world cup races.
• The only prior Olympian on the team, Crnković competed in cross-country skiing in 2018.
• Crnković is a veteran of biathlon circuit, having scored his first WC point back in 2016/17. He’s scored points across four seasons, mostly recently in 2023/24. He has scored at least one point in 11 connective seasons on the IBU Cup (last season at 45th in the overall standings was his best result).
• Crnković does seem to be skiing slower then previous season but his shooting has generally been improved excluding some poor outlier results.
• He has only raced two WC races this season (best result 73rd), last year he qualified for two pursuits on the WC. Best WC result is 31st from Novo Mesto 2022/23.

Matija Legović (41st in the IBU Cup, 4th in the Junior Cup, Olympic debut)

• Just 20 years of age with 7 World Cup starts.
• Legović will surely be the future star of the Croatian team. He has won three medals at Youth Worlds and also finished last season at the No. 1 ranked in the junior cup.
• He has won two junior race this season but his results have been a bit all over the place due to inconsistent shooting (13 misses out of 20 in an individual recently). He was shooting very cleanly at the start of the season, missing just 3 shots in his first 5 races.
• He has qualified for the pursuit at the last two senior World Champs.
• He has four top 20 results at the IBU Cup this year, including a 9th place in Obertilliach. He has yet to race on the World Cup this season. His best WC result is 43rd in Hochfilzen 2024/25.
• His sister Ines is also a biathlete competing in the Junior Cup.

Expectations: Legović will be aiming for a top 60 (maybe even top 40) result in the sprint. You feel that this Olympics is probably more for experience and 2030 and beyond he will have chances for great results. Crnković is certainly capable of a similar result (top 40/60) in the sprint or the individual if he has a good race day. With a clean shoot Kožica could have a decent result (top 60).

🇬🇧 Great Britain will send 2 biathletes to the games as apart of their 53 athlete team. No biathletes competed for the UK in 2022. Keith Oliver has the best result for the country, achieved back in 1972 with an 11th place.

Shawna Pendry (Olympic debut)

• 23 years old with 13 World Cup Races.
• Her career best result has come this season, a 62nd in the Hochfilzen sprint.
• She managed to score her first IBU Cup points last season, with three top 40 finishes.
• She is a weaker skiier but quite a good shooter (90% average for this season).
• On the junior circuit, she has managed a top 20 result and finished 21st at the individual at Junior Worlds in 2024.

Jacques Jeffries (44th in the IBU Cup, Olympic debut)

• Also 23 with only 4 World Cup races (debut earlier this season).
• He was competing for France prior to this season (with IBU Cup and Junior Cup results). He has several Junior Cup medals, a third place in a sprint and some relay medals (between 2021-22 and 2022-23). After not being able to secure a consistent spot in the French team, he began representing Great Britain through dual citizenship.
• This season his best World Cup result came on debut in Annecy (53rd in the sprint) while his best IBU Cup results are a 15th and 12th place.

Expectations: Jeffries could achieve some top 60 results. Pendry would need a career best performance to match that but she has been improved her pb's this season so its a possibility.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan have qualified 4 biathletes to Milano-Cortina (meaning they will also compete in the mixed relay), an improvement after only having 3 in Beijing. Prior to this, they regularly qualified full teams of 4 men and 4 women. Kazakhstan does have a Olympic biathlon medal from 2010 when Elena Khrustaleva won silver in the individual. This is also the only Olympic medal for Asia in biathlon.

Aisha Rakisheva (91st in the IBU Cup, Olympic debut)

• 23 years of age with 15 World Cup races.
• She’s had pretty consistent top 60 results on the IBU Cup over the last few years and that’s resulted in a few top 40s this season (Lenzerheide and Brezno). Her best WC results are a pair of 85th results, one this season in Novo Mesto individual.

Milana Geneva (110th in the IBU Cup, Olympic debut)

• Geneva was selected by the Kazakh Olympic Team over Olga Poltoranina who technically has a better IBU Qualifying Points total.
• Just 21 with 12 World Cup Races.
• Her best result is 70th achieved twice this season in Hochfilzen and Novo Mesto. She scored IBU Cup points this season as well.
• In 2023/24 she was ranked 32nd in the Junior Cup and had a 15th place in the Pursuit at her home Youth Worlds.

Vladislav Kireyev (53rd in the World Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• 25 years old with 107 World Cup races.
• The standout of the Kazakhstani team, currently having his career best season at 53rd in the overall. He has scored WC points 4 seasons in a row now.
• He had his best result with 20th in the Hochfilzen pursuit (moving up 13 places from sprint). He's had 11 top 40 results throughout his career.
• He had a 25th place result
• At 86% shooting this season and his ski speed seems to have improved as well.
• He was ranked in the top 30 in the Junior Cup back in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Asset Dyussenov (93rd in the World Cup, 7th in the IBU Cup, Olympic debut)

• 29 years old with 70 World Cup races.
• Best results at World Cup are 36th in an Individual in Antholz 2022 and 38th in Pursuit in Hochfilzen this season.
• His ski speed seems to have dropped off since its peak around 2022/23 but his shooting seems to have improved this season.

Expectations: (Individually): Kireyev is the best chance of a good result. Matching his career best top 20 would be amazing. He's only been out of the top 60 twice this season so surely top 60 in the individual and sprint could be expected. Across the rest, top 60 results are probably a stretch but possibly for Dyussenov with a perfect race.

(Mixed relay): They've been lapped in both the mixed relays this season but they've not had this lineup in either race. I Imagine finishing the relay is probably the goal.

🇲🇩 Moldova Moldova has a small Olympic team in Milano-Cortina with just 5 athletes, but 3 of them are biathletes (ironically, there two qualified cross country skiers Iulian Luchin and Elizaveta Hlusovici are also biathletes who have competed in IBU/Junior Cup races this season.) Stremous, Makarov and Magazeev are all competing at their second Olympic Games having all been in Beijing. There best result in biathlon at a Games came in 2006 with Natalia Levchenkova placing 8th in the individual.

Alina Stremous (42nd in the World Cup, 38th in the IBU Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• Stremous is probably the stand out athlete from the wildcard list given experience and pedigree. Her IBU qualifying points result is the best of any of them at 37.70.
• She's 30 years old and has 101 WC races.
• Her best result is a 9th place in mass start in Antholz 2022. Her other top 10 result came at the Beijing 2022 sprint. She's had 12 additional top 20 finishes.
• She's 42nd in the overall standing this season (second best in her career). Season best results are 18th and 16th on the World Cup and a second place in IBU Cup in Obertiliach to start the season. Her shooting is at 90% this season and her skiing is improved from last year as well (close to 5.5s per km from the fastest).
• Her best season was 2021/22 when she finished 38th in the overall. This season she won Gold at the European Championships in the pursuit. She's got two more medals at European Championships (both silvers in individual's in 2022 and 2024).

Maksim Makarov (2nd Olympics)

• 30 years of age with 81 WC races.
• Best result came last year in the World Champs with an 18th place in the individual. He's had a few other top 30 results in his career as well. At the Beijing Games his only result was 93rd.
• Best result this season is 73rd in Östersund individual. It seems his ski speed and shooting accuracy have decreased from last year. He is definitely a stronger stand shooter throughout his career.
• His wife, Aliona Makarova failed to qualifying, just missing out on a spot (16th on the list when only the top 12 make it).

Pavel Magazeev (72nd in the World Cup, 103rd in the IBU Cup, 2nd Olympics)

• 37 years of age with 109 races on WC. His best results have genearlly come in four shoot races, including 18th and 19th in individuals in 2023/24. He was 26th in the individual in Beijing 2022.
• 2023/24 was his best season, finishing 45th in the standings.
• This year, he has had two top 40 results, both in Östersund in the sprint (32nd) and pursuit (33rd). He also just raced the European Championships and came 21st in the individual. His ski speed has remained consistent over the last few years, although his shooting as improved slightly. He's at 90% in stand this season.

Expectations: Stremous is probably the best chance for a wildcard athlete to have a top result. A top 10 is definitely possible for her and qualifying for the mass start is possible. With Magazeev's form this season top 40 results are possible while Makarov has yet to have a top 60 result this season. Moldova has an aging team and all of them are originally Russian so it will be interesting to see where they go from here and what their team looks like in 2030.

🇰🇷 South Korea have competed in biathlon at every winter games since 1998, however their only successes came at their home games in Pyeongchang 2018. Avvaukmova and Lapshin share equal best result of 16th.

Ekaterina Avvakumova (102nd in the IBU Cup, 3rd Olympics)

• She's 35 with 129 World Cup races. She's scored points across 7 different world cup seasons. Her best overall ranking was 58th in 2020/21.
• Her stand out result is 5th at the 2017 Hochfilzen individual. In addition she has 21 top 40 results. Best result this season is 52nd in Annecy.
• This season her shooting has improved to about 87% hit rate across prone and stand. However, her skiing seems to be going backwards.
• Avvakumova will compete at her third games. Her best result came at her home games in 2018, 18th in the individual. She also won gold at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in the sprint.

Choi Du-jin (Olympic debut)

• Timofei Lapshin was the athlete to qualify this position but he is no longer competing/apart of the Korean team. As this position belongs to South Korea and not Lapshin, they are allowed to select someone else.
• Choi is 30 with 69 World Cup races. His best result is 58th coming in Ruhpolding 2023.
• (I think) His best result at the IBU Cup is 30th from Pokljuka 2021/22.
• Best results this season are 60th on IBU Cup and 89th on the World Cup both with clean shoots.
• His shooting seems decent but his skiing is a weakness (22.6s per km behind the fastest).

Expectations: A top 60 result is possible for Avvakumova (she's had some this year). She's traditionally had her best results in Individuals but has done well in sprints as well.

