Biathlon Australia

2024 VICTORIAN FIS ROLLERSKI INTERNATIONALS- SPRINT 

Dear Biathlon Family Australia,

 Biathlon Australia (BA) women have been representing AUS in international and World Championship biathlon events for over 40 years. In 1984, Kerryn Rim represented Australia at the 1st women's Biathlon World Championships held in Chamonix, France. Eight years later AUS biathlon had two female athletes on Team Australia when women’s biathlon debuted at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. Sandra Paintin-Paul was our first female biathlon Olympian, along with  Kerryn Rim. Sandra represented Australia in biathlon at two winter Olympics (1992, 1994), and Kerryn represented Australia at three Winter Olympic Games (1992, 1994 and 1998).

 1984 WCH Results:

• Kerryn Rim 28th Sprint, 31st Pursuit

 Over 40 years later and AUS NF had two biathletes participate in the Biathlon WCHs in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic.

 2024 WCH Results:

• Darcie Morton 72nd Individual, 71st Sprint, 27th Single Mixed Relay
• Noah Bradford 100th Individual, 91st Sprint, 27th Single Mixed Relay

 As they say “biathletes are made in Summer” and today was the Snow Australia Yarra Boulevard Sprint for which a number of Biathlon Australia members were on course preparing for the winter cross country skiing (and target shooting) season ahead by getting in some competitive rollerskiing action.

 The Open Women’s event was hotly contested with Melbourne Cross Country skier Elle Sankey (Victoria) in first, followed by BA members Sean’Hope Craig (ACT) in second and BA and NSW Biathlon coach, Julia Smusz (NSW) in third. BA members Liam Cullen-Croke and Lachlan Hales were first and second in the U16 Men’s Sprint respectively and Carmen Cullen-Croke won the U16 Women’s event. The Men’s U20 event was hotly contested with Jayden Spring first, Clancy Merrick Harvey second, closely followed less than a second behind by BA members Samuel Johnson (3rd) and Sebastian Packer-Smith (4th). Competition continues tomorrow (Sunday, 28 April) on the Teardrop Loop with the Open Women’s and Men’s 10-kilometre Mass Start. See today’s Sprint results at: https://www.alpinetiming.com.au/results/r493/

 Nearly 50 years ago, Biathlon Australia members represented Australia at the 1978 Biathlon World Championships in Hochfilzen, Austria. Over 40 years ago, Biathlon Australia was represented at the first Women’s Biathlon World Championships in Chamonix, France. Biathlon Australia is looking to build on the success of our past as Milano 2026, and our 50th anniversary, approach. If anyone has any stories of our founding generation they wish to share with our membership please send them to: executiveofficer@biathlonaustralia.com.au

 David, Sandy, Murray, Brett, Tristan, Mark, Libby and Katerina