Dear Biathlon Family Australia,

Congratulations Darcie Morton and Noah Bradford who will once again be representing Australia in the pinnacle event for IBU season 2024-25: the 2025 World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

Darcie’s Trimester 2 saw her compete at World Cups 4-6 culminating with the Olympic Test Event at Antholz-Anterselva. We can now say “Grazie mille e arriverderci, to biathlon Antholz, see you next year for the Olympics at Milano-Cortina 2026”. 

Noah and Darcie will head to the World Championships after the Open European Championships (OECHs) where Australia is looking to field our first ever Women’s four by 6km relay with Darcie, Damika, Isabella, and Rosie. 

Noah comes to the OECHs after representing the Uniroos in all five biathlon events on the 2025 FISU World University Games programme: Individual, Sprint, Single Mixed Relay (with Isabella Moon), Pursuit, and 15km Mass Start. Noah finished the World University Games (WUG) ranked 17^th. Both Noah and Isabella Moon (Uniroos Flagbearer for 2025 FISU WUG) competed in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the World University Games. Noah raced over 73km with over 16 range visits during the eight-day biathlon programme.

 QUALIFICATION STATUS FOR IBU 2024/2025 TRIMESTER 3

 Darcie and Noah remain Australia’s two World Championship eligible athletes who have qualified personally for World Championship events under the IBU Event and Competition Rules point 1.5.3.2. AUS NF was allocated one World Championship Wild Card Men and allocated the Wild Card to Noah Bradford. 

g 1.5.3.2 World Championships (WCH) 

As the minimum qualification requirement to compete in WCH events, a competitor must have 180 IBU qualifying points or less at the end of the last trimester before the WCH, or fulfil one of the following criteria during the current or previous season: 

a.  Compete in at least one competition, earning 150 IBU qualifying points or less at an IBU Cup, OECH, WC or OWG in the Sprint or Individual, or

b.  One finish in the top half at the JWCH (not Youth).

All members of Relay teams must also have met this individual qualification requirement. 

 Australian international rankings as at the end of Trimester 2:

·             Darcie Morton, 80.15 IBU Qualifying Points

·             Noah Bradford,170.65 IBU Q points

·             Damika Morton, 214.83 IBU Q points

·             Boris Stanish, 218.34 IBU Q points

·             Phoenix Sparke, 218.93 IBU Q points

·             Isabella Moon, 254.37 IBU Q points

·             Jack Hirst, 312.93 IBU Q points

·             Ava McCann, 359.63 IBU Q points

·             Rosie Franzke, IBU Cup qualified

As the Australian biathlon family approaches 50 years together, we are putting together an electronic Honour Board of all those who have represented our sport at the highest level. Starting from the Australian 1978 World Championship team of Bob Cranage, Lauri Jortikka, Bob Butler, and Andrew Paul, an initial list of those who have represented us at Biathlon WCHs is at: https://www.biathlonaustralia.com.au/honour-boards/world-championship-athletes. Please assist our executiveofficer@biathlonaustralia.com.au in filling in the gaps. 

Stay tuned for plenty more announcements and biathlon action in IBU Trimester 3 as a new chapter in our history begins.

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