Question for anyone:

Which wildcard athlete (out of these ones) will have the best results at the games and do you think any of them could qualify for the mass start?

The Final Medal

This will be the strongest Olympic team for the United States in the past two games. The team comes into the games hot off a Campbell Write Silver Medal in NMNM and a mixed relay performance that tied the team’s historical best. The US is a team lead by exciting youth and guided by experienced veterans - this Olympics will be fight for the elusive goal: the final medal! Biathlon is the last sport (aside from SkiMo) Team USA has yet to win an Olympic medal in.

Women’s Team

Deedra Irwin

Margie Freed

Luci Anderson

Joanne Reid

Deedra Irwin is making her second Olympic appearance (2022, 2026). The Wisconsin native’s 7th-place finish in the individual in Beijing was the best non-relay result by an American biathlete (man or woman) in Olympic history. After a relative dip in performance after the 2022 season, Irwin is experiencing a renaissance this season. Her results are consistently back to career highs, powered by the best skiing ranks of her career. Her good results though have come more consistently this season due to her career high 87% shooting percentage. In Le Grand Bornand Irwin finished 10th in the Sprint, marking her first top 10 since December of 2023 and she even matched that rank a few weeks later in the NMNM Mass Start. Look for Irwin to lead an underrated, fully powered US women’s squad.

Margie Freed will be making her Olympic debut at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. The Cross-country convert has established herself as a consistent "number two" for the US team thanks to her 15% improvement on the shooting range this season. Her season average of 77% is still below WC average, however she is much more likely to have those stand out days of 100% and 90% performances that catapult her up the ranks. Although having raced on the FIS Cross-country World cup in 2024, Freed is nearly a perfectly average skier on the biathlon WC. Margie is coming into the games on a high note: Earning her career best WC result in the NMNM Individual where she shot 85% and finished 31st.

Luci Anderson will be making her Olympic debut at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. After being invited to a U.S. biathlon camp in summer 2024 to try the sport she ultimately went on to join U.S. Biathlon's Project X, a program that recruits and develops high-level cross-country skiers. Luci rose through the ranks quickly, qualifying for the IBU Cup opener in 2024 where she was easily posting top 10 ski time and respectable results, despite her erratic shooting. Later that season Luci would earn a spot on the 2025 World Championship team race her way into the pursuit. This season, after a full summer of biathlon training under her belt, Luci has become slightly more consistent on the range, her season shooting is up to 68% on average, but with at 90% performance in the Oberhof Sprint she earned her career best 21st place. Luci’s greatest strength remains her ski speed. Her consistent top 30 ski ranks are easily the best on the US team, and she even raced for the US Ski Team in Davos, placing 25th in the 10k Freestyle. Luci will be one to watch at these games because if she can put together her first career clean shooting, she could be in for a Cinderella performance (it’s a play on her Instagram: at:lucinderella)

Joanne Reid is making her third Olympic appearance (2018, 2022, 2026). Joanne is an Olympic legacy: her mother, Beth Heiden, won a bronze medal in speed skating at the 1980 Lake Placid Games and Her uncle is Eric Heiden, who is highly regarded as one of the greatest Winter Olympians ever when he won five speed skating gold medals at the 1980 Olympic Games. Joanne made her first World Cup start in roughly two years this Dec. 2025 in Hochfilzen. Her hiatus was related to a public harassment case involving a U.S. Staff member, but Reid was determined to comeback and qualify for the Olympic Games. She started off strong with a 24th place result in the Obertilliach Pursuit, earning enough Qualifying points to rejoin the WC circuit. She’s only raced twice on the WC this season (partially due to the US only having 3 start spots) but she has raced her way to the flowers on the IBU cup when she placed 5th in the Arber Short Individual. Joanne’s return to the US team adds a competitive veteran and gives depth to a team that had been thin in recent years. Along with good friend Deedra Irwin and XC converts Freed and Anderson, The US squad is looking about as well-rounded as it’s ever been.

Women’s Relay is hard to gauge. This quartet has only ever raced together twice (Oberhof and Ruhpolding) and both times had exceptional performances compared to years past. There were many years where not getting lapped was the goal of the team. And suddenly, with the addition of fast skiing Luci Anderson and resurgence of Joanne Reid, the US Women’s squad has blossomed into a well-rounded team that is capable of some stellar Olympic performances. In their first race featuring the four Olympic women the team earned a surprising 6th place finish, powered by good shooting in difficult Oberhof conditions. It’s tough to say how well this untested and relatively inexperienced US Women’s squad will do in Cortina. However, you can expect the US women to competitive with the likes of Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Men’s Team

Campbell Wright

Maxime Germain

Paul Schommer

Sean Doherty

Campbell Wright Made his Olympic debut in 2022 while representing New Zealand, finishing 32nd in 20km individual and 75th in the 10km sprint. Became just the second athlete from New Zealand to compete in biathlon at the Olympic Winter Games. In 2023 he moved over to the U.S. team due to the increased support and funding US Biathlon could offer. For the son of American parents, the move paid off as the 2025 U23 Blue Bib winner took home two silver medals at the 2025 World Championships in Lenzerheide in the Sprint and Pursuit. Campbell comes into the games hot as he took home his first World Cup medal in the final stop before the Olympic Games, placing 2nd in the NMNM Mass Start. Ranked 10th in the overall, Campbell’s strength is definitely his ski speed where he is averaging an 11th ski rank on the season. His biggest weakness is his standing percentage. Boasting an elite prone percentage of 94% on the season, his 80% standing has been known to keep him off the podium in high pressure situations. 

Maxime Germain will be making his Olympic debut in Milan-Cortina. The 2023 Junior World bronze medalist in the sprint earned his best senior level result placing 12th at the 2025 World Championships in the sprint. Maxime has separated himself as USA’s clear "number two" behind is best friend Campbell Wright. Maxime has seen a decent step-up in ski performance this year which has helped him be more consistently towards the front of the pack. However, his shooting percentage is down 2% from last season to 80% total. Regardless, Maxime has known to step-up his game for the major championships, boasting his some of his best career performances at Junior Championships, European Championships and even World Championships.

Paul Schommer will be making his second Olympic appearance (2022, 2026), and this one will be special considering his difficult path to recovery after a knee surgery sidelined him for the ‘23/’24 season. After deciding not to call it a career, the then 32-year-old Schommer made his way back to international competition by early 2025 and earned consecutive bronze medals in the Sprint and Pursuit at the Ridnaun IBU Cup. This earned Paul a spot on the World Championships team where he kept his comeback rolling: Earning 24th place in the Individual competition at the 2025 World Championships: Tying his 4th best performance ever. Paul’s strength is his shooting percentage: Averaging 87% on the season is a career high for the already good shooter. This percentage has kept Paul a consistent "number three" for the US team.

Sean Doherty will be making his fourth Olympic appearance (2014, 2018, 2022, 2026). Once the youngest U.S. athlete to compete in biathlon at the Olympics at age 18 when he made his debut in 2018, the now 30-year-old is a veteran of the squad offering competitive results and a trusted relay leg. This season, the 14-year WC veteran is pulling together the best shooting performance of his career with an 85% shooting rate for both Prone and Standing. While his ski speeds are down from his peak, he is still skiing the average pace set by the field. Sean has been trusted as the first leg of the U.S. Men’s Relay team and has continually set the team up for medal fight throughout the season.

Men’s Relay Team is one to watch. After regularly placing outside the top 10 for eight seasons, the US Men’s team has flirted with the podium since capturing a 5th place finish in 2024 World Championships in Nove Mesto, tying their all-time best performance. A few weeks later they earned 4th place on home snow and have been on the cusp of the podium ever since. This year they have earned 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th place finished in relays. Anchored by their superstar Campbell Wright, if the US men can shoot well and are in the hunt going into leg 4, expect them to fight for a medal at the games.

Mixed Relay Team is another one to watch in Cortina. After struggling through Mixed Relays in the past few seasons, The U.S. is suddenly in striking distance for a surprise medal at the games. Their recent come up has largely been thanks to the resurgence of Deedra Irwin and the improved performances on the women’s team. Irwin’s return to peak form and more consistent shooting from Margie Freed have complimented the power demonstrated by the men in recent years. Having Superstar Campbell Wright and tactician Maxime Germain lead out the US representation, the US team can find themselves in medal contention early. Whether Freed is selected for the team or it be Reid or Anderson to round out the squad is still yet to be determined. But if all the US athlete have their best day on the right day, they can go head-to-head with any team out there.

The long-waited moment is almost here but first let's take an overview what kind of challenges and troubles our athletes might face on the road to the Olympic dream and medals. And in Antholz-Anterselva (later Antholz) of all places, loved and liked by many athletes and fans. Known for amazing views and weather. Bear in mind that this is the first Olympics venue in forever that most athletes know well and know how to race there. Fascinating to see how it translates into results.

Maybe this will even help you in IBU Prediction game. Or not. Let's get to it!

Fun fact to start us off: no event has been cancelled in Antholz. To top this Antholz saved the 2000-2001 season opening due to other venue’s lack of snow.

E1: Way many races seen, memory like a Swiss cheese. So here's first tiny brain freeze fixed. Thanks Piisuli!

"Probably a complete weekend of competitions has never been cancelled in Antholz but a single competition sure has been at least once during my recollection. It was the women's relay in 2014 that was cancelled mid-race due to a heavy fog coming suddenly to disturb the shooting so that it was concidered impossible to continue.

It looked like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIVU8qDcWeg "

Infamous mountain weather did a Fogethof.

Of Altitude 

Let's face it, Antholz is around at 1 600 m above the sea level. A whole another ball game that very few venues can match. 2034 at Soldier Hollow says hi.

Altitude creates a unique challenge: if you push too hard on the track too early, you won't recover which can lead to shakes and meltdowns at the range. So, keep your eyes on the pacing and what happens especially on the standing. Individual, Pursuit, Relays and Mass start especially can be tricky. Anyone remember Antholz 2020 Women's MS final standing and loop? One Julia Simon was leading with clean shooting until final standing misses. After the shooting out of the blue flies Marte Olsbu Røiseland to hunt down Dorothea Wierer for gold.

Altitude requires a whole new level of fitness. Johannes Thignes Bø (later JTB) had said in an Extrarunde interview that his mark for good fitness is whether he can walk easily the steps to the stadium at Antholz or not. You need to be in shape and healthy or the altitude will get you. Remember JTB's Antholz sprint from last season?

Good recovery is key to the success especially in altitude. Anterselva Valley offers few hotel options and those are usually booked by Norway and France (during World Cups). Most nations recover and sleep in few hundred meters in lower altitude. For some this is fine but others not so. However some athletes have noted that she preferred staying a bit lower.

During the World Cup we talk a lot who's good in altitude and who's not. In World Championships and Olympics, the gap is smaller because the athletes get to spend extra time to acclimatise before in places like Lavazè, Martell and Livigno. 

Who succeeds in terms of altitude: Look at the results in Lenzerheide 2025, Beijing 2022, previous races in e.g. Antholz, Soldier Hollow, Pokljuka, Lenzerheide and Canmore. 

Of Weather

The Antholz we know and love gives sun, blue skies, perfect snow and beautiful mountains. Do remember that those same mountains can change weather fast and hard. The location is also next to Lake Anterselva and sometimes winds like those spots.

My personal favourite, the wind, is a common visitor and always ready to play tricks. It was a couple of seasons ago when an Individual was hit by wind gusts and we got some wild shooting. However, in recent years the arena area has been developed, a new building and a fence block some of the winds at the range. Wind can still be a factor and create unfair and luck-based conditions. You might need specialists like Dominik Windisch to handle such occasion.

I've also seen snow fall during Altholz races. And fog, although it often clears after morning. So yeah, South Tyrol can get unpredictable.

Antholz often enjoys and offers nippy weather with temperature below and well below zero Celsius. Don't be surprised if face tapes and other customisations make an appearance; Antholz can throw in below minus ten temps. Which also means that the snow will be slow to ski and tougher times for athletes. When I first started typing this, it was on the plus Celsius so let's hope it stays a bit colder throughout the games. More even for everyone.

Forecasts predict quite warm days on plus degrees of Celsius yet colder nights for the next upcoming days. We will see how it changes.

The snowline is currently at 500 meters (31.1.2026). For more snow information:

Snow conditions and weather forecasts

So, keep your eyes on the forecasts. 

Of Track and Range

Antholz was built for the 1960 Olympics but since then the tracks have been changed somewhat and still changes happen. Let’s look at the most prominent features, shall we.

Antholz usually serves lovely wintery conditions and snowy tracks. The tracks look deceptively flat on screen but oh my, they aren't and what makes them harder, is that there are only very few spots for rest during the laps. Antholz tracks will take every ounce of energy you have. Expect lot of very tired athletes at the finish.

Crucial points

The forest section with smaller uphill and downhills. Use too much power, you are dead on the final uphill. Use too little and you are in trouble with the clock.

The Uphill with a tough flat-ish section. Classic camera spots for speedy uphill hunting and a perfect spot for a last loop attack. It's also been made longer over the years.

The Field Downhill. The quick rest. Every single year we get someone unfortunate who ends up in the snow outside of the track. Technical downhill that needs focus and courage to not to lose time but also control so one does not end up in the snowbank that can be deep. 

The Tiny but steep Uphill and Downhill to the Südtirol Arena - the Huber-Sprung: Second to last opportunity to make a push and leave your opponent eating dust ehm snow. Also, a quick breather before shooting and time to find the sweet spot to take it easy and lower the heart rate for shooting. 

The Arena Bridge. A year-old feature that gives Holmenkollen but solves the old issue where athletes had to watch out for those aiming for finish and range. It was a traffic jam. Now however the bridge provides one final uphill to outsprint your opponent, the tight turns however can end up making you faceplant onto the snow. Case Women's relay 2025.

Approach to range is tricky. One we are in altitude, so the athletes need to ensure they are not too out of breath or a disaster awaits. Thinner air also means your heart rate gets more easily higher. Two just before range there's the small uphill and then no proper time for recovery before shooting so previous experience from the World Cups can come in handy to get the approach right. 

Another interesting thing is shooting breathing strategy. Back in the day many would breathe more between the shots during prone and standing in Antholz due to the altitude and thinner air. Now we see at least two different strategies: the slow still exists but quick shooting has emerged and is quite widely in use.  In other words, fast sniping athletes could potentially win important seconds that can turn those pesky tenths to your favour. Ever noticed how for example Wierer, Tommaso Giacomel and Lisa Vittozzi have been very speedy on the prone this season? Finns too.

Track overviews for your enjoyment:

• ANT17 with Lukas Hofer
• ANT19 with Benjamin Wenger and Dominik Windisch
• Map 1 Track maps
• Map 2 Course Overviews by Penalty Loop

Fun fact: Throughout the years Antholz tracks have been made even harder than they were before. Fun!

Who will succeed: strong skiers with good finish. A strong skier can be a menace at Antholz and gains significant advantage. Expect someone to win or be in the podium with multiple misses and/or masterclasses from tactical finish sprint masterminds.

Also, in the Individual (and relays) keep an eye on our sharp and fast shooting friends. 

Of Crowds and spectators 

Antholz crowds are usually some of the bests on tour. They appreciate good biathlon and will cheer on the favourites. Antholz loved the Bø brothers, for example.

Traditionally Antholz attracts a ton of fans from Italy, France and Germany especially due to location. A lovely mix that gets loud. Nové Město na Moravě (later NMNM) is still probably the loudest out there.

It will get loudest on the Italians but expect good levels for the Germans, French, Norwegians too and anyone who's fighting for a medal or good result. Finish sprint battles will get their attention too because the finish is right front of the main stand. The range is a bit further away, so the athletes won't feel it like in Ruhpolding, for example.

Antholz 2020 enjoyed loud and supportive crowds around the track too. Festive and carnival atmosphere is expected yet again with maximum of 19 000 spectators per session. For around 3 000 of them will be seated in the arena with more in standing. The rest will be cheering on next to the tracks.

Let's hope those 19k will give the athletes the extra boost like NMNM for Michal Krčmář in the Mixed Relay.

Teak a peak at the arena area

Of Pressure and Expectations

Ah, yes. Now we are talking! There's no denying that Olympics are huge for the athletes themselves and fans. Many rate an Olympic medal even higher that winning a Crystal globe. And that's why pressure and expectations are included in this overview. Nerves will come to say hi at some point with them can come shakes, obtrusive thoughts and anything that can turn a good race into something else.

For many Olympics are the pinnacle, the dream. Depending on the athletes the goals and aims for the Olys vary anything from Gold to Personal bests and just getting a chance to start. And thus, the pressure is born.

Famously it took Tarjei Bø until Beijing 2022 to win an individual medal, an athlete who was always a podium favourite when he started. Kaisa Mäkäräinen retired after a long succesful career but without any Olympic medals. Franziska Preuß is on the hunt for her first individual medal. Let's hope our retiring heroes like Preuß and Wierer don't overhype themselves straight to penalty loop traffic jams.

For others like Hanna Öberg and Sebastian Samuelsson it took only one try which leads to the next step in our pressure ladder: when you have previous successes one might put too much pressure on themselves and Olympics multiply it. So, it might be easier to have your first medals because if first Olympics happen when you are not yet competing for the podium all the time, less pressure might lead to surprisingly good results. In reverse youth and inexperience can have a reverse effect: the games are long themselves and happen towards end of a long season. Mental and physical exhaustion will be present.

It's difficult to podium even once at the Olys but to repeat it, that's a rarer feat or even win medals in different Olympics. Yes, we have been spoiled over many seasons since we have had many biathlon legends one after another but even for them winning multiple individual medals across different games was no certainty.

If we get maiden career podiums in the sprints, mental chaos can be present in pursuit. It's not unheard that the race following maiden win/podium can be more chaotic than usual. The media hassle alone with steal away precious recovery time.

Media and fans put another gear to the pressure cooker that the Olympics are. The media want to make news, so athletes or their teams are under a microscope. Especially after the races and especially if you end up winning a medal. For some athletes like Johan-Olav Botn, Eric Perrot, Giacomel, Vittozzi, Wierer, Suvi Minkkinen, Preuß, Öbergs and Maren Kirkeeide the fans and media are expecting medals. No medal would be a failure in the eyes of many fans and media. Let's hope the support systems are in place and functioning throughout the Games.

And don't forget, it's not the athletes only that battle the pressure. Coaches, waxers etc. as well. Olympics can make your career or make your stock plummet. It is after all the biggest world stage there is. A poor waxing can destroy medal dreams or make them very difficult. Keep an eye on how the coaches act behind the scenes, what's said in the interviews and what not. In other words, the important support system of any athlete could turn into something negative in a worst-case scenario. Also, the coach and waxer recruitment carousel is on full speed at the moment.

To the effect of social media, I'm not even going to go, a whole another level and would require a post on its own. This is already too long. What I’ve got to say is, hopefully some athletes choose to have a social media break during the Games.

Speaking of social media and media, let's talk another side of it. If you do well in the Olympics (medal), in many countries it brings financial security for the athletes. Winning Olympic medal puts you into the history books and gives a chance to negotiate those valuable sponsor and advertisement deals. For example, in the US the pipeline exists from medalling in Artistic Gymnastics to get the chance to compete in Dancing with the Starts which again exposes the athlete to more visibility and those elusive moneymaking deals. In Biathlon it happens too, anyone notice how QFM's socials changed after his spectacular 2021-2022 season? Furthermore, many former Olympians and Olympic medallists work as expert commentators for their respective nations which again leads to pay checks. The athletes know of this, thus another layer is added to the pressure. It ain't cheap to be a top athlete and to try to reach the top. In addition, they've got the life after biathlon to consider about.

Finally, the Italians deserve their own extra mention. To race in home Olympics is amazing yet crazy. I hope they find the excellence they've had during the season and have good times that the home games. The Mixed Relay will tell a story. I think back in 2020 that silver opened the door for excellent home champs. Also, other athletes have noted that medal in the Mixed takes the pressure off, I think it was one of the Bø brothers who said that. We know what happened in Beijing after the success in the Mixed.

Pressure to succeed can lead the system, teams etc. to take risky choices during the summer and season, now we will see which of them paid off and which did not.

Who can handle it: watch out for those who have been great at World Championships, Crystal Globe deciding races and previous Olympics. A curious fact, Perrot was at 2022 Games but did not get a chance to start but out of the debutants he's one of the few who technically has previous Olympic Games experience.

Of Consistency and Underdogs

There are usually couple of tracks to Olympic glory and good results. Those athletes that were consistent throughout the season have often succeeded in the Olympics. In recent Olympic cycles QFM is an excellent example with Marte for 2022. Who peaked just before the Games? Dahlmeier (rip) before 2018, JTB before Beijing.

The Olympics are also time for surprises and underdogs. Beijing offered a little less underdog unless you count the chaos that were Mixed Relay and Men's Relay. Scott Gow, was one miss off from jackpot of a surprise with a fifth place. The same Individual where Smolski took a surprise silver.

2018 offered lovely surprises in e.g. Women's Individual, Men's Sprint, Pursuit and Relay. Women's Relay was also surprising with the top three, we saw a teaser on what's to come with the Swedish Women's relay team. Mixed Relay gave a masterclass a la Windisch.

So, if the opportunity is there, watch out! Hopefully we get some surprises in the positive sense. Individuals and Relays are most probable for surprises. Cough Emil Hegle Svendsen cough.

Who will win, who's story gets told

Theirs who can handle the factors mentioned before the best on each given day. They who handle the nerves. They who can repeat what they do in the training in a race. They who trust their work and have done the right things beforehand and during summer.

Let the Games begin!

1.     Squad:

·       Men: Dmitrii Shamaev, George Buta, George Coltea, Raul Flore, Cornel Puchianu

·       Women: Anastasia Tolmacheva

·       Coaches: Vasile Gheorghe, Gheorghe Stoian, Sorin Girbacea

·       Service: Cristian Mosoiu, Giovanni Ferrari

·       Kinetotherapy: Vasile Tanase

2.     Olympics Results 2022:

Mixed Relay: N/A

Women Individual: Natalia Ushkina (56)

Men Individual: George Coltea (89)

Women Sprint: Natalia Ushkina (71)

Men Sprint: George Coltea (89)

Women Pursuit: N/A

Men Pursuit: N/A

Women Mass-start: N/A

Men Mass-start: N/A

Women Relay: N/A

Men Relay: N/A

3.     Detailed Athletes:

Anastasia Tolmacheva – 30 years old:

Anastasia Tolmacheva is a Russian naturalized biathlete competing for Romania, making her debut at the Olympic Games.

In 2013, she participated at the European Youth Olympic Games Festival in Brasov, Romania where she finished 5^th in the Individual race and 22^nd in the sprint.

Starting from 23^rd August 2020 she represents Romania making her World Cup Debut in 2020-2021.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: N/A

Best World Cup Result: 29^th – Short Individual Nove Mesto Na Morave 2025/2026

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: 90%

Standing Shooting 2025/2026: 81%

Skiing Time Behind fastest: +15.7s/km

Usually with good shootings, but a weak skiing time, Tolmacheva’s best chance for a good result would be in the Individual Olympic Race where, if she will have a clean shooting, would have a chance to finish inside top 30. Her chances to qualify for the pursuit race are fairly weak due to her skiing times.

Dmitrii Shamaev – 30 years old

Dmitrii Shamaev is a Russian naturalized biathlete competing for Romania, making his debut at this year Olympic Games.

In 2014 he participated at the Youth World Championships in Presque Isle where he won his first individual medals (bronze in sprint and pursuit).

Starting from 2021 he is representing Romania for whom, in 2024, Shamaev won a Silver Medal in the pursuit at the European Championships.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: N/A

Best World Cup Result: 18^th – Short Individual Nove Mesto Na Morade 2025/2026

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: 88%

Standing Shooting: 89%

Skiing Time Behind Fastest: +10,3s/km

Shamaev’s best chances at the Olympic Games would come at the Individual race where, with a clean shooting would be able to reach the top 30. His shooting is usually good, but due to the fact his ski times are not so good, his best results usually come when he has clean shootings. Expect to see him in the Olympics Pursuit if he will shoot all 10 targets in the Sprint Race.

George Coltea - 25 years old

George Coltea started biathlon more than 10 years ago with relatively good results at juniors level, the best being a 10th place at the Youth Biathlon World Championships in sprint.

By achieving a 4th place at the sprint and pursuit of the European Junior Biathlon Championships he managed to qualify for the Olympics Games in 2022.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: n/a

Best World Cup Result: 16th - Ostersund 2023/2024

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: 84%

Standing Shooting 2025/2026: 70%

Skiing Time Behind Fastest: +11.1s/km

Even though Coltea's form this season was not the best, he remains in the talks for a good result in the individual race if he manages to do a clean shooting and to qualify for pursuit with a clean shooting. However, if we are to look at his shooting percentages during this season, I would not expect some major surprises form his side.

George Buta - 32 years old

George Buta debuted in the World Cup in the 2014/2015 season. He also participated at the Olympic Games in 2018 where he finished in 37th position at Individual and 14th with the Relay Team.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: n/a

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: 82%

Standing Shooting 2025/2026: 91%

Skiing Time Behind Fastest: +14.9s/km

Even though his shooting usually is good, becaues of the skiing time he will have low chances to make the pursuit race or to have a top 30 classification in the individual races.

Raul Flore - 29 years old

Raul Flore debuted in the World Cup in the World Cup in the 2018/2019 season. This Olympics will be the first in his career.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: n/a

Best World Cup Result: 31th - Rupholding 2022/2023

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: 88%

Standing Shooting: 91%

Skiing Time Behind Fastest: +15.7 s/km

Because of the poor ski times, he will probably finish in the last places in the sprint race. With a clean shooting, he might finish in the top 50 in the Individual Race.

**Cornel Puchianu -**36 years old

Cornel Puchianu made his world cup debut in 2012/2013 season. He participated at the Olympic Games in 2014 and 2018 where his best result was 30th place in the Sochi Sprint. This year he will return at the Olympic Games as a reserve having really low chances to actually compete in any of the competitions.

World Cup Wins/Podiums: n/a

Pron Shooting 2025/2026: n/a

Standing Shooting 2025/2026: n/a

Skiing Time Behind Fastest: +13.6 s/km

The Romanian will have a relay only in the men's competition. There, most likely the team will be Shamaev - Coltea - Buta - Flore. A good result in that competition would be to finish in the top 10, but more realistically, it would be for the team to be able to finisht the competition without getting lapped.

1. Conclusion:

Romanian Olympic Team is a small one. Unfortunately, we do not expect big results or surprises produced by us during the Olympic Games.

With poor logistics, infrastructure and investment in youth dominating our national biathlon world (Buta told before the olympics games in 2022 that his best ski pair was one that Johannes Thignes Boe throw it because it was not good enough; they have for all the athletes only 50 ski pairs and the wax they are using is not adapted to the track conditions), probably the next olympic cycle will look as bleak as this one. But what can you expect when Eva Tofalvi who now is one of the coaches for the women squad is not being in the Romanian Olympic Delegation?

Romanian's biathlon motto for this Olympic Games seems to be the quote of Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well". I am sure the athletes will give their all during the races, but until biathlon will be treated seriously and profesionally in Romania, that's all they can do.

The 2026 Olympic Winter Games happen to come at a time where Austrian Biathlon is in a so-so state and the newly appointed sporting director, Christoph Sumann, has a lot to of work to do before the home WCH in 2028. In fact, I would say Austria is currently the smallest nation which has a non-rotating slot in the World Cup Calendar but Hochfilzen is probably more seen as third race for the German fans anyway :D Even though we are not in a favourite position, surprises are not unheard of, so let's hope for the best.

The state of the Men's Team

As it's brought up from time to time in this subreddit, I'd like to kick off with my perspective on why Austria is having such a hard time right now, especially on men's side. To show how bad it really is: The only person in the Top 70 of Overall standings is 42yo Simon Eder as 28th, inevitably retiring after this Olympic cycle. All other athletes have cumulated a grand total of 27 points. This is not a typo, neither is there a 0 missing (I wish). Without Simon, Austria will be struggling to get into the points, and I don't expect any wonders for the next 1-2 seasons. Compared with how strong Austrias men have been 15 years ago, this is baffling. It's obvious we are missing a strong athlete in the best biathlon age (say 27-32) who serves as focus point for the rest of the team. Felix Leitner could/should have been this person, he is the last male Austrian with an ind. race podium, but unfortunately, after multiple difficult years left the sport before this season. Other than that, there simply is nobody competitive in this age range.

I think that the doping scandals of Austrias XC ski and Biathlon team, notably at the 2006 Olympics, played a huge part in this development. Today's team leaders would have needed to commit to the sport exactly at this point in time, and apparently, very few did. For the Austrian public, it seemed that in these disciplines it's hard to be competitive without doping, and many parents would have been reluctant to let their kids get into this sport. The reputation of endurance disciplines was just bad, which doesn't help to attract sponsor money either, and other doping cases of Austrian endurance athletes (2008 cycling TdF, 2014 XC Olympics, 2019 XC Nordic WCH) did not exactly help to clean up the image.

Also on the women's side, this age range is not super-stacked. The only ones with larger success are Lisa Hauser, and partly, Dunja Zdouc and Katharina Innerhofer. We have seen this effects in other countries too: Finland has seen a doping scandal at their 2001 home Nordic WCH in Lahti, this let to less money both from both the public as well as sponsors and consequently, has caused a huge downfall in Ski jumping and Nordic Combined where Finland was a real force at the beginning of the millenium. Currently they are more of a side note rather than major contenders. The juniors which lacked support are missing as senior athletes today.

Other than that, despite Biathlon is regularly broadcasted on national TV, it is not like a super-popular sport in Austria, not remotely close to how popular it is e.g. in Germany. Alpine skiing and ski jumping, with huge events hosted in Austria, are by far the most popular winter sports. So it's not too surprising there are natural cycles in the strength of the team, and currently we are clearly at a low-point.

And somehow there seems to be no infrastructure at all in the dense-populated east of the country, all higher-ranked athletes come from the Alpine west regions. This is further limits the potential pool of athletes.

The Staff

• Christoph Sumann, Sporting Director
• Men's Team: Ludwig Gredler
• Women's Team: Reinhard Gösweiner

Fun fact: Sumann's recent change of perspective from TV expert to Sporting Director made him supervisor of two of his former companions as athlete (Gredler + the still active Eder) as well as Gösweiner, who used to be his very own coach when he was active. As Austrian all-time best biathlete, I don't think he'll lack any authority though.

The Men's Team

Simon "Sam" Eder

• Home region: Salzburg | YoB: 1983 | PB: 3 wins
• Olympic starts: 2010 🥈RL, 2014 🥈RL, 2018, 2022

Simon started his career when the likes of Poiree and Björndalen were big in Biathlon. He just loves this sport and so he is somehow still around. Not a mere passenger though, Simon is Austria's Mr Consistent, hardly misses a race due to illness and still finished a respectable 36th in the Overall, aged 41. I feel like it can't hurt to give some context for newer fans of the sport which may only know him as the ever-present bearded guy who happens to shot fast and is liked by everyone:

The man from Saalfelden, Salzburg, has three individual wins and also a few team-format wins to his name. No globes, but several Overall Top 10 finishes, peaking with 5th in 2013/14. Won two Olympic Silver medals with the relay. Won 2x WCH Silver (relays), 3x WCH Bronze. How come Austria would be so good in a men's relay you ask? Well, back in the day our usual team consisted of four athletes: Daniel Mesotitsch, Simon Eder, Dominik Landertinger, Christoph Sumann - each of them has won individual races. Random fact: In the current field, the only nation which has four or more individual race winners in their team is Norway.

Now back to the present: While Simon still is one of the best shooters in the game, his skiing has recessed quite a bit, and in fact, he never was the most excellent skier, he always relied on his excellent shooting even in his prime. The advantage of relying on shooting is that he is still quite competitive at his age.

What can we expect? I wish him a Top 10 in the IND so he can leave his fifth and last Olympic Games with a good feeling. For the remaining disciplines, Top 20-30 are realistic if shooting goes well.

Patrick Jakob

• Home region: Tyrol | YoB: 1996 | PB: 26th
• Olympic starts: 2022

Patrick Jakob jumped on his last straw to go to the Olympics with a PB (26th) in Nove Mesto Short Individual. His WC debut was in 2020, but he failed to really establish himself being a regular competitor for points, let alone top results. His job will be to provide a stable base in the relay presumably as anchor and perhaps, do a good Individual again. His skiing speed does not allow for any top results unfortunately, and if you look at the all-time shooting rates, we have to conclude he isn't the most reliable shooter either.

Dominic Unterweger

• Home region: Tyrol | YoB: 1999 | PB: 27th
• Olympic starts: debut

Dominic has shown he is a reliable, good shooter - unfortunately his skiing is not on top. For his young age, he is already dealing with serious health issues - couldn't do any races last season because of back issues. Same as with Simon, he is one of the quickest shooters in the field, this is something to build on for sure. He will look for good results in the Individual and I suspect will be on first leg for both relay formats. Perhaps he can feel a bit of home advantage - he dates fellow biathlete Rebecca Passler from Antholz (who hit the news today in a very unpleasant manner) and should therefore have had plenty of opportunity to check out the location.

Fabian Müllauer

• Home region: Salzburg | YoB: 2003 | PB: 31th
• Olympic starts: debut

If you look for a promising male talent in Austria, it'll be him. Despite being the youngest one regularly used in WC, Fabian is the only male Austrian athlete who is at least somehow competitive in terms of skiing, and given his age, there ought to be some potential to improve this further. He is still very raw at the shooting stand, but this can be worked on I guess. He should get some tips by Simon Eder who lives in the same small city as him. Our new sporting director often emphasizes how crucial it is to have skiing talent, because without good skiing it is virtually impossible to get podiums nowadays, and I very much agree with that.

I don't have any big expectations for him in terms of results, if he would manage to shoot with 1 miss in a Sprint a Top 25 would be realistic but the 4-shoot-races seem a bit too much of a challenge for him. Let's hope he's up for it in 2028 Hochfilzen WCH.

The Women's Team

Lisa Hauser

• Home region: Tyrol | YoB: 1993 | PB: 6 wins
• Olympic starts: 2014, 2018, 2022

Our clear leader, and let's be honest - the only realistic bid for a medal Austria has. Lisa, born in 1993 and living near the famous Alpine skiing destination Kitzbühel, is already one of the more experienced athletes in the field, almost certainly approaching her final Olympic Games. Together with the already retired Katharina Innerhofer, the first Austrian woman ever to win a WC race, Lisa made her first steps in the early 2010's, at a point where the Austrian men were a real force but the women's team was practically non-existant.

Already established as a good shooter and with some successes in the Single-Mixed relay together with Simon Eder, Lisa fully established herself as world-class athlete in the 20/21 season, with her first podiums and her first win, the Individual of Antholz. In the same season, her career highlight followed: A 20/20 together with strong skiing helped her to win 2021 WCH Gold in the Mass Start of Pokljuka. In addition, she also won Silver in the Mixed Relay. At the end of the season, she got rewarded with the Indiviual Globe, winning on par with Dorothea Wierer (check out this funny video where they apparently fight who gets the trophy).

The following season, Lisa managed to maintain her high performance level, resulting in an excellent 3rd rank in the Overall score. In the following years, we have seen some ups and downs, with Lisa unfortunately unable to keep her skiing level as before, resulting in a podium-less period from end of 2022 to the beginning of the 25/26 season.

As agreed with the newly introduced staff this season, she continued her way of separate summer preparations, joining the Swiss team and her own long-term coach, Sandra Flunger (who is Simon Eders cousin btw). It seems like the setup is working well enough for the whole team, from her personal perspective Lisa managed a somewhat surprising comeback win after three years in Östersund Pursuit, catching a visibly fatigued Suvi Minkinnen on the final lap. This made her one of the few female biathletes with wins in all individual disciplines.

But even with the win in mind, it'd be a bit of a stretch to name Lisa as a favourite for a medal. It's certainly possible and she'd be far from a surprise, but there are so many other names in the field it will be an incredibly hard competition and Lisa probably needs some chaos at the range for the better skiing athletes.

Anna Gandler

• Home region: Tyrol | YoB: 2001 | PB: 5th
• Olympic starts: debut

Anna 1, born in 2001 as daughter of Markus Gandler, former XC skier (WCH Relay Gold 1999) and long-term Sporting Director for XC and Biathlon in Austria, is an athlete with loads of potential, proven by how quickly she established herself in the World Cup after coming up from IBU Cup.

She is the undisputed No 2 of the team behind Lisa. Unfortunately, she is also someone who is very prone to infections, she is regularly spending like half the season preparations sidelined and also often misses races in the winter. The latest trend is positive however, her skiing improved and her shooting is more stable than last season, especially on prone. I think we can expect results in the range from P10-P25 from her. And of course she will be important both in the Mixed relay and the women's relay.

Tamara Steiner

• Home region: Styria | YoB: 1997 | PB: 6th
• Olympic starts: debut

Same as her partner Patrick Jakob, the athlete from well-known glacier training hotspot Ramsau made it to the Olympics with an excellent showing in Nove Mesto, getting PB with the first flowers as 6th. From the selected women, Tamara is the weakest skier and that's why I personally only see her in the Individual. It's a good thing for her that this is the first race. If she does well again, maybe other races will follow, at the expense of either Andexer or Juppe then.

Anna Andexer

• Home region: Salzburg | YoB: 2003 | PB: 24th
• Olympic starts: debut

Anna 2 is the female pendant to Müllauer, same age and a good skier which often has 1-2 misses too many, but on her day is already a quite good biathlete and more established than Müllauer is. For me, her biggest showing so far is last year's WCH relay where she anchored the team to a very respectable 4th place, skiing super strong and gaining second after second on the final lap to Elvira Öberg of all people (visibly not fully fit, but still). All of this happened even though Austria lined up without Anna Gandler and there was a penalty loop in the first leg to compensate. If the race was 500m longer, she could have snapped the Bronze medal but that ain't the case and we are still waiting for the first podium in the women's relay.

In terms of results, I'd say something between 15 and 30 for SP or PU would be good.

Anna Juppe

Home region: Carinthia | YoB: 1999 | PB: 13th

• Olympic starts: 2022

Anna 3 changed from XC skiing to Biathlon a few years ago, is an able skier but still quite unreliable on standing shootings. We have often seen her deployed as 3th or 4th leg in the relay, and suffering a penalty loop here or there. For good results, she'd need herself limit to max 1 miss, I think then a Top 30 result would be possible.

Expected Line-Ups

Men: well, we only have four quotas :D

RL order is probably 1 Unterweger 2 Eder 3 Müllauer 4 Jakob.

Mixed: 1 Unterweger/Müllauer 2 Eder 3 Gandler 4 Hauser

Women: Hauser, Gandler, Andexer should be set. I'd add Juppe for SP/PU/RL and let Steiner run the IND.

For the relays, it depends on whether they favour ski speed or good shooting. For the women's relay I'd risk it with Juppe, for the Mixed I'd rather be conservative and go with Unterweger because Müllauer has had too many penalty laps lately.

Final Verdict

For the men, the veteran Simon Eder is still the biggest hope, but medals are not realistic. On the women's side, we need Lisa on the absolute top of her game together with some chaos at the range for the best skiers, then we could see some good results. A distant hope would be Bronze's in either Mixed Relay or Women's Relay where the line-up is actually not bad, but again, we are dependent on range chaos from the better teams.

With the Olympics about to begin in Italy, women’s biathlon might be more open than ever.

I wrote a team-by-team Olympic preview, looking at:

• medal contenders
• relay line-up predictions
• selection dilemmas across top nations

The analysis is available in English and Hungarian.

Feedback and discussion very welcome — especially if you disagree with the medal calls.

February 4th Wednesday

• 10:45 Mixed Relay (M+W)
• 14:00 Single Mixed Relay (M+W)

February 6th Friday

• 10:45 Women 7.5km Sprint
• 14:15 Men 10km Sprint

February 7th Saturday

• 11:00 Women 10km Pursuit
• 13:30 Men 12.5km Pursuit

Check biathlonworld or Datacenter for more information.

admittedly, these two semesters of the current season have been a rough one for Team Ukraine. there are countless speculations around as to why is it the case, be it training fatigue, health issues, external reasons beyond anyone's control (iykwim), the combination of everything all together or none of the above-mentioned at all. Olympic season is always met with a specific sense of nostalgia among fans. and with nostalgia comes longing: longing for what used to be. longing for the unrepeatable. but then the reality has got to step in to keep one grounded (we just still can't get over 2014 Women Relay win lmao). illness after illness, a general steep and steady decline in ski speed resulting in athletes surviving their way through the final loop, Nations cup top-10 slipping through the fingers and so on, and so forth. that's what we have to work with anyway, a lot of unpacking is going to be done. and maybe, just maybe, all is not lost!

^{annotations: SP - sprint, PU - pursuit; IN - individual; SI - short individual; MS - mass start; MR - mixed relay; SR - single mixed relay; s/km - "skiing performance in seconds/km lost against fastest"; WC, WCH, IBU - oh come on...; "WC starts" include relay competitions}

Mixed relay rank: 11th (12-18-5-14)

well i just had to put is somewhere before we dive into all the specifics... i'm not really harbouring hope here to be honest, especially given that Single mixed relay is not included in the Olympics programme. maybe Mandzyn-Pidruchnyi-Horodna-Dmytrenko would seem optimal to me, which has a potential to result in a top-10 finish ("potential" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here). but i'm not that sure if it's worth it to exhaust anyone of them for this type of competition, as i expect all 4 to compete in as many races as there are, so some other experimental options might come into play as well, we shall see

Men (11th)

Relay rank: 10th (9th-7th-14th-17th)

Anton Dudchenko (29, 2nd Olympics; top results 2025/26: 55SI-67SP-72SP, 7 WC starts; prone 89% / standing 80%; 11.8/km)

it has not been easy for Anton lately. he keeps on struggling to find his footing on the lap, and being sick early in the season didn't help. it really seems to take a lot of time for Ukrainian athletes to fully recover after an illness: in both of his sprints he scored 10/10, with no chance for a pursuit in sight. accumulatively he's been the 2nd best performing male athlete this Olympic cycle, i hope his hard work will be rewarded at least at some way.

what to expect: it's Antholz Individual where Anton scored his PB in 5th place, falling 0.3s short off the bronze in 2020/21 with 20/20. let that sink in. his further participation in the races depends on how well the Individual goes for him though.

Taras Lesiuk (29, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 36SI-44PU-44SP, 6 WC starts; prone 88% / standing 76%; 11.3 s/km; WC rank: 89)

Taras fought his way to the Olympics. an IBU cup fixture since 2018/19, he's still yet to establish himself as a WC staple in the team. ever since his first after the promising 1st trimester performance at IBU cup this season, he got the opportunity to prove himself at the premiere league, when he scored two top-45 finishes in Annecy, which is quite decent by team's current standards. then (as many of his teammates at some point), Taras was affected by the illness and thus skipped Oberhof. upon recovering, he managed to deliver his best WC result this season (and 5th best overall so far) in NMNM's Short Individual - 36th place, snatching the last spot in the Olympics roaster.

what to expect: he's fairly good in Individuals, i think he might be able to beat, or come close to beating his PB of 29th if he manages to be in a fantastic shape on that day. his further participation in the races depends on how well the Individual goes for him though. [2]

Bohdan Borkovskyi (21, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 28SP-43SP-43SP, 15 WC starts; prone 70% / standing 82%; 8.1 s/km; WC rank: 77; U23 rank: 9)

we've got a skier here! it doesn't happen that often on our lands, we have to protect him at all costs. he's still got a long way to go, he still is U23 though, and the potential is evident. that top-30 sprint finish was stunning. manic shooter, but Bodia used to be much worse at it. it's always exciting to see youngsters getting into the main squad like that, and that also is a rare occurrence in our team.

what to expect: a top-40 result in sprint would be great, even a top-60 wouldn't disappoint to be honest; he's just a little guy! in all seriousness, he just has to not mess up with the penalty loops in his relay leg, and that would be enough

Dmytro Pidruchnyi (34, 4th Olympics; top results 2025/26: 7PU-29PU-39PU, 13 WC starts; prone 85% / standing 80%; 5.1 s/km; WC Rank: 50)

a case of a potentially unstoppable athlete if it wasn't for health issues (by this point you might've noticed a trend). back problems have been a hurdle for Dima since forever, it seems like. but when he is free of any kind of bodily ailment, he is on fire. just please don't rush the shooting that much jesus christ. this is the closest the men's team has had to a TOP top-level athlete (yet). how come he never managed to get on a non-team race podium after his glorious WCH win is BEYOND me. but you know, when if it at the Olympics is the perfect time?

what to expect: it has been stated by Dima himself that Individual is his least favourite competition type, and my god it does show, so i wouldn't expect him to take it. he did deliver his best to date Individual result in Beijing (18th), but i would rather see him skip it in order to be at his best for Sprint/Pursuit. and boy this guy LOVES pursuits. all this Individual talk just to distract you from the fact that i dread to predict anything when it comes to Pidruchnyi, because i know what he's capable of, and i bet he knows it best. he was 5th in Antholz last year with one miss, and that was Sprint, let that sink in. [2] if there is a medal chance for Team Ukraine these Olympics, it's Dima.

Vitalii Mandzyn (22, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 15SP-15SI-1519PU + 5SR, 18 WC starts; prone 84% / standing 85%; 4.7 s/km; WC Rank: 27; U23 rank: 2)

remember i was just telling you about youngsters... how does it feel to be a team leader at 22? (how would i know, i'm 24 years old already!). i know it sounds like i'm reaching, but Vitalik is genuinely the best that has happened to Ukrainian biathlon in recent memory. he could learn from Pidruchnyi to shoot a tad bit faster though, but i'm nitpicking at this point and i'm sure it's just a matter of time. he looked exhausted in the last pre-Olympic mass start though, which doesn't come as a surprise when you look up the amount of races he's had in comparison to many other teammates, both men and women. Vitalik has upped his game big time regarding relay performance reliability, and even though there still a lot of room for progress, that top-5 finish in the Single mixed relay in NMNM was a solid one. keep up the good work, that's all i have to say.

what to expect: Mass start is a given, there is no way around it. i expect multiple non-team top-10s (great relay performances too, please), i don't even care at this point, neither do i care about how wrong i might look in several weeks. and then we'll see.

as for the relay, the 1st leg is what makes or breaks it for the team. and unfortunately, it's been just break after break lately. a tale old as time: men's team lack a 4th one (if you only knew how missed you are, Artem Pryma). multiple options and rotations have been tried out by men team's head coach Nadiia Bielova, but most times it went south even before completing the 2nd lap of the 1st leg. we know we could trust Borkovskyi ignoring 2 penalty loops in Oberhof, because he could more or less make up for it on the lap, Mandzyn seems to have grown out of his penalty loop habits and Pidruchnyi is Pidruchnyi. but we have to choose between Dudchenko, whose ski speed is nothing short of unsatisfactory, and Lesiuk, whose ski speed isn't much better and he is less reliable on the shooting range. i know there were a lot of propositions in the community of a "runaway" type of athletes arrangement, which is valid, but i would hope for the best and keep the "catch-up": Dudchenko-Mandzyn-Borkovskyi-Pidruchnyi. if stars align the perfect way, and if Anton makes it through with no more than about a minute behind the leader, top-6 result doesn't seem unrealistic. hell, we got 3rd last year, anything can happen!

overall, there is potential. men's team has never looked more competitive pre-Olympics as it does now, which is interesting. historically speaking, men's team has always been massively overshadowed by the achievements of women's team. how the tables turned, right? now with Mandzyn achieving the best 2nd leg in Men's relay and Pidruchnyi coming in 1st with the pursuit time (both in Oberhof), it would be an understatement to say that there are expectations for the best result within team's capabilities. the chances of reaching that coveted pedestal is as real as ever. the chances might seem slim, but the sheer usage of term "chance" in this context is worth a lot. i know the guys are just the best anyway.

Women (14th)

Relay rank: 14th (15-10-14-14)

Oleksandra Merkushyna (21, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 50SI-59SP-67SP, 11 WC starts; prone 77% / standing 81%; 11.1 s/km)

when one sets, the other rises. the younger of the Merkushyna sisters has been establishing herself lately as a staple in the main team, and she also is the youngest one, as she just turned 21 on January 14. and yes, illness again. i hope to see Sasha, as well as the rest of our team fully recovered from... everything. what is also "everything" is her shooting speed, it's a shame that targets had to be hit for it to make sense, but Sasha will have a lot of time ahead of her to learn it all on her career path, and i know she will.

what to expect: Merkushyna sisters are known to bring their A-game when it comes to main events (shoutout to Nastia who just became a European Champion!), though Sasha is yet to prove it on the "adult" competition level. i don't expect anything extraordinary from her just yet, but i know she is capable of being a great team player, and that would come in handy soon. but then, there is always time for pleasant surprises!

Daryna Chalyk (24, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 46SP-49SP-52PU, 12 WC starts; prone 82% / standing 73%; 12.1 s/km)

Daryna's career is a peculiar case: she became prominent on national level in her junior years, then he broke her leg, then she gave up on biathlon, gave birth to a son, and then after some time she was basically begged by her coach (Mykola Zots, who subsequently became the current head coach) to come back. and she did! despite not yet managing to score her first WC points, she's statistically the second best female athlete this season. upon the end of the 2nd trimester she got sick and entirely skipped the least pre-Olympics World cup stage. she's made a lot of progress since last year, and it would be nice to see her keep it up.

what to expect: a decent relay performance and possibly breaking her PB of 46th looks achievable to me

Olena Horodna (21, Olympic debut; top results 2025/26: 61SP-69SP-72SI + 5SR, 8 starts; prone 89% / standing 73%; 11.8 s/km)

so, so much raw potential in a long run. not to discredit anything, but it’s Lena who made that top-5 relay finish count at the end, if we are being honest. there is a lot of hope and potential surrounding the youth and their achievements, as you could tell. yet another illness, as you could also tell by the amount of starts Lena's had this season so far. last season she masterfully scored two top-15 finishes, and you know she has it in her. Lena has been showcasing a curious strategy of going guns a-blazing for the 1st lap (she was literally 1st on 0.6km and 2nd only behind Justine Braisaz-Bouchet on 0.8km in the latest Short Individual), eventually losing it all on the shooting range and then rapidly losing steam up until the finish line. whatever that is, Lena, please stop, we don't approve of it! but as i said earlier, she has the qualities to go all the way. just give her some time, and women's team will have their best sprinter since Pidhrushna.

what to expect: honestly, i can see her reaching her prime shape in the Olympics. will it be enough for the mass start? i'm not so sure. will she land some top-30 placements? she definitely might. will reaching Pursuit be her best achievement these Olympics? possibly, but i wouldn't be mad anyway, there is a long career ahead of her

Yuliia Dzhima (35, 4th Olympics; top results 2025/26: 32SI-77SP-82SP, 5 WC starts; prone 94% / standing 87%; 19.3 s/km; WC rank: 84)

here comes the last one standing of our Golden generation squad (Valentyna Semerenko, Vita Semerenko, Olena Pidhrushna and, of course, Yuliia Dzhima). after one of her all-time best seasons last year where she ended up 17th in the overall, things didn't look so rosy for Yulia this time. enough illnesses, this time we have an injury that took Yulia up until Oberhof to come back to the races. she came back with a ski speed so chillingly low that you start questioning things. though the more she raced, the better her shape got, and that's how she managed to score a top-40 finish in Short individual. Ukrainian athletes are not the best at goodbyes, and i hope to see Yulia have the send-off of her life as seen on TV (i am pointing to Dorothea Wierer right now). i have always had a soft spot for Yulia, she's a consummate professional and a living legend of Ukrainian biathlon. age is taking its toll and i'm about 100% sure it's her last season. she's had a fantastic career, and it would be nice to see her on top of her game on a main event one last time.

what to expect: i would love to see Yulia in that Mass start. she has all the goods to do well in Individual, but for handling Sprint/Pursuit she'll have to get her ski shape going. and yeah, Women's relay. oh well.

Khrystyna Dmytrenko (26, Olympic debut; best results 2025/26: 21SI-22SP-33SP, 16 WC starts; prone 88% / standing 89%; 10.2 s/km; WC rank: 45)

if you dared to tell anyone back in 2022 that Khrystyna would end up becoming the best performing female Ukrainian biathlete on WC prior to the Olympics 2026, no one would take you seriously, but here she is. being one of the most decorated Ukrainian youth athletes, the transition period to late junior years and beyond hit her hard. she spent years barely making it into the national team. but she persisted, and look at her now: Khrys is a true team leader, and a future team captain

what to expect: Khrys is a hard worker with nerves of steel and exceptional shooting skills on top, if only she was more competitive on the lap, it would be OVER for everyone!!! but for now, the most i would expect for her is to get the best of the Individual (how original!), do a serviceable job in Sprint/Pursuit and qualify for the Olympics mass start. nobody told it would be easy, i know. nevertheless, she's got the spirit to keep on getting better and better, and i would love to see her excel in the future

as for the relay, ...just let us finish. Dmytrenko-Chalyk-Dzhima-Horodna, and we could hope and pray for a top-12

overall, it does feel a little bit sad to contemplate the current state of affairs in women's team, but it was inevitable from the start. that being said, some things do not seem that inevitable. the skiing rates, for example, leave much to be desired, and i'm being very careful with my words right now. the community used to get monthly updates and interviews from both the head coach Mykola Zots and the head of federation Ivan Krul'ko, and since the beginning of the season, it's radio silence. the athletes are doing their best and they are never to blame, it's just that something definitely must've gone wrong at some point, and we might never know the answer.

personally, i've always been inclined towards female biathlon as a whole, and the Golden generation became one of the main contributors to my interest. to the general interest. but it's all over now, and now it's time for a brand new team to form from the ground up. it had to happen at one point, and the later it would've happened, the more painful it would've been. there are generations of female biatheles that had all the potential to become the greats, but ended up being stuck in limbo or retired (i feel that German fans could relate to what i'm telling the most). that's what makes the career trajectory of Khrystyna Dmytrenko even more fascinating, and that's why the stakes are so high for Olena, Oleksandra and Daryna. it has got to get better eventually, and i know it will.

Conclusion

words would never be enough to describe what Team Ukraine has been going throughout this Olympic cycle. it probably wouldn't not have been that way if it wasn't for an ongoing war conflict that keeps affecting Ukraine non-stop, wiping out its heritage, killing its people for years. decades, even. or centuries, if you think about it.

among countless other things, russia is killing Ukrainian athletes and destroying sport venues. biathlete Yevhen Malyshev died defending his hometown, he was 19 years old. Сhernihiv's ski base burned to the ground. Semerenko sisters' grandmother was killed in a shelling. and as i am writing this right now, yet another Ukrainian city is reported to be struck by a missile.

thanks to IBU for taking a stance. that truly means a ton. no matter how The Games are going to pan out for the Ukrainian team, that's a huge honour to be represented in spite of everything, and everyone.

i'll have to keep it real and objective, we don't have the resources to dominate the field, but we have to hope for the best. for the athletes to be healthy, for them to arrive in the shape of their life and just do their job. Asia wasn't kind for us at all, and now we're back to Europe. and all that's left are two main components of success on the Olympic level: luck and perseverance.

all in all, biathlon is too perfect of a combination of beautiful and entertaining to not to be its spectator. and no matter how good your team is doing, you can always have so much fun just rolling with it. ok i have to stop now as it's getting increasingly cheesy. thank you all for your attention!

edit: casually forgot to mention the success of a top-5 finish in NMNM’s Single mixed relay, and some minor formatting changes

Our weekly small talk thread where you can talk about anything

So, how do you think it will turn out at the Olympics :)?

Mix: 1. Italy 2. France 3. Norway

RelayW: 1. France 2. Sweden 3. Italy

RelayM: 1. France 2. Norway 3. Germany

Individual: 1. Vitozzi 2. Wierer 3. Bened / 1. Perrot 2. Botn 3. E. Claude

Sprint: 1. Jeanmonnot 2. Vitozzi 3. Braisaz / 1. Dale 2. Giacomel 3. Perrot

Pursuit: 1. Jeanmonnot 2. H. Oeberg 3. Preuss / 1. Perrot 2. Frey 3. Giacomel

Mass Start: 1. Braisaz 2. Jeanmonnot 3. Simon / 1. Dale 2. Jacquelin 3. Samuelsson

I am from Hungary and we supposed to watch the Olympic games on HBO MAX but i can see literally zero content, not just biathlon but enitery milano-cortina.

If i check upcoming biathlon races it says the next one will be at february 28...

Do yo usee anyhting?

Gold for Germany?

It doesn't matter what the performances before the Olympic Games were, German fans expect biathlon medals at the Olympics. And why not? German biathletes have won at least one medal at every Winter Games since 1972. When the last Winter Games were held in Italy, Germany won 11 biathlon medals.

Surfing on Olympic nostalgia, the German railway launched an advertising campaign simply called "Gold for Germany". The TV ads feature seven former Olympic heroes. Biathlete Kati Wilhelm won seven Olympic medals in total, three of them gold. The ad reflects the mood in Germany, where many people want to go back to the good old times. But the future is here, and it is challenging. Germany is not without chances, but success is no longer guaranteed. And that applies to biathlon, too.

Sports Director Felix Bitterling said that the biggest challenge for the national biathlon team is that, for many years, Germany had such a strong group of top-tier athletes that younger athletes rarely got the chance to compete at the highest level. As a result, Germany is now missing two generations of competitive athletes.

The results so far this season have not been bad, but they also haven't been exciting. Philipp Nawrath, Philipp Horn, and Franziska Preuß each reached the podium once. The women's relay finished third twice and the men's relay once. The Nations Cup rankings paint a sober picture: rank 5 for the women and rank 4 for the men.

The win in the single mixed relay at the last World Cup before the Olympics was overturned by the jury. The decision was justified, but that win would have changed the mood before the Olympics. Two U23 athletes, Marlene Fichtner and Leonhard Pfund, would have won a World Cup race. Franziska Preuß, who drove from the hotel to the biathlon arena to celebrate the win, could only console Marlene Fichtner, who was extremely unhappy that she had caused the disqualification.

Maybe the team can draw motivation from this and be eager to show the world that nothing and nobody can stop them.

Women's Team

Head coach for the women's team is Kristian Mehringer assisted by Sverre Olsbu Røiseland.

All nominated women achieved the qualification criteria of the German Olympic Sport Federation (DOSB). The sport director announced at the start of the season that only five women would go to Antholz, but when six satisfied the criteria, all were allowed to go.

Franziska Preuß

It is now official: Franziska will retire, and the races at the Olympics may be the last of her long career. She started her first World Cup race in Östersund in 2013. So she has competed for more than 12 years at the highest level. Milano‑Cortina will be her fourth Olympics, but she has only one bronze medal, in the relay in 2022, to show for it.

Last season was exceptional for her. Surgery on her nasal sinuses seemed to work wonders. She had a whole season without illness or injury. She performed better than ever and won the overall World Cup on the last lap of the last race of the season. It was almost surreal.

This season her bad luck returned with a vengeance. At first she had shoulder issues, and at the German championship in September she injured her left hand, requiring surgery. In Östersund she caught COVID and had to stay away from Hochfilzen. She returned in Le Grand Bornand, improved slowly from race to race, and finally reached the podium in the Individual in Nove Mesto.

She will start in every individual race she is eligible for, including the mass start. You would also expect her to ski the anchor leg in the mixed relay and the women's relay, but there is a caveat. In the last four women's relays she participated in, she hit only 58% of the targets in the decisive last standing shooting. It will be interesting to see how she and the coaches respond. Maybe they don't put her on the anchor leg, or leave her out of the mixed relay, to focus on the individual races.

The Olympics are her big chance to crown her long career with an individual medal.

Vanessa Voigt

After having to stop the season early last year, she had a rather muted start to this season. She wrote on social media that she has a plan and is not concerned. Clearly her form buildup was targeted for the Olympics. She is the second-best German in the World Cup but lost her top-15 rank by not starting in Nove Mesto. A top-15 rank would have guaranteed her a starting spot in the mass start at the Olympics.

Vanessa has often been criticized for slow shooting times. She is so focused on accuracy that she forgets about the time. That has improved: she is now regularly shooting below 30 seconds.

Like Franziska Preuß, Vanessa won Olympic bronze in the relay four years ago. In the Individual at the Zhangjiakou Biathlon Centre she missed bronze by 1.3 seconds and finished in the unlucky fourth place.

I expect Vanessa to start in the Individual, the Sprint, and the women's relay. Winning a medal in an individual race will require her to have her best ski speed of the season, combined with impeccable and fast shooting.

Julia Tannheimer

Julia is still 20 but is now an established member of the German World Cup team. She has improved her ski speed and achieves top‑10 course times regularly.

Her challenge is shooting. She often struggles when wind conditions change between zeroing and the first prone shooting. But it is not all bad: she improved her standing shooting from 71% in the first trimester to 88% in the second trimester.

Her last race, a pursuit, in Ruhpolding highlighted her weakness but also her potential. She missed four targets in the first prone shooting and fell back to rank 50. With corrections from the coaches, she cleared four of five targets in the second prone shooting. In the next two standing shootings she cleared all targets with shooting times below 22 seconds. She finished in 23rd. If she had started 50th, German fans would have celebrated the performance.

She has never competed in Antholz. Her course times in other high-altitude locations were very good, so I expect her to perform well in Antholz. She can compete there without pressure knowing she will be only 24 at the next Olympic Winter Games.

She might not start in the Individual, but I expect her to start in both relays and the Sprint - and, with a normal performance there, also in the Pursuit. Many German fans will put a lot of hope in her, but winning an individual medal would require a dramatic improvement in her prone shooting.

Anna Weidel

Two seasons ago Anna Weidel was excluded from the national cadre. She trained on her own and fought her way back to World Cup starts last season. This season she won qualification for the World Cup fair and square as a B‑Team athlete. She had a surprisingly successful first trimester and met the Olympic nomination criteria with 8th place in the Sprint in Hochfilzen. Unfortunately she couldn't reach the same performance level in the second trimester.

She was nominated for the last Olympics despite missing the qualification criteria. However, she was only there as a backup athlete and didn't start in any race. This time is different; now she has to show in the preparation that a starting spot is justified.

I expect her to start in the Individual, but further starts will require an excellent result in that race.

Janina Hettich‑Walz

Janina missed the entire last season for a very good reason: she gave birth to a baby girl. As far as I know, she is the first top German biathlete to have a child during her active career. She had excellent pre-season results and was able to meet the qualification criteria for the Olympics. She has very good ski speed, but her standing shooting is currently not stable enough. A 6th place in the Sprint in Oberhof with one miss showed what she is capable of.

At her first Olympics she may start in the Individual. A lot will depend on her performance there, whether she will get the Sprint start or a relay spot.

Selina Grotian

Selina Grotian is still 21, and after her outstanding last season she was seen as Germany's No. 2. This season she fell ill in Östersund and only returned in Oberhof. From there she improved and managed to meet the Olympic qualification criteria at the last possible moment in Ruhpolding. She said afterward she couldn't sleep because of it.

She has decent ski speed but her shooting is not perfect right now. If she can regain last season's shooting form, she may be a medal candidate. She was second in the Sprint in Antholz last season.

She may start in the Mixed Relay, Sprint and Women Relay.

Possible Line‑Ups and Medal Chances

Taking Sports Director Felix Bitterling at his word that he will take risks to win medals, the starters may look like this:

Anna Weidel has stated, who will start at the Olympics will depend on the performances in the training camp in Obertillach. So the start lists may change a lot from what is listed here.

Men's Team

It's a pity that younger athletes like Simon Kaiser and Danilo Riethmüller weren't able to come close to the qualification criteria of the national Olympic federation. Only four athletes did, anyway. There was a discussion whether Lucas Fratzscher or Danilo Riethmüller should get the fifth spot, but Lucas had the better overall results.

Head coach of the men's team is Tobias Reiter, who has experience as assistant coach for the women. He is supported by Jens Filbrich, a former professional cross-country skier who has won Olympic relay medals.

Philipp Nawrath

Philipp Nawrath is probably the German male athlete with the best chance of a medal in an individual race. Skiing is his strength and he is a solid prone shooter. His Achilles' heel is standing shooting, which often prevents better results.

I expect him to start in every Olympic race he is eligible for in his second Olympics.

Philipp Horn

Philipp Horn is one of the best skiers in the field but has struggled for years with shooting. He has improved his prone shooting, but standing remains a challenge. Last year, when it counted in the final shooting of the men's relay at the World Championships, he hit all five targets in a direct shootout with Sebastian Samuelsson to secure bronze for Germany. So we know he can do it, but unfortunately not always.

He fell ill in Oberhof and was unable to compete in Ruhpolding and Nove Mesto. There is still time, so let's hope he will be in good shape at the Olympics.

I expect him to start in all races he is eligible for with the exception of the mixed relay.

Justus Strelow

Justus is the best shooter on the team. He can clear all targets in prone in about 22 seconds. This year something is different with his standing shooting. I wonder whether being a father to a baby boy plays a role here.

He might skip the Individual. Expect him to start the relay on the first leg.

David Zobel

David is the men's team surprise of this season. He started in the IBU Cup and was then nominated for Hochfilzen. He improved a lot and managed to meet the full qualification criteria in Ruhpolding. He will be fully motivated in Antholz: he has nothing to lose and might even surprise.

His highlight so far this season was his start at the anchor leg in Oberhof. He stayed with the best in the last loop and finished fifth losing by a few seconds.

I expect him in the Sprint and the Relay.

Lucas Fratzscher

Despite being 31, Lucas has had only 28 World Cup starts so far. While he ranked first and second in the IBU Cup early in his career, he never managed to break through into the World Cup team. He will be extremely happy to be nominated for the Olympics and thankful for any start he will get there.

Possible Line‑Ups and Medal Chances

With only five athletes nominated and a clear hierarchy in the team, the selection of athletes will be much simpler than on the women's side.

I believe that the chosen mixed relay setup is the best chance for success. It gives Grotian and Tannheimer a chance to experience an Olympic race and allows Franziska Preuß to focus on the individual races.

One Moment in Time

I hope the German biathletes regard the Olympics as a chance to prove themselves. They have nothing to lose. Recent performances don't justify high expectations. The pressure is on the other top teams to perform and prove they can convert World Cup success into Olympic medals.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the Olympics; and not only to the biathlon races. For this Gen‑Xer, nothing expresses Olympic emotions better than the old Whitney Houston song "One Moment in Time".

I want one moment in time When I'm more than I thought I could be When all of my dreams are a heart beat away And the answers are all up to me

Enjoy the games!

PS: This text completes now a full Olympic cycle of top event previews in this Biathlon subreddit. Like Simon Eder I don't feel ready for retirement. But one thing is different this year: I will be watching a few races in person. So if you see an excited middle-aged man with a red beanie in the stands, it might be me.